|
|
| The footpath beside Easdale Road |
The first glimpse of Helm Crag |
| The weather was perfect. We managed to park
in the car park along Easdale Road and John, as he had promised,decided
upon wearing shorts. In high spirits we set off along the footpath by the
side of Easdale Road. For the first time since we had done the Langdale
Pikes it was only the terrible trio venturing forth. Although it is
always nice to have more company, when it is just the three of us it gives
us all a chance to catch up on each others news. When there are more than
three, invariably you end up splitting up into two's and missing out on
some conversation! |
|
|
| Calf Crag in the distance |
Straight on for Far Easdale, right for Helm Crag |
| Walking along the road into Easdale I could
tell that today we were not going to set any records for speed. With the
sun shining and not a cloud to be seen it was going to be a day of taking
our time and enjoying the walk instead of rushing about like mad people "bagging" summits.
Spring was in the air, apart from the obvious signs of new born lambs and
daffodils, I could tell it was spring by the fact that John was wearing
shorts! Along the road there was plenty of new born lambs and their mothers,
brought down of the fells for this busy time for the local farmers. Sarah,
always a sucker for little animals was full of " ooh's and argh's" about
the new arrivals. It was nice to see though, perhaps it was a sign of the
good weather that we have been missing out on ! |
|
|
| The path by the cottages |
Our way is to the right |
| After leaving the roads the way forward turns
to the right and leads up by the side of some house's and into the woods.
The path is along some well made stone steps that are easy to walk along,
as soon as you pass through a gate and onto the fell side you are confronted
with the sight of crags above you, and some old quarry's, not much sign
of these left now though. |
|
|
| The path by the wall up to the open fell side |
Heading towards White Crag |
| The old path in AW's books is now fenced off
and you are forced to take the path that goes between Jackdaw Crag and
White Crag. This was a great path as it wound it's way across the fell
side between these crags. John had decided not to follow us up the path
by the wall but go straight up the crags. |
|
|
| Above Jackdaw Crag |
|
| When we met up again a bit further along the path we had to have a halt
to allow John to remove his layers (again!) Here we noticed some strange
markings on a tree. I thought that they must have been made by either a
deer or a horse, the markings looked like something had been rubbing against
the bark on the branch. John went for a closer look and the markings stretched
to well above his head as he stood next to the tree. John decided that
they had been made by a sheep. Now, I am no expert and the markings could
have been natural, but I do know that I have never seen a 6' tall sheep
stand on it's hind legs try to eat a tree though! |
|
|
| A short coffee break, enjoying the weather! |
Looking down to Brimmer Head Farm |
| A bit further along a nice flat grass spot
overlooking Brimmer Head Farm just cried out to be sat on for a while!
So it was coffee time. This was great, warm sunshine, not too many people
about and a great view whilst we had a drink. It seemed that this was the
longest coffee break ever as we just sat there and chatted, it was definitely
going to be a nice gentle pace today! As we set off again we passed a family
have fun scrambling up some rocky outcrops, the dad and kids were having
fun that is, the mum just kept shaking her head and shouted out "be careful!" a
lot! |
|
|
| The path above the crags to the south ridge of Helm Crag |
Overlooking a hazy Grasmere |
| Feeling a bit jealous that we could not join
in the fun we followed the path as it changed direction and started to
climb up to the southern ridge. As we reached the ridge the view suddenly
opened up before us. The old path straight up this ridge joined our path
here, I can only presume that the path has been closed to prevent erosion.
From up here we had a great view down to the main road and back over to
a very hazy Grasmere. |
|
|
| Overlooking the Travelers Rest and the A591 |
The final path up to the summit ridge |
| We made our way up the ridge towards the summit.
