|
|
| Wood Howe and The Rigg |
Looking up Haweswater from the road end |
| As we got ready you could see quite a few people walking
through the old walls and roads, obviously a popular spot when the tide
is out! On the way up the weather had been great but a soon as we
started walking the gentle showers came for the first time today. John
and Sarah had decided to wear their waterproof trousers from the start
but I had decided not to wear mine even though I had just invested in a
new pair! |
|
|
| A memorial cross to Greg Mews |
Walking along the old road |
| We left the car park and made our way through the wall onto
the lakeside path. As the old road, well I presume it was an old road marked
by fallen walls looked quite good we soon left the path and headed for
the road. As I reached the road I looked back and saw a cross. This cross
was nearly hidden behind a tree and I only noticed it by chance. I wondered
back over to it and had a closer look. The inscription said "In Loving
Memory Of Greg Mews 6-1-49 - 15-6-02 Aged 53". It was above the high water
mark , I wonder who Greg Mews was?, a nice place for a memorial though. |
|
|
| Coming across the old walls |
And alongside an old wall |
| Leaving the memorial cross I set off to catch up the others.
As it started to rain again I felt myself getting into one of those quiet
moods again! I caught them up and passed them, keeping along the old road
until a wall that crossed the valley floor. Here we had to get over the
wall and onto higher ground as the water started behind the wall.
Above the old road the ground comprised of small pebbles, just like walking
along a beach! |
|
|
| Looking towards Wood Howe |
An old tree stump |
| As we neared The Rigg we started to come across more signs
of the old walls and enclosures. Some of these small enclosures had gate
posts in them that still stood. The odd tree stump or two still remained,
the Manchester Corporation had obviously felled these trees and left the
stumps where they stood, that must have been a sad sight to see for
the old villagers as they watched their surroundings being changed forever. |
|
|
| Another old road with gateposts along the side |
The Rigg |
| We wandered in and out of the remains of the old walls,
until we came across another road that led across the valley. Here again
there were old gate post still standing, you began to wonder what this
place must have looked like all those years ago, the end of the valley,
all the roads and fields, the houses and the pub and the bridge, all now
gone forever. Thinking things like this did nothing to help my mood
as the showers still came and went, only little showers, but enough to
put a bit of a dampener on things! |
|
|
| Another visible enclosure |
Looking up Hopgill Beck, our route! |
| When we reached the point that Hopgill Beck poured itself
into Haweswater we had to turn uphill and begin our walk up to Selside
Pike. Walking up the side of the Beck. John took the time to look around
inside some of the enclosures and soon found a pair of old boots. Looking
closely at the boots we noticed some quite intricate metal work on the
sides. They were not all that big, but with the nails on the sole we knew
that they were quite old, perhaps from one of Mardale's old residents,
or just thrown into Haweswater at a later date, who knows! John carefully
replaced them somewhere. Perhaps someone else, some day, will see them
again and wonder about their old owner, just as we did. |
|
|
| John finds an old pair of Hobnail Boots |
A bridge over Hopgill Beck on the lakeside path |
| |
|
Following Hopgill Beck upstream we soon came across a small
bridge that the lakeside path crossed over. We took the opportunity to
cross it and stopped to consider our options on the way forwards. We
could see the road bridge up ahead and it did seem possible but probably
hard work to follow the Beck up and under the bridge. There was a wooden
guard under the bridge that we would have to negotiate as the walls of the
bridge and road looked like we could not scale them safely. We could follow
a path that led up to the road. After thinking about it for a bit Sarah and
I decided to opt for the path as it seemed more practical. John did not have
a choice as he was still making his way up to us after lingering around the
footbridge, taking his time looking back at the remains of Mardale! |
| Looking up Hopgill Beck to the road bridge |
|
|
|
| Looking up Riggindale Rough Crag, High Street and Kidsty Pike |
Looking down on Wood Howe |
| Once on the road we looked back over Haweswater to see if
we could make out anymore of the old buildings. I think that we must have
been just a few days late this year! The path that we had walked
up to the road on came out very near the start of the old corpse road.
