Friday 14th April 2006
This walk was the start of nine days in the Lake District, but it started with a gruelling walk that I really shouldn’t have done. I arrived at Windermere train station at 10.30 and immediately began walking by going up a road that is opposite the station winding up the hillside through woods and came out at Orrest Head, a popular viewpoint for the Windermere tourist, including this day when it was liberally populated by the old and the very young. After taking a few pictures I left the top and headed north through farmland until I reached the Dubbs Road. This rough track took me towards the Garburn Pass, but before I got to the top I turned off at a stile onto the fellside of Applethwaite Common slowly climbing the widening ridge as I ascended Sour Howes. This was a total waste of time and energy that, as I later found, I really couldn't spare, but that didn't stop me also going across to the neighbouring fell of Sallows. The reason for this diversion was simple; both fells were Wainwrights and having been given his books for Christmas I simply had to do these fells. With hindsight it may have been better if I hadn't, but ultimately it probably would not have made much difference.
Once I finally reached the top of the Garburn Pass I proceeded along the path towards Yoke. When I went up these fells in 2004 I ttok a path near the top of the ridge beside the wall, which turned out to be a bad idea as it was exceptionally boggy. This time I managed to stay on the proper path, which, relatively speaking, was excellent: there being very few bogs to negotiate. At the top of Yoke I had my lunch before tacking Ill Bell. I remember this ascent as being really painful and difficult, but compared with ascents that I had to do later in the day it wasn't too bad. After Ill Bell I passed over Froswick and then climbed up to the top of Thornthwaite Crag.
By now the weather was excellent, so even though it was obvious I wouldn't get to my destination until quite late (I was thinking seven o'clock at this time) I was happy to continue. Before coming to the Lake District I had decided that I didn't want to be tied to getting to the hostel before six as I had been in the past. To this end I had taken a couple of camping meals with me as backups in case I was late at any time, so at this point in the walk I wasn't too concerned about how much further I had to go. I descended the scree slope to Threshthwaite Mouth and then climbed the rocky slope to Stoney Cove Pike and Caudale Moor. I was feeling good and relaxed at this point, in fact I was actually enjoying myself, but that would not last for long. From the cairn at the top of Caudale Moor I noticed another cairn a short distance away and going across to investigate I discovered that it marks a viewpoint overlooking Caudale Cove, the point marked on the map as Caudale Head. The views down Patterdale were stunning and I had never seen this sight before in all my years in the Lake District. In the past I had been overly concerned with bagging peaks, so this year I wanted to investigate a bit more: look down a few cliffs and look out from a few more viewpoints, and this was a start.
Passing the Atkinson Memorial I rejoined the path and descended the rather dull ridge all the way down to the Kirkstone Pass. Now I felt as if I was ready to arrive at the Youth Hostel, but I still had a lot of walking ahead of me. Crossing the road I started to climb the cliff face ahead of me, past the Kilnshaw Chimney and up to the top of Red Screes. The path is very good, being well designed and manufactured to ease the gradient as much as possible, but that didn't stop it being an absolute torture as I crawled all the way up to the top. In sheer exhaustion I finally got to the top of Red Screes and had a piece of my emergency supply of Kendal Mint Cake, and discovered that I had run out of water.
With still a lot of walking ahead of me, but without meeting another soul for the rest of the walk, I proceeded down the steep slope to the Scandale Pass. Passing over I ascended the hillside opposite climbing all the way up to the top of Dove Crag, though still stopping off at Little Hart Crag on the way: another Wainwright bagged. Dragging myself up the hill I eventually managed to get to the top of the ridge on the eastern side of the Fairfield Horseshoe. Turning right I passed over the top of Dove Crag and Hart Crag making sure that despite my extreme exhaustion I went over the summits of both fells. Both previous times I've been over these fells the weather wasn't too good, and last time it was raining. Now, for the first time I had clear views (remember that the good weather was one of the reasons why I had continued with this madness), so I was able to locate the summits with considerably more ease than on those previous occasions.
When I reached the col between Hart Crag and Fairfield I collapsed. I couldn't go on, the steep slope ahead of me felt like the north face of the Eiger: it was insurmountable. After a rest and another piece of Kendal Mint Cake I was ready to re-evaluate my assessment of the slope ahead. Staggering to my feet I started climbing up to the wide plateau of Fairfield, now gloomy in the twilight, but still clearer than on any previous occasion I had visited it. Despite this I passed to the south of the summit heading straight for the western ridge of the horseshoe. With a stunning sunset to admire all my fatigue seemed to drop away from me. Passing over Great Rigg I took a path that veers right away from the ridge and descended the fell over Stone Arthur. Which of the many rocks is the actual stone, I have no idea, but I went up several of them at first to ensure I’d bagged the right one, but soon I tired of this and hurried down the fell in rapidly diminishing light.