At one point John decided to have a closer look at the crags overlooking
the valley below. He soon popped up and rejoined as he realized that the
drop below was a lot more than he first thought! |
|
|
| John making his own way , again! |
Overlooking the Travelers Rest and the A591 |
| I have waited a long time to do Helm Crag,
the last time I came here to do this walk I was put off by the sight of
a train of people climbing up the ridge, they looked like an army of ants
and I definitely did not want to join them, so I went further north and
climbed up Raven Crag instead. When I tried to explain to John and Sarah
about the "Lion and the Lamb" when we did A
Grasmere round and they were having none of it, I was even more determined
to get up to Helm Crag and show them! Now was the time that I could see
for myself the sight that I have seen from the A591 for many years, and
prove to them that there really was a Lion and Lamb! I was quite excited
by it all really (simple things for simple minds they say!) |
|
|
| The "Lion and the Lamb" at the south-east end of the summit ridge |
Looking towards the "The Lion Couchant" or the "Howitzer" at the north-west
end of the ridge |
| Here it was at last, the summit ridge of Helm
Crag. What a great place! The summit stretched away in front of us, the "Lion
and the Lamb" was right in front of me, so I promptly climbed to the top
and took a 360 degree panorama. |
|
| 360 degree panorama from the top
of the "Lion" of Helm Crag |
| After taking a photo of the terrible trio,
we set off along the ridge towards the "Lion Couchant". The walk along
the summit ridge was an easy stroll above the rocky ridge line. |
|
|
| The terrible trio at Helm Crag summit |
Looking back at the "Lion and the Lamb" |
| As we neared the "Lion Couchant" it appeared
as if we were the only people on the summit ridge. As we came up to it,
on the grassy banks below it there were numerous people enjoying their
lunch, very busy indeed. We found a spot overlooking the great chasm below
the "Lion Couchant" to have our lunch. We spent quite a while enjoying
our lunch contemplating the next part of our journey. |
|
|
| "The Lion Couchant" or the "Howitzer" |
The ridge towards Gibson Knott |
| During our lunch we noticed people climbing
to the top of the "Lion Couchant". There seemed to be a bit of a queue
to do this so I promptly forgot about climbing it myself. I am now a bit
disappointed that I did not as reading AW's central fells book in detail
back at home later I discovered that this was the highest point! (more
planning and detailed thought needed in future!) |
|
|
| Looking back towards Helm Crag |
The path towards Gibson Knott |
| Somewhat reluctantly we left Helm Crag and
headed for Gibson Knott, the next summit on the ridge. I say reluctantly
because this was a day that made you want to sit down and admire the weather
and the views! This was especally so after our last two walks to Castle
Crag and the Coniston fells
in poor weather. After the initial steep descent to Bracken Hause the path
skirted the west side of the ridge. Although AW suggest that the ridge
line be followed this path was a delight to walk upon. It made its way
along the side of the ridge, gradually climbing up to the summit of Gibson
Knott. The view over Far Easdale was terrific. |
|
|
| Gibson Knott summit cairn |
The terrible trio at Gibson Knott summit |
| We seemed to reach the summit of Gibson Knott
very quickly. After taking the usual summit photos and panoramas we stayed
a while and had a coffee break. Well what really happened was that John
fell asleep and Sarah decided to try and get a bit of sun on her legs,
seeing this I again realized that we would set no records today and tried
to sun myself as well. Sarah was not impressed with me taking pictures
of her legs and decided that it was only fair that she should reciprocate
the deed! John meanwhile slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of what was
going on around him! Secretly I think that he was a bit bored by the walk,
not enough to challenge him! |
|
| The terrible trio trying to catch some rays on Gibson Knott |
|
| 360 degree panorama from Gibson
Knott |
| When I originally planned this walk I thought
that we would be able to do Helm Crag, Gibson Kott, Calf Crag and then
nip over to Steel Fell, return to Calf Crag and then do Tarn Crag and return
to Grasmere. I am beginning to realize that any plans I make are based
on what I could do 20 years ago! As it was, from Gibson Knott the walk
up to Calf Crag and then around to Steel Fell looked a lot further than
it appeared on the map! We would have to settle for this alone. |
|
|
| Steel Fell from Gibson Knott |
Leaving Gibson Knott summit |
| Somehow managing to wake John from his slumber
we set off towards Calf Crag. At first the path wound it's way past rocky
outcrops as it made it's way down to the depression before Pike of Carrs. |
|
|
| Looking back past Gibson Knott to Helm Crag |
Sarah deciding not to follow John's way! |
| John began to pick his own way amongst these
outcrops instead of keeping to the path. Sarah tried to follow him but
soon gave up and joined me on the path. I don't know why, but it was as
if John was trying to find the most difficult way that he could along the
route! |
|
|
| Heading towards Calf Crag |
Pike of Carrs |
| As we left the outcrops the path made its way
across the depression between Gibson Knott and Calf Crag. Here we again
came across the sight of family's doing a bit of "bouldering". It seemed
as if everyone else we met was having a great time enjoying the weather
and messing about. It was a pity that we could not join them! |
|
| Far Easdale |
| Since leaving Gibson Knott John had become very quite. This
was not normal for him as he is usually the person with the most to say.