I took the opportunity to show the map and the possibility's to John and
Sarah. The old corpse road was the only recognized path up, but as it did
not actually head towards Selside Pike and Hopgill Beck did, there was
only one choice really! |
|
|
| The head of Haweswater looking towards Nan Bield Pass |
Looking up Hopgill Beck from the road bridge |
| |
|
We made our way around the road to the other
side of the road bridge were a gate gave access to the Beck. Unfortunately
for us the gate was on the wrong side really! Only a few yards into the
gill was a rather large waterfall. Progress up it on this side looked impossible
so we had to somehow cross over the beck to the other side. We could see
that the other side was easy to make progress upwards on. The only problem
was where to cross! All of the boulders in the stream that might offer
a stepping stone looked incredibly slippy, and as none of us fancied a
soaking this early in the walk care was going to be needed! |
| The first waterfall |
| I made my way up as far as I could as I thought that the
beck narrowed somewhat above the first waterfall. It did, but as I looked
at all the possibilities I sensed a soaking coming on. I stood there and
thought about it for a while. I did not see how John managed to get across
but I soon saw Sarah precariously balanced on a boulder in the middle of
the beck. She was steadying herself with a tree branch that from where
I looked, seemed to offer as much support as a skipping rope! |
|
 |
| Sarah crossing over Hopgill Beck |
Looking up the dry side of the gully |
| |
|
Sarah managed to get across and they quickly
made their way up to where I was still thinking about things. All this
thinking and I still hadn't managed to part the waves! I sort of
took the bit between my teeth and took a step onto a boulder whilst holding
onto a solid tree branch. Phew!, So far so good. All I had to do now was
put enough trust in vibram and jump over to the other side. Luckily for
me the friction coefficient of my boots won the battle and I launched myself
over to the other side! John was surprised to see my hurtling body and
shouted out something about an adrenaline rush! I don't know about that
but I was certainly a bit shaky! I suppose I did not want to admit defeat
so early and retrace ny steps! Especially since John had managed his way
over so easily. I vowed to myself to take things a bit easier now as I
have heard say that pride comes before a fall, or something like that.
Mmm! |
| The second waterfall |
| Now that we were all on the same side of the water (always
a good thing!) we started to make our way up what looked to be the dryer,
easier side. This turned out to be easier said than done as most of the
boulders and rock were incredible slippy! We took great care and slowly
made our way upwards |
|
|
| The third waterfall |
Looking back over to The Rigg with Mardale Ill Bell and High Street
behind |
| Even though we took our time, always walking over to look
at the waterfalls whenever we could, we seemed to make good time. We gained
height quite quickly and even though I had the feeling that this was not
going to be as good as I thought it was due to the slippiness of
the rock I was beginning to cheer up! |
|
|
| Having fun up the dry side! |
Looking back down Hopgill Beck |
| The higher up the gill we got, the better it seemed to get.
Soon we were scrambling up good rock, well it was better than the stuff
lower down! Thoughts started to turn towards a brew stop and something
to eat. I had planned a surprise for John and Sarah and suggested that
we carried on a little further before we stopped. Reluctantly they agreed
and I led the way up to a nice spot next to a waterfall. |
|
On the last few walks I had got to thinking that a change of menu was
in order, or what would it be like to stop and put the kettle on. As a
result of this I have recently invested in a small gas burner and a set
of pans. Sarah does not drink tea or coffee, the only hot drink I have
seen Sarah take was hot chocolate. How good would a hot cup of chocolate
be on a day like today! This was my surprise, I found a sheltered spot
and set up the cooker. Full fat milk, cadbury's drinking chocolate, and
of course a cadbury's flake to dunk, how good is that then! The sight of
me setting up this treat made the others smile. So there we were, drinking
freshly made hot chocolate, dunking a flake and thinking that this was
a great idea. John soon got into the spirit and started thinking about
what he could bring to heat up next time! |
| The fourth waterfall |
| As we sat there and enjoyed my new gadget (I'm
turning into gadget man!) we realized that the gill split. The way up to the right was
definitely beyond us as the waterfall was big, with no signs of any way
up. Looking back at the map now I realize that this is the point where
Hopgill Beck and Rowantreethwaite Beck joined. We had no choice but to
carry on up Rowantreethwaite Beck, some choices are easy to make and this
one looked like fun anyway! |
|
|
| John making a quick ascent |
Sarah making a slower one |
| At first the way forwards did not look all that good. We
had to scramble up a loose bank that threatened to make you slip at any
moment. Once above this there was a gully coming down that had to be crossed.
