Nice day on the fells today

Just back from half term week up in the Lakes.
Had a couple of lovely, quiet walks in the Northern Fells.
Just off the Caldbeck moor road and must only be 20-25 minutes from Carlisle. Walks from Greenhead and Fellside up onto Brae Fell, Great Scafell, Little Scafell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup.
Not as exciting and rugged as other areas and but perfect if you want to wander in undisturbed peace.
The hawthorn blossom was stunning the last week and many walks had an accompanying soundtrack of cuckoo, curlew and skylark.
I hope heaven has something to compare.

Lovely photos mate and couldnt agree more on your comments about the Northern Fells.
A perfect way to spend half term.

Never been round that bit NCF and there certainly looks some decent paths out there. I think I'll be leaving them until later in the Summer when the crowds flock the summits of Scafell Pike,Skiddaw and Helvellyn.

I bought a new camera, Alan, as have been so impressed with yours and others photos on here.
The phone camera just doesn't do the places any justice at all.
Nice to look back on the walks in the evening with a nice ale whilst planning the next ones.
The lanes, fields and meadows are looking so beautiful just now and with the birdsong as well I spent as much time below the intake walls as above them.
I actually dropped off on top of Great Cockup for an hour or two. So peaceful up there.
A real pleasure and a special treat to spend evening after evening sitting and watching the curlew inbetween Binsey and Longlands and Bassenthwaite
If you are out that way at all it is worth listening out for them and lovely to watch them for an hour or two.
Sadly a bird that seems to be struggling these days.

Where were you staying?

It is lovely round there Wukkie. I'm in the very fortunate & privileged position of being able to be up there quite a bit.
Those fells are much more like the Yorkshire Dales really. Smooth and grassy and moor like in places. Swaledale is one of my very favourite places to go walking and there's a similarity.
Not great heights but you can be on the tops in 45 minutes in places.
Lovely views out over the Cumberland plain, Solway and towards Scotland.
Not as rugged, exciting or with edges and steep drops and not to everybodys taste and a bit of tramping up grassy hills but I love it.
As I said earlier, with Skiddaw as the backdrop, just walking the fields at the moment with the blossoms and the birds is lovely in itself.

Wukkie wrote: Never been round that bit NCF and there certainly looks some decent paths out there. I think I'll be leaving them until later in the Summer when the crowds flock the summits of Scafell Pike,Skiddaw and Helvellyn.

You won`t regret giving the area a try Wukkie, no dizzy heights or knife edge ridges, but nice and peaceful even on a fine bank holiday weekend.

I've done Great and Little Calva at back o' Skiddaw and that's about it. Weather permitting I'm going up Bakestall tomorra then onto Skiddaw and down Sale How if I find the right path if not I'll carry onto Little Man and head towards Skiddaw House.

A circuit walk from the east side to High Pike and then on to Carrock Fell is a decent hike, with old mine workings and an Iron Age Fort for extra interest.

Wukkie wrote: I've done Great and Little Calva at back o' Skiddaw and that's about it. Weather permitting I'm going up Bakestall tomorra then onto Skiddaw and down Sale How if I find the right path if not I'll carry onto Little Man and head towards Skiddaw House.

Come down the side to Carl Side. Lovely steep downhill path. I went via Bakestall from Orthwaite. That’ll get your calf muscles screaming!

Little Man via South West arete is the Best hike in the Skiddaw Range by a country mile takes you straight to summit.
Probably the Best route up to Skiddaw too.

Best thing about it hardly anyone knows it existists.

www.wainwrightroutes.co.uk/skiddawlittleman_r1.htm

Spot on Alan, done that route a few times, thanks to Mr Wainwright. another favourite route to Skiddaw is from Bassenthwaite over Ullock Pike.