I was that concerned that I mentioned this to Sarah, she had noticed this
as well. I decided that I would have a chat with John just to see if everything
was OK with him, That was if I could catch him up! |
|
|
| Stop to take a picture and look what happens, left behind
again! |
Far Easdale from Pike of Carrs |
| I stopped to take a couple of pictures whilst Sarah carried
on, eventually catching up with John who had stopped for once! After taking
the pictures I turned around and was slightly dismayed to see them up on
the skyline in the distance. This is what happens when you stop to take
a picture and the others don't wait for you. For John this must have seemed
like a stop start sort of journey, maybe this was frustrating him. |
|
|
| An unnamed tarn above Pike of Carrs |
Calf Crag from near the tarn |
| Above Pike of Carrs the way towards Calf Crag came fully
into view. For once John took the direct route whilst Sarah and myself
went to have a look at the unnamed tarn. Setting off from the tarn we soon
met up with John who had been thwarted in his direct route by some peat
bogs! Making our way around these peat bogs we picked our way up to the
summit of Calf Crag, actually a lot further away than it seems! |
|
|
| Calf Crag summit cairn |
The terrible trio at Calf Crag summit |
| Once at the summit of Calf Crag we had the
chance to think about our route back to Grasmere. The photo of us at the
summit shows John looking a bit concerned, this was because he had spotted
a golden labrador dog that had just gone for a swim making a beeline for
us. I don't think John fancied the idea of a shower from this dog just
yet! A couple of minutes later the summit was crowded with fellow walkers
and the dog looking for someone to play with. |
 |
| 360 degree panorama from Calf Crag |
| We struck up a conversation with a couple of
elderly gents that had followed us up from Gibson Knott. they were asking
us about the best way back to Grasmere, they had maps but wanted to know
the best way back. I explained the choices and the route we had decided
upon to them. They then loosely followed us for the rest of the day until
overtaking us on the descent from Steel Fell. I only mention this as I
found them quite amusing, one guy making the decisions and always asking
his mate if that was OK and "are you all right", and his mate just nodding
his head in the affirmative as if to say "yeah, whatever, I'll just follow
you as usual !!" |
|
|
| Steel Fell with Dollywagon Pike and Fairfield behind |
And again from nearer the tarn |
| The route that we finally decided upon was
back to Grasmere via Steel Fell. The route was clear to see in front of
us. We made our way down from the summit of Calf Crag towards the old fence
posts, hoping to find drier ground there. Fat chance! For the first few
minutes John was getting worried about the dog that had appeared and seemed
without an owner. I was concentrating on trying to find a dry way forward
so it was a while before I realized what John was going on about. The animal
lover in John was concerned about the dog being lost, as it seemed to run
all over the hills going up to people before running of somewhere else.
I thought about this for a minute or two before telling John to forget
about it and concentrate on finding a dry route! ( I saw the dog and it's
owners who I remember seeing on the summit of Calf Crag back in Grasmere
later in the day) |
|
|
| The Helvellyn range over the tarn |
|
| It was not until we neared the tarn that we came across
a dry path. Even though it has been a long time since the last rain it
was still very wet underfoot up here. I have decided to wait until the
ground is frozen solid before attempting any walk along the hills north
of here, Ullscarf, High Tove, High Seat etc! At the tarn we stopped for
another coffee break and the two elderly gents caught up with us. |
|
|
| Looking down the Greenburn valley |
Looking back to Calf Crag with High Raise in the distance |
| The only good thing about the path up to Steel Fell were
the views towards the Helvellyn range and as we got higher the view over
Thirlmere that opened up. Sarah was starting to have trouble with her knees
by this time and we started to walk slower. The going was easy but there
was not really anything of interest to see around us up apart from the
old fence. At least this did give us something to talk about, what was
it there for? why did it run in such a straight line? even up the occasional
rocky outcrop. |
|
| Skiddaw and Blencathra in the distance
from Steel Fell |
| The views to the north were great apart from the haze. We
could see Skiddaw and Blencathra, but the main view was of Helvellyn. From
this side the character of Helvellyn is totally different from the other
side. I wonder how many people climb Helvellyn from this side compared
to the other. Personally I have climbed Helvellyn once from this side compared
to six from the Ullswater side! |
|
|
| Approaching the summit of Steel Fell |
The summit of Steel Fell |
| Approaching Steel Fell's summit we came across a small pool
that had very young frogs in it, yet another sign of spring! I did take
some photo's of this but I had to delete them to make room for some other
photo's later in the day! |
|
The summit of Steel Fell did have good views. BUT, Is it just me looking
through rose colored specs, or are the views in the Lake District becoming
more hazy? I look back and think of crystal clear views when there was
no cloud, lately even on fine days like today, visibility is very hazy.
