Mellbreak & Hen Comb

Thursday 31st December 2009

Despite better weather during this walk than the day before I still didn’t want to do anything too tricky in the wintry conditions, though I still up ended doing a walk that was both long and tiring. I set off from Buttermere first thing in the morning and crossed the fields between the lakes of Buttermere and Crummock Water along icy tracks. After crossing the Buttermere Beck I followed an icy path across an area that is often regarded as the wettest in the Lake District. This wasn't the case on this occasion however, as most of the mud was frozen but it still required a bit of bog-hopping despite the cold temperatures. When I reached Scale Beck I found that it had severely flooded recently to such an extent that it has changed its course. The new route parallels the old which has been reduced to a trickle and there is now much debris of stones and wood that litters the area all the way down to the lake.
After crossing the stream I started to climb the steep hill opposite, Scale Knott, following a fence up. This route was not recommended by Wainwright as the best views are always behind but that just gave me an excuse to stop frequently and turn around so I could admire the stunning views across Buttermere. At the top of Scale Knott I reached the ridge of Mellbreak where I continued climbing past the snow line and up the southern slopes of Mellbreak until I reached the broad summit. This was quite a nice, quiet climb and it was curiously refreshing after my nerve-breaking walk of the day before. After a rest beside the small cairn at the summit I crossed the snow covered fell to Mellbreak's prettier, heather-covered northern top. Once this pleasurable traverse had been accomplished I turned around and retraced my steps until I'd reached the bottom of the saddle between the two tops where I took a steep path down the western slopes.

With care I successfully reached the bottom of the path, in Mosedale, where I followed a path across the wet valley to the foot of Hen Comb. Leaving the clear valley path I followed a faint path beside a fence that climbs up the steep slopes of Hen Comb to the point where the fence turns north. This climb was quite exhausting so I stopped at this point and had my lunch while gazing across Mosedale towards the massive bulk of Mellbreak with its two radically different tops before me. The top of the northern ridge of Hen Comb was now not too far away from me so I easily climbed up to the top of the snowy ridge where I turned towards the summit and followed a path that led me all the way up to the top of Hen Comb, my second new Wainwright of the day. Despite persistent low cloud, I was fortunate as both the hills I’d climbed on this walk were no higher than cloud level so I was almost always below the clouds and able to enjoy stunning views of the snow covered fells.

Soon I left the summit behind and descended the southern slopes of Hen Comb into the vast expanse of the Mosedale marsh. After a great deal of map searching and horizon gazing I eventually managed to locate the path that crosses the marsh on its way to Scale Force. After a tedious, though mostly dry, crossing I eventually reached the waterfall, which I'd never visited before, despite Scale Force being the tallest waterfall in the Lake District, as I had never previously been able to incorporate it into a walk. I’d planned on visiting Scale Force on my first trip to the Lake District but I was unable to, and now I found that I could hardly see it as it is hidden at the back of a long, deep, narrow ravine. I suppose it would be worse in summer as heavy vegetation would further impede the view. It’s a fabulous waterfall but I couldn’t help being somewhat disappointed by it and feeling as if it hadn’t been worth the wait. Finally I crossed the slopes high above Crummock Water and dropped down into Buttermere. This supposedly simple walk eventually took me all day as it was getting dark by the time I reached the youth hostel, but it was still an enjoyable walk to end the year. I had some pretty lousy weather in 2009, so I hope in 2010 I will be a little more fortunate.