Yes, Skiddaw most ways is a fantastic walk. I’d perhaps avoid the main route up from Keswick as it’s very busy but as others have said there are lots of good ways up.
I did that way up by Millbeck a decade or so again, Alan, and my main memory was just how steep it was!
I walked up the back ways by Southerndale and Barkbethdale recently and both are very secluded, enclosed and quiet ways up but with quiet steep pulls up at the end. Skiddaw really looms large over you as you approach it.
For me, my favourite route would be up by Ullock Pike and then down by Bakestall and then into the Dash valley by the waterfalls.
You get the excitement of the Lakes slowly appearing as you work your way up the ridge and then that wonderful view out across Keswick towards Borrowdale and Newlands. After all the hard work it’s a delight to walk across Longside Edge. Fabulous stuff.
As I get older I find coming down harder than going up and the knees going down that Ullock Pike ridge really start to feel it.
Walking back down through the Dash valley towards Peter House Farm on a nice warm evening is, for me, one of life’s great pleasures.

My knees give me trouble sometimes especially when coming down as it's more pressure on them. I did the Bakestall - Skiddaw but gave Laal Fella a miss as time was ticking on and went down Sale How as I planned. I'd gone up Carlside two week ago and didn't fancy the walk back to Peter House Farm from the bottom of there anyways! Garn up Skiddaw by Sale How must be the easiest way possible. I didn't even know it existed until two weeks ago so will be giving that a try in the future and the 3.7 mile walk to Skiddaw House will definithely give you time to get the legs going.

I'm planning on going up Blencathra again sometime but from the back via Mungrisdale probably as I've only ever been up from Threlkeld.

Pics taken wid my phone so don't expect out fancy!

Cumbria Way on the way to Whitewater Dash


Keswick&Derwent Water


Start of the River Caldew


I had a decent panoramic on top of Skiddaw but Tinypic keeps saving it on it's side and I'm unable to rotate it for some reason.

Wukkie wrote: My knees give me trouble sometimes especially when coming down as it's more pressure on them. I did the Bakestall - Skiddaw but gave Laal Fella a miss as time was ticking on and went down Sale How as I planned. I'd gone up Carlside two week ago and didn't fancy the walk back to Peter House Farm from the bottom of there anyways! Garn up Skiddaw by Sale How must be the easiest way possible. I didn't even know it existed until two weeks ago so will be giving that a try in the future and the 3.7 mile walk to Skiddaw House will definithely give you time to get the legs going.

I'm planning on going up Blencathra again sometime but from the back via Mungrisdale probably as I've only ever been up from Threlkeld.

That walk from Mungrisdale was my last route on completing every route up Blencathra really nice hike following Glendermacken river round the back of sharp edge then up Foule Crag to summit.

A decent 9 miler and another of the less populated routes.

I don't think I'll ever be doing Sharp Edge Alan but thanks for the pointers. I'll have to make a plan of it.

Sharp Edge deserves a bit of respect, but it`s not the scary place some might have you believe, the crux of the walk, toward the end of the ridge, is passing to the right of a blade of rock on a slightly sloping slab, in dry weather it`s not a problem, anyone who has experience of hillwalking will be able to traverse Sharp Edge safely, just take your time, most of the ridge is straightforward, pay attention to foot placement and use hands wherever you feel necessary and you`ll be ok.

Yorkie Blue wrote: Sharp Edge deserves a bit of respect, but it`s not the scary place some might have you believe, the crux of the walk, toward the end of the ridge, is passing to the right of a blade of rock on a slightly sloping slab, in dry weather it`s not a problem, anyone who has experience of hillwalking will be able to traverse Sharp Edge safely, just take your time, most of the ridge is straightforward, pay attention to foot placement and use hands wherever you feel necessary and you`ll be ok.

Sounds like instadeath to me with a minute of me wailing AAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh as I hurtle down the canyon to my epic failure.

More recently i have discovered more across the border to get away from fecking tourists pretending to be fellwalkers on the main honey pots ..

Try Galloway if you prefer more peace and quiet when fellwalking the Glentrool area is a really nice spot to walk around,higher and low level walks to suit all...and its even free parking unlike our end and the national mistrust prices.

Grasmoor direct route from Langthwaite green taking in one of the finest non peak views in the whole of the Lake District .

