Blencathra

Saturday 30th March 2013

For the third year running I went to the Lake District for Easter week, but that hadn’t been my original plan for this holiday. For a long time I have been planning to go walking along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, but I couldn’t seem to be able to get the buses, trains and hostels to work together during the Easter week. In the end I settled on my backup plan of coming back to the Lake District and since it is such a brilliant place with many excellent walks left to do there, I was overjoyed to be coming back. Unfortunately my plans for this holiday were then given a huge setback by an obstinate winter that still had a tight grip on the fells. After the coldest March ever recorded there was a lot of snow still remaining on the fells. I am not a fan of winter walking and don’t have the crampons or ice axe that are required for walking over snow-covered mountains, so my walking would be severely restricted as a result of not being able to safely go everywhere I’d originally planned.

Undaunted I set off first thing in the morning and through a combination of trains and buses found myself in Scales at the foot of the mighty Blencathra by noon. After climbing up to the fell wall I set off beside the wall to Scaley Beck where a short scramble into and out of the small ravine (though not necessary as there is a path that goes around) thrillingly started my week in the Lake District. After lunch at the foot of Doddick Fell I set off up to the top of the ridge. Of the three ridges that lead up to the top of Blencathra the central and most notable ridge, Hall’s Fell Ridge, was the only one that I’d previously done, but Wainwright also strongly recommended Doddick Fell, to the east of Hall’s Fell. This good ridge offered me an interesting route to the top through heather and over crags while always showing me tremendous views of the summit of Blencathra. The weather was bright and sunny throughout, but it got colder the higher I climbed with a bitter wind blowing at the top.

Snow was not a problem on the fantastically craggy ridge until I was almost at the top where it became obvious that crampons would have come in handy. After safely going around the cornice at the top of the ridge I started to follow the path at the top of the steep south-facing crags upon heavily walked-on snow. There were a lot of people on this path and some of them were wearing crampons, but not all, and I found that I was able to safely walk up the hill with my walking poles keeping me upright all the way up to the summit of Blencathra, at the top of Hall’s Fell. Despite the popularity of this mountan there was no one at the summit when I got there, and I wasn’t even sure I’d actually reached the top so I carried straight on along the ridge to the top of Gategill Fell before turning around and returning to the summit. When I returned the sun had come out and was lighting the view perfectly along the summit ridge in a stunning landscape of fell, lake and snow.

This was such a stunning sight I was reluctant to leave the awesome summit, but eventually the sun went in and I decided it was time to leave, but I wasn’t sure where to go next. I hadn’t really planned anything except for a vague idea of visiting Mungrisdale Common, but that featureless plain didn’t appeal to me. Eventually I walked across to Atkinson Pike, down the steep Blue Screes and across the top of the River Glenderamackin to the top of Bannerdale Crags. This was a very different walk to the one I’d taken over Blencathra as I was now crossing relatively flat snow covered slopes, but with the added effort of wading through deep snow. After visiting the top of Bannerdale Crags I walked around the top of the crags (though far from the actual edge), around the edge and up to the top of Bowscale Fell. With hindsight it was probably a bit of a wasted effort visiting Bannerdale Crags as I then had to almost double back on myself in order to go to Bowscale Fell.

After visiting the cairn at the top of Bowscale Fell I set off straight down the expansive, snowy western slopes all the way to the Blackhazel Beck and its mouth with the River Caldew. I always find it fun to do something like that: dropping all the way from the summit of a hill down to the valley below. The first time I remember doing that was on Beinn Chabhail, dropping down from Lochain a’ Chaisteil all the way into Glen Falloch. I was not following a path, just making my own route, and I was free to wander wherever I wanted with a minimum of effort down long grassy slopes. It’s a descent that I would hate to do as an ascent as it would seem to drag on forever, but in descent I enjoyed every moment. At the Caldew I forded the river and joined the clear track on the other side. With the sun beginning to dip below the tops of the hills I walked along the path following the Caldew upstream into the heart of the Skiddaw Forest where a solitary house sits surrounded by heather clad hills: Skiddaw House Youth Hostel.

With the tiring climb up Blencathra and the long, snowy trek across to Bowscale Fell that had followed an early start in the morning, I was now feeling very tired and found the last uphill struggle to Skiddaw House very difficult. Eventually I managed to get up the muddy path to the hostel and wearily tried to open the door: it was locked. Panic quickly set in. I was booked in there, how can it be shut? Soon I heard a voice from the other side saying, “Try the next door.” The second door was indeed the entrance and inside I found a warm welcome inside a wonderful, character-filled hostel. I had never stayed there before, but I enjoyed my stay so much I’m sure it won’t be long before I return. And I’m sure it also won’t be long before I return to Blencathra, which never fails to satisfy whatever the weather, and this time I was treated to some brilliant, clear views from this magnificent fell.