The Lake District - Claife Heights, Castlerigg Stone Circle and AW Exhibition.

My week away in The Lakes gave me the opportunity to get out walking everyday.... Oh how I wish I could stride out of the door and hit a fell-side this quickly everyday. The first full day I planned to walk locally. The Wainwrights in the immediate area were few but there was a brilliant little Outlying Fell, Claife Heights, and it's four tarns that I could reach in minutes. So instead of booting and brewing up at the boot of my car I took tea in the cozy cottage I was lucky to call home for a week while looking over the route on my OL 7 and then booted up on the doorstep, how civilised! I have to add at this point, the boots for this walk were my own, I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind. Grabbing a jacket, a flask and a sweet treat for the journey I headed out. 

Map: Bing and Ordnance Survey

To be fair for an August day the weather was rubbish to start but I was in The Lakes so a little bit of liquid sunshine wasn't going to deter me..... 

Map: Bing and Ordnance Survey

The walk started along a narrow road leading out of the heart of Far Sawrey. The road developed into a track and then a path over fields, before long the start of this 5.5 mile walk had lead me to the first body of water, the lovely Moss Eccles Tarn. This tarn can only be half circumnavigated but there is a good path that runs along one side. If you feel in and adventurous mood the part path is worth a walk to see the beautiful Water Lillies that thrive at the far end of the tarn. I read that local author, Lakes devotee and landowner, Beatrix Potter used to visit this tarn frequently.... I wondered if Mr Jeremy Fisher would make an appearance on one of the Lily Pads.  

The walk continued along the path and again without much effort brought me too Wise Een Tarn and it's 'little brother'. The view across the tarn should have included the Langdale Pikes but owing to the poor weather and the view being entirely diminished my eye was drawn to the lovely little boathouse. 

Wise Een Tarn's neighbouring small Reservoir.

The route heads into the wooded part of the walk. AW notes in his Outlying Fells guide that the path through the forest is arduous and points out, ominously, the need to resist the temptation to have a coronary.... I'll do my best AW! The next body of water, Highs Moss Tarn is quite reedy and has a relatively small surface area.... Not as bad as Coniston's Boo Tarn though! 

The views across Windermere to Bowness open up once you get on the homeward section of path.

The tarn beside Three Dubs Crags is found by a forestry access track. 

The summit trig at High Blind How, found in amongst the bracken and trees, was the perfect brew stop.... Yorkshire Tea and a Yorkie Bar!  

As I descended I was treated to more big beautiful views across Windermere and the weather perked up too. 

Once I was back in Far Sawrey and having no driving to do, I thought.... Time for a well earned pint. Bliss!

During my time in the Lakes I visited a number of well known spots.... The spectacular Castlerigg Stone Circle being one. 

While I was in the Keswick area I felt I ought to pay homage to another great man's boots. A great exhibition, well worth a visit! 

An entirely joyful week.... Can't wait until my next visit! 

Till next time.... Tight laces. MDBx

Cheers Phil! 

The Lake District - Whiteside & Hopegill Head

I returned back to my beloved Lakeland for this month's MDB walk and headed once again for the lovely Buttermere Valley and in particular two fells that sit beside the northern end of Crummock Water, Whiteside and Hopegill Head. I was super lucky and spent a whole week in the Lakes this month and managed to walk each day. I shall be publishing a mid month bonus blog (brilliant idea Phil!) in a couple of weeks detailing an Outlying Fell walk, I hasten to say I undertook in my own boots, and an exhibition I visited during my stay. 

Map: Bing and Ordnance Survey

The walk started from the little free car park by the side of Lanthwaite Green Farm.... I performed my usual routine of brewing up, booting up and map checking and set off over the road. I soon found a short footpath finger post sign directing me over Lanthwaite Green and towards the base of my first ascent of the day, Whin Ben. Before I started my climb I crossed over the fast flowing Liza Beck by the well constructed footbridge. Interestingly AW mentions that the only way to cross Liza Beck is via the gravelly shallows as the only footbridge is closed and fortified with barbed wire; fortunately for me this wasn't the case.