Grasmoor End .

Alan.

I've climbed Grasmoor a number of times but never using the direct route. My question is did you return the same way?

The reason I ask is because I've tried to descend that way a couple of times and I gave up deeming it too risky. Maybe I had strayed off the route.

Bluedazblue wrote: Alan.

I've climbed Grasmoor a number of times but never using the direct route. My question is did you return the same way?

The reason I ask is because I've tried to descend that way a couple of times and I gave up deeming it too risky. Maybe I had strayed off the route.

It is indeed a tricky decent and one I've not done nor want to path is very scetchy once you get to a large section of heather and quite easy to lose track .
Anyone thinking of climbing this route its well worth ago as going up the path although not obvious is traceable .

AWs guide Grasmoor page 6 in North Western fells book is a real help.

Enjoy .

Did you have a look at descending Red Gill like I did Alan?

I won't be doing that ever again if I can help it.

Wukkie wrote: Did you have a look at descending Red Gill like I did Alan?

I won't be doing that ever again if I can help it.

Now you've mentioned it i may have a go at acending that way in the future .
Im always wary about decending routes i've never climbed in the first place .
Sounds like you may have had a bit of an adventure there Wukkie

Very lucky to get nearly 2 full days out on the fells last week.
Can’t remember being quite so hot for such a long time when out walking. Actually it was a bit too hot for me. Had intended to get up Skiddaw one of the days but just can’t hack the heat.
So instead had a lovely walk in the Northern Fells. Longlands, then onto Meal Fell and then up Great Cockup. Didn’t see a soul all day and sat on the top of Great Cockup and watched the sun set over the Western fells and the Irish Sea. Walked down at 10 still with good light.
Following day seemed even hotter so walked out to Overwater and swam there for an hour or two. It’s a lovely secluded spot, nobody around and swam and watched the farmers go about their business, cutting the meadows back and wrapping the giant balls with black coats.
Walked over to Uldale and Ireby and then up onto Binsey in the evening which in the heat felt like going up Helvellyn. No shelter on the fells at all so sat in the shadow of the cairn for some shade.
Out on the fells in the evenings as the shadows lengthened and the air cooled at this time of year is magic. Skiddaw was ablaze on Thursday night with crimson, red and even purple tints as the sun set and looked almost like Ayers Rock.
Just great to be out and about all day. Butterflies everywhere, wild foxgloves and ferns at seemingly record heights and skylarks all day long for company.
But one thing happened to me which I’ve only ever read about before. Sometimes the Buzzards will follow you as you walk, just keeping an eye on you from hundres of feet above.
But on Thursday, for the first time in 30 odd years of walking I was actually dive bombed by one. I don’t know if anyone else on here has experienced that before but it was genuinely terrifying.
From a good height, it pulled in its wings, stretched out its talons and dropped like a stone at an astonishing speed.
It seemed to be as quick as a Peregrine from where I was and each time it pulled up just 4 or 5 feet above my head. Each time I thought it was going to hit me.
It was a first hand experience of feeling like I was actually being attacked and I was the prey.
I was genuinely very frightened. The speed of the attack and the size of the bird when it gets close to you is something to behold. It felt like a rocket coming towards me.
It happened again the next day but the bird pulled up a good 50 or 60 feet above me so was not a concern.
It was hot and I presumed the chicks had maybe just nested so must have been feeling extra protective.
Anybody else on here ever experienced that? Still suffering from flashbacks!

I may have been lucky but never been attacked by anything as for the heat i did Barrow on Wednesday Night very very warm .


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Great shot that Alan.

newcarlislefan wrote: Great shot that Alan.

Thanks good to see your getting the knack of it too .

We are making the arduous 40min trip to St Johns In The Vale on Friday for a week 8 of us in a farmhouse our goals are basically hiking to different pubs each day .
Really looking forward to it .

