Branstree and Selside Pike

Thursday 19th December 2019

There has been such bad weather during the autumn that I have hardly done any walking as the ground became increasingly saturated with water. Just before Christmas I usually spend a few days in the Lake District, however the days were not conveniently positioned this year to make this convenient, but I was determined to get away even if it was only for a couple of days. My plan for this short holiday was to walk up some of the fells on the far eastern edge of the Lakes and for this I would need my car as there is little accommodation in that area, so it was that I drove up the M6 coming off at junction 39 and driving through Shap and Bampton Grange I came down the road beside Haweswater Reservoir and parked at Mardale Head. Almost nine years earlier, to the day, I had walked up Harter Fell and the two fells named above on a snowy, but cloudless day and I had decided that on this walk I would do the same, but in reverse. However, when I was preparing to set off I changed my mind about the direction realising that I had never climbed the Gatescarth Pass before, and had descended only once, in 2005. Since I didn’t have time for Harter Fell and considering this is a better climb than the one planned I set off up the wide path under clouds while blue skies could be seen away from the fells to the east.

Snow decorated the fells where they could be seen below the clouds that were completely enveloping the highest fells, including the highest in the Far Eastern Fells, usually known as High Street. It was very windy and cold as I climbed the steep path thankful for my walking poles that I had not used since before the summer having forgotten to take them to Wales with me in August. As the winding path approached the top of Gatescarth Pass, snow began to make an appearance in small patches and by the time I reached the top I was completely surrounded by clouds. A signpost pointed back the way I had come, ahead along the path and right up a good path to Harter Fell, however I wanted the fourth option, to my left, which was not signposted, onto a faint path through mud and bog before climbing relentlessly beside a fence all the way up to Branstree. When I climbed this fell in 2010 there had been a full covering of snow on the ground, which, incidentally, I have not encountered at Christmas in the Lake District since then, but now I did come across some snow at the top of the fell, especially where it had blown against the south-eastern wall.

The summit of Branstree is a short distance away from where this wall meets the fence that traverses the fell and is marked by a small cairn and a round trigonometrical circle set into the ground. Moving away from the top I followed a path that soon led me to Artlecrag Pike where a tall, magnificent cairn has been erected amongst a small scattering of rock outcrops. After passing a second such cairn I seemed to lose the path in amongst the rocks at the top of a wide bank of snow. Carefully, I made my way across several of these snow banks as I slowly returned to the fence. Although I had lost the path in limited visibility I knew that there is a clear path beside the fence, which was not far away and soon I was back to the safety of the guardrail that is the fence. There is an old survey pillar on the other side of the fence not far away, but I didn’t cross over to visit it or the unnamed 673 metre top beyond and instead I kept to the fence crossing the northern slopes of the top dealing with the snow that was still barring my progress. Eventually I passed through Captain Whelter Bog and climbed the short rise to Selside Pike where a wide cairn has been fashioned into a shelter from the cold westerlies.

There the fence turns east and I headed out across the grassy fell down the north-east ridge of Selside End dropping below the cloud level once again to reveal the flat, featureless landscape between Haweswater and Swindale whose highest point is Hawe Shaw, but only a couple of metres higher than that of the broad upland ridge. Nevertheless I was enjoying myself as I sailed down the slender path and eventually reached the much clearer Old Corpse Road that crosses the ridge between Swindale and Mardale. Turning left onto this path I headed across to the top of Rowantree Beck where there is a stunning view down to the reservoir with the tree-covered Rigg at the foot of the long ridge that bends round to climb all the way up to High Street. The excellent path descends from this point in a series of bends neatly dropping steeply down to the road. Between the road and the shore of the reservoir is a footpath, but this was not worth taking except for the delightfully narrow bridge over Hopegill Beck.

I did not started this walk till noon, so I was unable to take much more than three hours before the setting sun forced a curtailment, but I really enjoyed the chance to get out onto the fells once more and walk over some of the lesser-known fells on the eastern fringe of the Lake District. It had been a long time since I’d done a good walk and I’d really missed it, but I’d also missed being in the Lake District having stayed away all year. Given half a chance I would spend all my time there, but it is perhaps better to ration my visits so they seem even more special and long anticipated, as was this one.