The ascent up Whin Ben and Whiteside, as AW states is of botanical interest, it is clothed in a variety of beautiful alpine plants.... Juniper, Bracken, Bilberries, Heathers both the Calluna and Erica genus were evident giving the fellside a beautiful patchwork of purple hues. I enjoyed a few of the yummy Bilberries as I passed, well it would only be rude not too.

To my right the view over Crummock Water towards Melbreak opens up quickly.

Loweswater, Fells and village were becoming more and more visible behind me as I climbed.

The view ahead was that of Sand Hill and the beautiful, steep sided Gasgale Gill in which Liza Beck runs, a Gill I shall be visiting later in the day. The mighty Grasmoor is opposite.

Nearing the summit of Whin Ben is a fun rocky scramble. Again this craggy outcrop is punctuated with the most beautiful alpine flora and was alive with butterflies and a variety of different insects.  

As I looked behind a big smile filled my face, the lovely Red Pike, a new friend of mine came more prominately into view.

The grassy summit of Whin Ben.... I thought it resembled a lovely little garden, a little lawn bordered by low growing borders.

 The path took me up through the Heather towards the shoulder of Whiteside.

As I climbed I was conscious of the low hanging cloud base and the fact I was slowly climbing up towards it.

I sat and brewed up and rested MDB on the shoulder while looking up towards Sand Hill, the head of Liza Beck and the ridge route I would soon be walking. 

The summit of Whin Ben was soon below me.

The next rocky scramble took me up into the rolling cloud base.

The visibility of the ascent route was become in part sketchy. Fortunately the route was well trodden and being a self-confessed map pocket geek I was well appointed with my OL4, a compass, a torch and an AW book six so I cracked on. 

Shortly I was at the start of the exiting, sheer sided Gasgale Crags ridge route. I am not a big fan of heights but I do enjoy a slightly dizzying sneaky look down a steep sided ravine..... I get just the right adrenaline hit to remind me that I'm alive and a larger reminder that I need to sharpen up to keep it that way!

The ridge route was slowly becoming cloud bound, adding to it's exciting atmospheric quality.

One of the locals.

Through the cloud I reached the level higher west top summit of Whiteside, my first Wainwright of the day.

Carrying on in the low visibility I found my way to my second Wainwright, Hopegill Head, aka Hobcarton Pike. The view from here should have been knock out but instead I chose to take five and adjust my eyes to the slowly encroaching patchy whiteout.

Once I got going again the low hanging cloud lifted long enough for me to be treated to the view across to the striking grooves of the Gasgale Crags arête that I had passed along earlier.

The walk took me on to Sand Hill, the paths here lead directly onto Grasmoor or down to Gasgale Gill. Liza Beck ahead shining like a silver ribbon in the fleeting sunlight.

Coledale Hause. The cloud was clinging particularly firmly over Grasmoor so I decided the best course of action would be to take the Gasgale Gill option today and come back for Grasmoor on a clearer day.

The view towards Causey Pike and the village of Braithwaite.

A backwards view of Hopegill Head.

I locate the Gasgale Gill path and started descending beside Liza Beck.

Liza Beck has many super waterfalls along the way and is clear and beautiful. 

The path is a combination of easy stroll, full on scrambling and on a couple of occasions not there as short sections had fallen into the Liza. 

Nevertheless this path was beautiful and the proximity of the fast flowing powerful water was exhilarating. 

A picturesque, derelict sheepfold along the route. 

The view of Crummock Water and Lanthwaite were coming into sight.

Just as I was reaching the end of the Gill path the sun was just starting to loose hight and early evening was upon me. 

The footbridge over the Liza was just ahead.

Looking up towards Grasmoor, still crowned in cloud.... I'm glad that I decided to come back another time for that one!

As I returned to my car I was really pleased to have bagged two more Wainwrights, experienced a great little ridge route in 'exciting' metrological conditions and planned my next walk the area. 

Till next time.... Tight laces! MDBx

Phil.... Thank you!

Kay and Jack.... Thank you so much for caring for two special little souls that mean so much to me, your loving care gave me the peace of mind to really enjoy my Lakeland week.