Sounds like you'll have a great week. Spoilt for choice for walks there Alan.
Kings Head in Thirlmere is supposed to be good but I've never been myself.
Had a nice pint of a Keswick Brewery ale at the Horse & Farrier at Threlkeld a year or two back- may have been Thirst Run, I think. It was a great pint. I've had a few different Keswick Brewery ales and they've all been good.
Much better than the Jennings beers which I can't honestly say that I'm a particularly big fan of.

newcarlislefan wrote: Very lucky to get nearly 2 full days out on the fells last week.
Can’t remember being quite so hot for such a long time when out walking. Actually it was a bit too hot for me. Had intended to get up Skiddaw one of the days but just can’t hack the heat.
So instead had a lovely walk in the Northern Fells. Longlands, then onto Meal Fell and then up Great Cockup. Didn’t see a soul all day and sat on the top of Great Cockup and watched the sun set over the Western fells and the Irish Sea. Walked down at 10 still with good light.
Following day seemed even hotter so walked out to Overwater and swam there for an hour or two. It’s a lovely secluded spot, nobody around and swam and watched the farmers go about their business, cutting the meadows back and wrapping the giant balls with black coats.
Walked over to Uldale and Ireby and then up onto Binsey in the evening which in the heat felt like going up Helvellyn. No shelter on the fells at all so sat in the shadow of the cairn for some shade.
Out on the fells in the evenings as the shadows lengthened and the air cooled at this time of year is magic. Skiddaw was ablaze on Thursday night with crimson, red and even purple tints as the sun set and looked almost like Ayers Rock.
Just great to be out and about all day. Butterflies everywhere, wild foxgloves and ferns at seemingly record heights and skylarks all day long for company.
But one thing happened to me which I’ve only ever read about before. Sometimes the Buzzards will follow you as you walk, just keeping an eye on you from hundres of feet above.
But on Thursday, for the first time in 30 odd years of walking I was actually dive bombed by one. I don’t know if anyone else on here has experienced that before but it was genuinely terrifying.
From a good height, it pulled in its wings, stretched out its talons and dropped like a stone at an astonishing speed.
It seemed to be as quick as a Peregrine from where I was and each time it pulled up just 4 or 5 feet above my head. Each time I thought it was going to hit me.
It was a first hand experience of feeling like I was actually being attacked and I was the prey.
I was genuinely very frightened. The speed of the attack and the size of the bird when it gets close to you is something to behold. It felt like a rocket coming towards me.
It happened again the next day but the bird pulled up a good 50 or 60 feet above me so was not a concern.
It was hot and I presumed the chicks had maybe just nested so must have been feeling extra protective.
Anybody else on here ever experienced that? Still suffering from flashbacks!

Beats my angry Curlew from Cummersdale story I guess pal

Then again that beak scares me more than a Buzzards, designed to go in one ear and out the other for its finishing move.

I done Great Borne - Starling Dodd then descended Little Dodd last Thursday and walked back through Ennerdale Forest back to Bowness Knott. I practically melted as it was that hot. Got in the bath when back yam and you could see where my socks had been as I'd caught the Sun that much!

The ascent of Rake Beck wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but the descent was interesting.

Just spent a week at Bram Crag Barn ,St Johns In The Vale and had this our front garden .
Brilliant week of hiking as well as great food and beer chucked in .

Nice day on the fells last week, from Glen Coe up Am Bodach onto Meall Dearg (Munro), along the Aonach Eagach (hmmm, interesting little passage) to Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh (Munro). Dropped down to the Clachaig Inn for a beer which doubled as a thirst quencher and nerve calmer.

Me mate took this photo, note the rucked area on the seat of the trousers, perhaps indicating a tightening of the sphincter.

The 2 mile walk along the A82 back to the car felt like the most tricky part of the day.

Yorkie Blue wrote: Nice day on the fells last week, from Glen Coe up Am Bodach onto Meall Dearg (Munro), along the Aonach Eagach (hmmm, interesting little passage) to Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh (Munro). Dropped down to the Clachaig Inn for a beer which doubled as a thirst quencher and nerve calmer.