Moel Siabod

Saturday 7th September 2019

There was rain at the start of this walk, which I felt had been a common occurrence during my holiday in Wales, but this was the last day of my fortnight in Wales where I had been returning to the particularly memorable walks that I have done during the last twenty years. All of the walks that inspired this holiday were from more than ten years ago as I have rarely been back to Wales during that time having felt the pull towards other areas, but it was wonderful returning to Wales for this nostalgia tour. The walk that finished the holiday was first done in 2004, and again in 2005, and I finally managed to do it correctly in 2007, on the third attempt. On those occasions I had parked at Pont-Cyfyng, not far from Capel Curig, where there are three parking spaces, however on this occasion when I got there I found them all occupied. Despite the rain, and despite it not being nine o’clock yet, the National Park seemed to be heaving with people and cars were parked everywhere, particularly around Snowdon. Eventually I found a parking space, not far away, beside the Bryn Glo B&B, and from there I headed back over the bridge of Pont-Cyfyng onto the steep path that leads to the open hillside.

Soon the rain stopped and with improving weather a fabulous walk ensued as I branched left on the gently inclining hill with the craggy bulk of Moel Siabod looming ahead of me. The fabulous path kept to the foot of the rising hill as I weaved around a lake and up to fascinating old quarry workings. The best paths are always made by miners and this one delighted me with every step as I passed a treacherous sunken pit where there was the mesmerising sound of water steadily flowing through the complex workings and trickling into the dark depths of the pool. At the top of the path I turned around to view the stunning scene over the old reservoir and in the distance down the wooded valley of the Afon Llugwy. Turning back ahead of me I now contemplated my options where wrong choices on my previous visits had led to problems. My goal was the Daear Ddu ridge, which lies beyond Llyn y Foel and various routes can be taken past the lake. In 2004 I kept to the foot of the cliff, and in 2005 I went all the way around the lake, but it wasn’t until the third occasion, in 2007, that I finally managed to get onto the ridge, and that was by heading straight towards it across the boggy ground north of the lake.

This time I started off by keeping to the foot of the cliff but then, for some reason, came away to go through the bogs thinking that I could see a dry route through, but ultimately this didn’t work and I ended up in the middle of wet ground. There is a clear saddle at the foot of the ridge, and I had eyes firmly fixed on that target and blind to the wet ground that is in between, so this isn’t the best route, and with hindsight I think that might be going around the lake where a low craggy ridge keeps you out of the bogs. However, that way hadn’t been successful for me in 2005 when it had been so wet at the foot of the ridge I had been unable to climb it. Eventually I got onto Daear Ddu where the fun started as I tackled the rocky ridge that is never too narrow or steep with plenty of options to make the climb as easy or as difficult as you want. The most difficult scrambling is to the right of the ridge on the steep northern edge overlooking Llyn y Foel and I would often veer that way before succumbing to fear and heading safely away towards the gentler southern slopes. As I climbed the sun came out and blue skies appeared ahead of me up the ridge, however the vast views behind me remained under cloud, but I was enjoying every moment as it became warmer than I had experienced at any moment on this holiday since the heatwave over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Eventually I emerged at the summit of Moel Siabod where there are great views over the high mountains of Snowdonia, but at this time most were still clinging to their dark clouds with the exception of Snowdon who was quickly throwing itself clear of any covering. My vantage point perfectly embraced the two ridges either side of the Snowdon horseshoe with the lakes nestled in between where walkers on the miner’s track pass as they head towards that great mountain. I was not in the mood in linger at the summit and wait for the view to improve, so I turned away from Snowdon and onto the north-east ridge. This is gloriously covered in rocks that provided me with tremendous fun as I made my way along the top hopping around from rock to rock slowly descending towards Capel Curig. Eventually the rocks came to an end and the terrain steepened with shattered, slippery stones underfoot that made for a tricky descent until I reached gentler grassy slopes that would slowly lead me all the way back down to the main road where my car waited.

This was not a long walk, which was just as it had been on my three previous visits. In 2004 I walked up Moel Hebog after Moel Siabod, while on the other two occasions I used the early finish to get an early start for my long journey home, and that is also what I did on this occasion. It is a shame that I was leaving so early as the weather was becoming really good, but I did not want to get home late. This was a curious fortnight with many ups and downs, several disappointments, but numerous highlights on loads of fabulous walks. The weather is always difficult in Britain, but although it ruined some of the walks overall it wasn’t as bad as I thought as I did enjoy some good weather. I set out to do some of the great walks again that I had previously done in Wales, and although I did manage to do many of those that I'd planned there are still many that I wasn’t able to do and others that could have been done if I’d had the time. This holiday reminded me that are many fabulous places in Wales where the walking is awesome, and it has prompted me to want to come back to Wales again soon and do some more walking in this glorious country that I had been away from for far too long.