Is this just me or a feature of the global warming phenomenon?. |
| The terrible trio at Calf Crag summit |
|
| By the time we reached the summit of Steel
Fell Sarah's knee's were really hurting her. Not wasting much time now
we set off for the return to Grasmere. Walking along the summit plateau
was relatively easy until we came to the steep part of the initial descent.
Here Sarah started to use my walking sticks and I carried her rucksack
to try and help her. |
|
| Thirlmere and the Helvellyn range |
| This path down was quite enjoyable for me, it wound it's
way down to the southern ridge giving views over to Helm Crag that were
very good. Due to her knee's Sarah was going very slowly, I think that
this slow pace saved my knees from giving me a problem ! |
|
|
| Helm Crag from the descent of Steel Fell |
The path off Steel Fell |
| As we descended the southern ridge the two
elderly gents overtook us and soon disappeared into the distance. All the
while the summit rocks of Helm Crag caught my eye. The further down we
went they changed shape on the skyline until at one point I made the others
stop and look at the "Lion and the Lamb" |
|
|
| Further down the path |
Helm Crag from the southern ridge of Steel Fell |
| You could not mistake it for anything else!
I still had to point them out to John and Sarah though. I think Sarah eventually
got it but John was still having none of it! I think he is just having
a laugh at me as he muttered things about seeing a "Witch in a Wardrobe" !
It was during this slow walk back that Sarah remembered her new toys. She
had managed to buy a set of two way radios very similar to the one that
we found on Helvellyn. She had brought them so that we could stay in contact
with John if he got too far ahead! Sarah gave one to John and told him
to walk off and see if they worked. We could still hear him talking from
the distance he went anyway!, but I am sure that they will come in useful
some time soon the way things seem to happen to us on the fells! |
|
|
| Helm Crag from the lower down the southern ridge of Steel
Fell |
Looking back to Steel Fell |
| As we eventually reached the road the end of
a great day on the fells neared. The pace along the road was very slow,
but we enjoyed the sight of the new born lambs running about in the fields.
Suddenly I remembered that I had a meal at my sisters to get back to! I
left John and Sarah behind and rushed back to the car. I drove back and
picked them up and we called in at Grasmere for a quick loo stop and an
ice cream instead of a drink. |
|
|
| Baaaaaa |
Baaaaaa!! |
| I need not have bothered because as soon as we left Grasmere
we hit the traffic! We crawled all the way through Ambelside and Windermere
following the sunday drivers out enjoying the weather. As we neared Kendal
the traffic began to thin out. Unfortunately as soon as we got on the M6
we again hit stationary traffic, all due to the roadwork's around Lancaster!
Unfortunately the Highways Agency have not heeded my advice to get their
act together! (Oi, Highways Agency,I'm still watching
you!) Sat in the
traffic jams we planned our next walk. With the onset of better weather
and increased hours of daylight it was time to head to the western fells
and Wasdale Head. Due to the distance of Wasdale Head and the difficulty's
in getting there, added to the late time that Sarah arrives back home we
would try and do the next walk on a Saturday, giving an extra day to recover
before work on the Monday. Sounds like a plan ! I just hope that one works
as today's plan didn't (missed out on the meal at my sisters due to the
bloody traffic!) |
| Click on the link below for the usual aerial photograph
with overlay map courtesy of Multimap.com |
| Link
to Aerial photo and map overlay |
|
Some notes in conclusion
It has taken me nearly a month to write this account due to decorating duties,
family and work commitments, oh and a new PC game! I have found it really difficult
to do compared with previous times when, with my memory still fresh I have
had the whole web page done and dusted within 4 days! Anyway time to do the
Mosedale horseshoe now, not walk it of course, just type it up as we completed
it last week! Anyway I have made a start so hopefully it wont be another month
before it appears! (but my legs will probably still be aching in a months time
though!) |