Me mate took this photo, note the rucked area on the seat of the trousers, perhaps indicating a tightening of the sphincter.

The 2 mile walk along the A82 back to the car felt like the most tricky part of the day.

That looks pretty much too risky for me

Great shot yorkie looks [censored]***** ace .

As you say Alan, ***kin` ace, thoroughly enjoyed it, the rock was grippy and the steeper sections had plenty of good hand and foot holds. Getting off the ridge needed a bit of thought, didn`t fancy going down the Clachaig Gully path - dodgy, there`s been fatalities there and the way down over the Pap of Glen Coe seemed a long loop round. Decided to re-trace our steps eastwards a couple of hundred metres back down the slope of Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh to a col where we`d spotted a potential way down, from there just made our way down the slope, steep but fairly safe, heading toward Loch Achtriochtan, then it was just a 10 min walk to the Clachaig Inn. If you`ve been on the likes of Sharp Edge, Striding Edge, Jack`s Rake and Pinnacle Ridge the Aonach Eagach would be doable.

Yorkie Blue wrote: Sharp Edge deserves a bit of respect, but it`s not the scary place some might have you believe, the crux of the walk, toward the end of the ridge, is passing to the right of a blade of rock on a slightly sloping slab, in dry weather it`s not a problem, anyone who has experience of hillwalking will be able to traverse Sharp Edge safely, just take your time, most of the ridge is straightforward, pay attention to foot placement and use hands wherever you feel necessary and you`ll be ok.

Sounds pretty bloody scary to me....mind I'm a size13 boot and can trip over an ant..

Got a good 950 metres up today with hardly any walking. Took the ski lift to the top of Glenshee. Lovely views round there.

The very easy peasy .
Catbells .

To continue the Catbells theme, Sunday, took the ferry from Keswick to Hawse End, walked Catbells, Maiden Moor and High Spy, dropped down to Rosthwaite and took the open top bus back to Keswick. Wonderful, made up a bit for the poor Saturday afternoon show.

Had a week staying at Ghyll Bank Cottage in New lands last week. Rained every day but still heavenly. As Sunday was a nice day, went back there and did Coledale horseshoe, Causey Pike to Grisedale Pike! Wonderful.

Gearing up to 4 passes challenge end of month so a Sunday 15 miler.
Starting at Kirkstone,
Taking in.
Stoney cove
Thorneythwaite.
Mardale Bell

High Street

Brock Crag

Angletarn pikes

Then the tiring climb back up Kirkstone from the foot of Boredale Hause.

Shot of Blea Tarn and Haweswater from High Street.

Sat morning spent at the very underrated Ennerdale followed up by a lovely scran at the Stanley Calderbridge then a detour drive home through the bonniest place in Cumbria Eskdale followed up by excellent drive over Hardknott and Wrynose passes.

Cumbria at its best.

Long walk in the Howgills on Saturday, fine day but very windy on the tops.

pic uploader

A nice day on the fells today, it certainly was, from Threlkeld up Blencathra, a walk down Sharp Edge followed by a walk back up Sharp Edge, back up to the summit then return down to Threlkeld.

Up AND down Sharp Edge!

Have you got a death wish or summat?

Going down Sharp Edge is not half as terrifying as watching some of our defensive play Wukkie.

Derwent Island Costa del Keswick.

Did Souther Fell and Mungrisdale Common (surely one of the most pointless Wainwright's there is) on Monday. Although not a Wainwright bagger myself I thought I'd tick it off anyway. The plan was to also do Bowscale but things went a bit array from there and ended up walking 19 miles. Legs were still stiff after three days after walking through mostly bog,tussocks etc.

I will put it down to an experience to learn from!

Did Ben Lomond today-up and down in 3 and a half hours so bit of a gallop.It was shrouded in mist at the top but the views over Loch Lomond from about halfway are stunning.

Very warm climb up but it was 3c in the mist at the top.

I think I prefer the Lakeland Fells-you can still hear the road around the Loch from the top and it was busy in the car park