Kirkstone Pass To Hartsop The Hard Way
Caudale Moor 2502' (2.7 FRCC 58), Thornthwaite Crag 2569'(2.4 FRCC 46), High Street 2718' (2.1 FRCC 28)
and The Knott 2423' (2.10 FRCC 69)
Wainwright No's 9,10,11 & 12.
Sunday 10th November 2002.

Weather :- Sunshine to start, becoming overcast with some rain showers later and occasional windy gusts.
Accompanied by :- John, Sarah and Charlotte.
Total Distance 7 3/4 miles, total height ascended 2170 Feet, time taken 5 1/2 Hours.

 
So here we are after a short interlude for decorating (me, and it will be finished before Christmas - honest!), having fun doing other stuff (Sarah) and having no-one to take them (John and Charlotte) off on our adventure again. Normally I have plenty of routes in mind before the weekend of our walks, but this time I had a mental block. I do not know why, maybe the weather forecast, maybe the time that darkness descends at this time of year, 4.30pm today. Anyway it was not until Saturday night prior to this walk that I decided. The plan was to leave one car down at Hartsop and take the other up to Kirkstone pass. This would let us walk up Caudale Moor and over to High Street, descending by a choice of routes depending upon how we felt. Optimistically I felt that we should be able to walk down and back to Hartsop Dodd from Caudale Moor, and the same with Gray Crag from Thornthwaite Crag. Then on and over High Street, The Knott and possibly any of the fells around Angle Tarn ie Rest Dodd, Brock Crags and Angletarn Pikes, before returning to Hartsop via Boredale Hause. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans...(Have you noticed how optimistic about how far we can walk I always am !)
After meeting up with John and Sarah at the usual place, we set of north for our now mandatory stop at McDonalds in Kendal (I am sure that this is the main reason why Charlotte comes along!) The weather forecast had predicted heavy rain clearing from the west later in the day. All the way up the M6 the rain showed no sign of letting up. John wanted to eat on the move from Kendal to save some time, but I was quite happy to sit in and wait for the rain to clear (optimistic again, but I can't help it). When we left the remembrance day parade was just leaving the square, but the rain showed no signs of doing the same. As we drove up and over Kirkstone pass and down to Hartsop it stopped raining and we saw a bit of blue sky for the first time. This came as a relief for me as I was seriously thinking of doing something low level and less arduous than what I had planned.

Hartsop Dodd from Cow Bridge car park Looking towards Windermere from Kirkstone pass
So leaving my car in the car park at Cow Bridge we drove in John's car back up to Kirkstone Pass. We did it this way because I had no intention of letting John repeat his mistake from the previous walk (see A Grasmere Round ) By the time everyone was kitted up the weather had cleared up quite dramatically and then, at last, we were ready. The initial climb up the crags of St Raven's Edge behind the Kirkstone Pass Inn looked quite inviting, so we eagerly set of to see if they were as good underfoot.
St Raven's Edge from Kirkstone pass A closer view of St Raven's Edge
Charlotte of course, set off at a cracking pace leaving us of the somewhat older generation lagging behind, catching up on all our news and views of things that had been done or happened since our last outing. The path made its way up to the foot of the crags and alongside a wall, quite steep in places , but enjoyable none the less. In some parts the route was more like a stream than a path, with the amount of water running off. To encourage Sarah, I told her that this was a small gorge walk, something that I had planned just for her! Suitably encouraged we all "raced" up the final pull and onto the small summit behind St Raven's Edge. Here the wind made it's presence known, it was blowing an absolute gale!, but gladly not for long. This was to be the last bit of solid rock that we walked on for quite a while. From the top of St Raven's Edge the route up to Caudale Moor was in full view. The sun was shining, the wind had calmed down and the views back over Kirkstone pass towards Red Screes looked great, what more could you want?
Red Screes from St Raven's Edge The route to Caudale Moor
The only down side to this was the terrain underfoot, basically Caudale Moor is a high level moor, this means gooey sticky mud on some parts of the paths. In winter when this is frozen solid, or summer when it is baked dry by the sun it would be no problem. Today, after lot's of rain it was hard work. We found ourselves continuously trying to find ways around the biggest peat bogs, if not we ended up shin deep in mud ! This is the sort of walking that drains all your energy and enthusiasm. Charlotte, after her first rush of blood up St Ravens Edge found this hard work and we soon found ourselves lagging behind John and Sarah.
The path up to Caudale Moor Looking back from the same point
It was at this point that I realized that the original plan was just not feasible. Never one to be put of I thought to myself, never mind, let's just have a nice walk and enjoy the scenery instead of an all out race to "bag" a few extra summits. Miraculously, after I had made this decision, the ground steepend and started to dry out, and our pace seemed to increase! As we were now approaching the summit plateau I headed over to the other side of the wall and made a beeline for Mark Atkinson's Monument.