Using my tiny torch I negotiated the lower slopes of the hill onto the road beside the Swan Hotel. Now in Grasmere I only had to get to the Youth Hostel, which was up the hill. In my exhausted, hungry, sleepy state this was the last thing I wanted to do or could even cope with. After feeling ill just going up a small raise I decided to eat a third piece of Kendal Mint Cake. This gave me the necessary energy to get to the Grasmere Thorny Howe Youth Hostel, at 9.40 pm. At over eleven hours this was my longest walk so far, and definitely the most exhausting. I hope I am never stupid enough to repeat it. This walk was badly planned, terribly under estimating the distance involved or how long it would take me. My worst crime though was not abandoning the walk at the Kirkstone Pass when it was obvious the walk was going to be too long. Lesson learned.
This walk was the start of nine days in the Lake District, but it started with a gruelling walk that I really shouldn’t have done. I arrived at Windermere train station at 10.30 and immediately began walking by going up a road that is opposite the station winding up the hillside through woods and came out at Orrest Head, a popular viewpoint for the Windermere tourist, including this day when it was liberally populated by the old and the very young. After taking a few pictures I left the top and headed north through farmland until I reached the Dubbs Road. This rough track took me towards the Garburn Pass, but before I got to the top I turned off at a stile onto the fellside of Applethwaite Common slowly climbing the widening ridge as I ascended Sour Howes. This was a total waste of time and energy that, as I later found, I really couldn't spare, but that didn't stop me also going across to the neighbouring fell of Sallows. The reason for this diversion was simple; both fells were Wainwrights and having been given his books for Christmas I simply had to do these fells. With hindsight it may have been better if I hadn't, but ultimately it probably would not have made much difference.
Once I finally reached the top of the Garburn Pass I proceeded along the path towards Yoke. When I went up these fells in 2004 I ttok a path near the top of the ridge beside the wall, which turned out to be a bad idea as it was exceptionally boggy. This time I managed to stay on the proper path, which, relatively speaking, was excellent: there being very few bogs to negotiate. At the top of Yoke I had my lunch before tacking Ill Bell. I remember this ascent as being really painful and difficult, but compared with ascents that I had to do later in the day it wasn't too bad. After Ill Bell I passed over Froswick and then climbed up to the top of Thornthwaite Crag.
By now the weather was excellent, so even though it was obvious I wouldn't get to my destination until quite late (I was thinking seven o'clock at this time) I was happy to continue. Before coming to the Lake District I had decided that I didn't want to be tied to getting to the hostel before six as I had been in the past. To this end I had taken a couple of camping meals with me as backups in case I was late at any time, so at this point in the walk I wasn't too concerned about how much further I had to go. I descended the scree slope to Threshthwaite Mouth and then climbed the rocky slope to Stoney Cove Pike and Caudale Moor. I was feeling good and relaxed at this point, in fact I was actually enjoying myself, but that would not last for long. From the cairn at the top of Caudale Moor I noticed another cairn a short distance away and going across to investigate I discovered that it marks a viewpoint overlooking Caudale Cove, the point marked on the map as Caudale Head. The views down Patterdale were stunning and I had never seen this sight before in all my years in the Lake District. In the past I had been overly concerned with bagging peaks, so this year I wanted to investigate a bit more: look down a few cliffs and look out from a few more viewpoints, and this was a start.Passing the Atkinson Memorial I rejoined the path and descended the rather dull ridge all the way down to the Kirkstone Pass. Now I felt as if I was ready to arrive at the Youth Hostel, but I still had a lot of walking ahead of me. Crossing the road I started to climb the cliff face ahead of me, past the Kilnshaw Chimney and up to the top of Red Screes. The path is very good, being well designed and manufactured to ease the gradient as much as possible, but that didn't stop it being an absolute torture as I crawled all the way up to the top. In sheer exhaustion I finally got to the top of Red Screes and had a piece of my emergency supply of Kendal Mint Cake, and discovered that I had run out of water.
With still a lot of walking ahead of me, but without meeting another soul for the rest of the walk, I proceeded down the steep slope to the Scandale Pass. Passing over I ascended the hillside opposite climbing all the way up to the top of Dove Crag, though still stopping off at Little Hart Crag on the way: another Wainwright bagged. Dragging myself up the hill I eventually managed to get to the top of the ridge on the eastern side of the Fairfield Horseshoe. Turning right I passed over the top of Dove Crag and Hart Crag making sure that despite my extreme exhaustion I went over the summits of both fells. Both previous times I've been over these fells the weather wasn't too good, and last time it was raining. Now, for the first time I had clear views (remember that the good weather was one of the reasons why I had continued with this madness), so I was able to locate the summits with considerably more ease than on those previous occasions.
Using my tiny torch I negotiated the lower slopes of the hill onto the road beside the Swan Hotel. Now in Grasmere I only had to get to the Youth Hostel, which was up the hill. In my exhausted, hungry, sleepy state this was the last thing I wanted to do or could even cope with. After feeling ill just going up a small raise I decided to eat a third piece of Kendal Mint Cake. This gave me the necessary energy to get to the Grasmere Thorny Howe Youth Hostel, at 9.40 pm. At over eleven hours this was my longest walk so far, and definitely the most exhausting. I hope I am never stupid enough to repeat it. This walk was badly planned, terribly under estimating the distance involved or how long it would take me. My worst crime though was not abandoning the walk at the Kirkstone Pass when it was obvious the walk was going to be too long. Lesson learned.
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