The Watkin Path and Nant Gwynant

Friday 6th September 2019

I was near the end of my holiday in Wales where I had been retracing my steps over particularly memorable walks from the last twenty years, but I did not have anything planned for this day. In the end I decided that I may as well do Snowdon and the route that I initially picked was based on a great walk from May 2005 when I combined a walk up that great mountain with two of its satellites, Yr Aran and Y Llywedd. The weather had been brilliant for that walk, but that was definitely not the case now so instead I decided to take my inspiration from my second ever ascent up Snowdon, in 2003, climbing the Watkin Path and then down the Pyg Track to Pen-y-Pass followed by a return through Nant Gwynant. From the Bryn Gwynant Youth Hostel I took a route beside the river to the start of the Watkin Path, and by ten o’clock it was raining. As I climbed into the Cwm Llan valley I saw vast numbers of sheep being brought down off the hills while behind them several shepherds were rounding them up with the aid of dogs. Despite the poor weather I enjoyed the walk up the path beside the waterfalls in the Afon Cwm Llan and up to the Gladstone Rock where a large gathering had assembled to hear the venerable Prime Minister William Gladstone open the Watkin Path on 13th September 1892.

As I stood beside the rock I felt a trickle of water go down the back of my neck, which should not have happened while I had the hood of my waterproofs over my head. Thinking no more of it, I resumed my trek along the Watkin Path until I reached the disused quarry workings where the path begins to climb steeply, but by this time the rain was really heavy and the trickle had become a soaking leaving me feeling very cold and wet. Once I realised I was soaked to the skin and so cold it would be dangerous to continue up Snowdon I decided I was not enjoying myself so I turned around and headed back down the path. Eventually I realised that I had left a lot of the zips on my waterproof undone, which was possibly why I had got so wet when the rain became heavy, but the zips were down because I had been getting very hot, which I realised has often been a problem with this cagoule that must not be very breathable. I could have zipped up and headed back up the path, but I was so wet and cold I decided to continue down eventually catching up with the shepherds and their sheep. It was fascinating to see how they worked with their dogs to round up the strays and they were a bit of a traffic jam for me, until eventually I got past them and made my way back down to the bottom of the valley.

I was now unsure what to do having abandoned my walk up Snowdon and eventually found my way back to the Youth Hostel where I had my lunch and changed my top for a dry one. Annoyingly, the rain had now stopped and the sun was breaking through the clouds, and although I could have returned to the Watkin Path (with a different waterproof), I instead opted to walk past Llyn Gwynant and up the valley on the old road all the way to the main road near the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel. The sunshine proved to be elusive with the midday blue skies soon passing and leaving me with only occasional spells of sunshine mixed in with more rain, although the views back down the valley were quite special while Snowdon continued to look inhospitable as it clung to dark clouds. When I turned onto the relatively new path that links the roadside parking near the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel with Pen-y-Pass, it was sunny and I was enjoying the views down the valley while making my way along the well-made path towards Pen-y-Pass. When I reached the junction with the path from Pen-y-Pass to Nant Gwynant I was back on the route that I’d originally intended, as done in 2003, so, as then, I turned left heading down into the valley.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time walking down this path following the Afon Trawsnant past the Cwm Dyli hydro-electric power station and into the valley until eventually it started raining again, briefly but heavily. The narrow path was not nice where it was muddy, but I have fond memories of following this path in 2003 and again in 2005 after going over Crib Goch, and it was good to make its reacquaintance while walking through this beautiful valley. The weather was very mixed on this walk with heavy rain and sunshine, which proved to be annoying when the heavy rain prompted me to put my waterproof trousers on only for it to stop soon after and for the warm sunshine to soon force me to take them off again. Despite the weather, I could have done Snowdon if my waterproofs hadn’t let me down and left me soaked and dangerously cold. The best, most memorable parts of this walk were when the sun was shining, particularly at the top of Nant Gwynant, near Pen-y-Pass, and this was a problem with all the walks that I did in Wales on this holiday. Any walk can be memorable if the weather is good enough, but in Wales that doesn’t happen all the time.