Mark Atkinson's Monument Ullswater and Place Fell from the Monument
This had been clearly visible for some time now and I wanted to visit this on our route. Upon reaching the monument I was surprised to see an additional plaque dated 1987, was it really that long since I had last been up here? The original plaque was barely readable now, but the addition from 1987 still looked in pristine condition.
Red Screes and Middle Dodd from the Monument
After taking a few photographs of the monument and the view back to Red Screes we made a beeline for the summit across the now mainly dry moorland. After a brief discussion about which was the true summit cairn (again!) and after consultation of AW's Far Eastern Fells we crossed over the wall and made it to the summit.
Caudale Moor Summit Cairn The terrible trio plus one at Caudale Moor Summit
After a brief stop for more photo's we set of for our next stop on the revised plan, Thornthwaite Crag.
360 Degree panorama from Caudale Moor summit (Stony Cove Pike)
Thornthwaite Beacon had been visible for quite a while now, it looked so close, only a short walk away, but the others had not yet been introduced to Threshthwaite Mouth!
Father and daughter with Froswick and Ill Bell behind The path towards Threshthwaite Mouth
The path towards Threshthwaite Mouth was quite dry and nice underfoot.The view towards Froswick and Ill Bell to the south and Ullswater and Place Fell to the north were great. During this approach to Threshthwaite Mouth we were able to all stay together and had a nice chat about pop music and clothes, or rather Charlotte and Sarah did. John and myself tried not to laugh too much !
Froswick and Ill Bell Looking down to Threshthwaite Mouth
Suddenly the path drops away down to Threshthwaite Mouth and Thornthwaite Crag appears so near that you feel that you could reach out and touch it.
The path up from Threshthwaite Mouth to Thornthwaite Crag. High Street behind and left.
The steep drop down to the Mouth was quite arduous, the rock being very wet and slippy. The only good thing about this was the chance to stop, think where you were going to take your next step and enjoy the views. Threshthwaite Mouth is the point at which two valleys meet, that of Troutbeck and Pasture Bottom, otherwise known as Threshthwaite Cove.
Looking north towards Ullswater Sarah descending to Threshthwaite Mouth from Caudale Moor
Once safely down to the Mouth it was time for lunch. Charlotte had been asking for something to eat for ages by now, perhaps something to eat will speed her up a bit. While we ate a couple of party's of walkers passed us and headed straight up towards Thornthwaite Crag. I was not looking forward to the ascent up from the mouth at all. I still have memories of the last time I did this, not very good memories as I hated every minute of it. Perhaps it was not a good place to stop as the thoughts of climbing up the steep and loose scree did not help my appetite.
Ascending from Threshthwaite Mouth Looking down from the same point
So after a brief stop for lunch, we could not put the ascent of any longer and up we went. From Caudale Moor the ascent looked nearly vertical, but as you started to climb it wasn't that bad. In fact I found myself actually enjoying the burning sensation in my calf muscles, it was so much better than the agony in my knees that I suffer from when descending! Stopping to have a chat with some people descending gave us a bit of a breather, I really did not envy them doing that descent.
A bit further up, it's not far now! Charlotte with her second (or Third ) wind
Eventually the gradient eased a bit and John found a curious shaped rock that he decided he would keep. This set Charlotte of and soon all her pockets were full of stones! With her interest awakened her pace picked up and we soon came to nearly level ground as we approached the summit. During this time the views to the north, with Ullswater and Place Fell looked great, but looking to the south it looked very dark and gloomy. Troutbeck looked especially desolate and moody, I suppose that this has a lot to do with the light conditions at this time of year.
Looking south towards The Tounge and Troutbeck John pointing out Banana Skins (He has now seen the error of his ways !)
As we approached the summit and Thornthwaite Beacon evidence of previous visitors was seen lying on the ground. John was suitable distressed to see the litter of banana skins there, he has now seen the error of his ways and does not bring bananas anymore. He still took the opportunity to have a go at me about cigarette ends though, there is nothing worse than a converted banana skin thrower!
The summit of Thornthwaite Crag The terrible trio plus one at Thornthwaite Crag
The views from the summit were extensive and it showed the route that we were to take in detail. After a quick coffee break we set of once again for our next objective, High Street.
360 Degree panorama from Thornthwaite Crag
The path along to High Street was easy underfoot and we were able to walk at a fair pace for the first time that day. As we neared High Street we were able to see down to Hayeswater for the first time and soon came across a couple of the natives who looked on with interest at us marching by.
Hayeswater from the path to High Street Two of the natives look on
After marching along the path for a while and reaching the broad shoulder of High Street we left the path and started to follow the wall. These walls fascinate me, built however long ago they run arrow straight as far as the eye can see.
The path towards High Street from Thornthwaite Crag The wall running up to High Street
The only draw back of walking by the wall was the boggy ground. At times we had to hang onto the wall for support as pools of mud and water blocked the path. By this time Charlotte decided that she needed some entertainment and tried to push John into one of these pools of water. John was able to jump the pool and avoid a soaking, but promised Charlotte that he would get her back.
Looking back along the wall. Thornthwaite Beacon still visible The cairn that marks the path up from Mardale Ill Bell
Not long after he kept his promise and started to kick water and mud at her. In an attempt to escape this she started walking backwards. Unfortunately she fell over a stone dislodged from the wall and landed quite heavily against another pile of stones. She was quite shaken and sore by this experience, with a rather large bruise starting to form on her hip and a sore thigh and hands. This just goes to prove that playing about can lead to accidents, even on a level area like the summit of High Street.
High Street summit Three plus one at High Street summit
So thankfully with only a bruise and dented pride we reached the summit of High Street. The weather was still clear enough for us to see the M6 in the distance, and the full route of our last walk up here from the end of Haweswater, via Harter Fell, Nan Bield Pass and Mardale Ill Bell. That time we were unable to see anything due to the mist.
360 Degree panorama from High Street
With time pressing we set of for the next summit, but first took a short detour to look down into Riggindale. The view down into the valley, with Haweswater in the distance was worth the extra few minutes. After taking a few photo's we again made our way to the wall and carried on towards The Knott .
Riggindale with Rough Crag and Long Stile on the right Descending of High Street towards The Knott
As we came down the Straits of Riggindale we again found our way along the wall blocked by pools of water. Me and John opted for the drier way by walking along the edge of the drop down to the head of Riggindale, whilst Sarah and Charlotte took the obstacle course along the wall. Sarah somehow managed to dislodge a large stone from the wall in her effort to keep her feet dry. This fell down and narrowly missed falling on her! Lucky girl.
The head of Riggindale Sarah just missed by "Another brick in the wall"
After descending the Straits the path took another sharp incline. Again I quite enjoyed this as it felt good in the calf muscles. It now started to rain for the first time today and we had to stop for Charlotte to reluctantly put on her coat. Again the path was nice to walk on and we soon made our way to The Knott.
Looking back to High Street Looking forward on the path towards The Knott
By this time the weather was playing up, becoming very cloudy and cold. In front of us it was still quite nice but behind the weather was closing in. The Knott's summit cairn had a nice walkway around it made from peoples feet as the walked around admiring the view.
The summit of The Knott Three plus one at The Knott summit
After the usual summit photo's we again set of. this time directly back to the car. This seemed to cheer Charlotte up as she was now feeling very tired and sore after her little mishap.
360 Degree panorama from The Knott
On the initial steep descent down from The Knott it started to rain quite heavily, thankfully this did not last for long, as I was left behind by the other three. My knees were giving me some real pain now and I could only descend slowly whilst I watched the more athletic members of the group race ahead.
The descent of The Knott with Rest Dodd straight ahead Hayeswater and the path back to Hartsop village from the descent of The Knott
As we came out above Hayeswater the rain had stopped and the way back to Hartsop was visible along the bridle path to Hayeswater. As the way down was on a steep grassy slope charlotte wanted to slide down on her backside. Sarah wanted to join in with this but luckily I was able to talk them out of it. One accident was enough for today. John began to reminisce about coming up here on his mountain bike, having to carry it up this slope before continuing on to High Street.
Hayeswater from the descent of The Knott with Gray Crag behind
When we eventually reached the bridge over the outlet of Hayeswater it was time for a last coffee break. Not for long as it was starting to go dark. The way forward was on a well made road that was a pleasure to walk on for me as the descent of The Knott had been very painful for me. With the light fading fast we made our way down this road to Hartsop village. Eventually arriving there as the last light went. This proved how good my timing is! and confirmed our earlier decision not to bag those few extra summits. After getting back to my car we traveled back up to Kirkstone pass and John's car. We all felt like some refreshment and duly entered the pub. This was after a lengthy wait for Sarah to make herself more presentable. Charlotte pestered me for a plate of chips as well as a coke, Sarah opting for the same. Whilst John and I had a pint the two girls tucked into their chips. Sarah is a lover of chips and decided that these fell well below her standards, so she consoled herself with a quick Malibu and coke. Soon it was time to head back home, and that was the end of the day.
Map of todays walk