John went up ahead to scout out the possibilities whilst I waited for Sarah
to come up the bank. John seemed to be heading out of the gill and as it
was in the wrong direction for Selside Pike anyway I called for him to
come back down and to get into the gill again! |
|
|
| John checking out the way ahead |
Looking back down to Mardale Head |
| This he did. Sarah and I watched as he made his way around
the gully and back into the gill. At one point the ground he was walking
on suddenly gave way and slipped downwards, maybe this wasn't such a great
idea after all ! John kept his balance and made his way along one
of those sheep tracks back into Rowantreethwaite Gill. Sarah and I gingerly
followed. Once past this point the way forwards and upwards looked a lot
better. |
|
|
| I've lost count of waterfalls now! |
Looking down past another waterfall |
| Once back in the gill the way upwards was a lot easier
now. There was plenty of choices to take on which way we wanted to go. We
got into a sort of rhythm, first one side and then the other, every time
a waterfall appeared there was an easy way around it, or a more difficult
one if you wanted one. This was fun! |
|
|
| Crossing over the stream to dryer ground |
Looking up Rowantreethwaite Beck |
| Onwards and upwards we went (what
a great motto!) Higher
and higher up Rowantreethwaite Beck. All of my thoughts about this not
being a good idea and a bit unsafe were now firmly forgotten! AW had
written a small bit about this in the Branstree pages. He said "A wicket
gate at the bridge gives access to the fell. Keep out of the gorge" Maybe
he meant Hopgill Beck, which did seem a bit too much, but Rowantreethwaite
Beck was an absolute dream to scramble up! |
|
|
| John making his way past another waterfall |
A glimpse of sunshine over on Mardale Ill Bell |
| Soon we came across another waterfall. John immediately
made a beeline up the right hand side. This looked interesting so I stayed
where I was to take some photo's. He got past the first section without
any problems but soon found himself confronted with a challenge! Whilst
he took the time to figure out the solution I looked back over the gill.
What a great sight! The sense of height above Haweswater was very real,
I don't think that we realized how high we had climbed, something that
does happed when you are concentrating on what is in front of you. Look
behind you and, wow! |
|
The problem that John had was a tree. He soon made his way around or
through it and Sarah began to follow. The left hand side of the gill seemed
to offer a better way forwards to my way of thinking so I started to make
my way up. On this side was rock and no trees, but on John and Sarah's
side, once past the tree it seemed to be a steep grassy bank. Sarah decided
that she would not follow John through or past the tree as she made her
way up the bank and around, John did seem to make hard work of it but by
this time he had the bit between his teeth (am I starting to talk horsey
things now?) |
| Trying to get past another waterfall |
| Once past the tree John had to climb up another grassy bank
and then down again to make forward progress. From his body language it
did seem to be a bit of any iffy proposition though! I should have shouted
across to him to turn around and go down the bank facing into the bank
but the noise of the waterfalls made it impossible to make myself heard!
Sarah was trying to get back down into the gill herself after her detour.
I on the other hand was having a relatively easy time of it on the opposite
side, no trees and steep grassy banks for me, just nice clean and not too
slippy rock! |
|
|
| Sometimes John had to leave the gully |
But he soon came back down into it! |
| John managed to get back down into the gill but Sarah did
not feel safe. When you go scrambling, or doing anything off the beaten
track a good sense of what is acceptable and what is dangerous is needed,
Sarah erred on the side of caution and decided to make her way up instead
of risking a fall trying to get back down into the gill. That is
sensible practice in these sorts of situations, but she did miss some fun. |
|
Now there was just John and myself in the gill. On opposite sides, and
each choosing our own way up. I still think that my way was the best, but
I am sure that John would consider his way better! I had the advantage
of lots of rock that seemed to offer a relatively easy way up. John seemed
to keep coming up against various obstacles. Then again if you do try and
keep as close to the water as possible I guess you will have these little
problems to think about! I was happy with my way and judging by the mile
wide grin on John's face, he was happy with his way! |
| Using a tree to make progress |
|
This was getting to be some serious fun. I would come across an awkward
bit and John would stop to see if I could get up it, around it, or get
a soaking, I would find an easy bit and John would have an awkward bit
to negotiate. This was like a kids game of dare, taking it in turns to
watch the other and thinking about the consequences if something went wrong!
This was the sort of stuff that we love, no tracks or remade paths, just
pure fun! Picking your own way, ever upwards, in our own time, by our own
route! Due to the noise of the water, it's no wonder that Mardale was under
water now, we couldn't really talk to each other. The occasional words
of advice or suggestions on the route did cross between us, as being on
different sides of the gill we could sometimes see something that the other
couldn't. Like I said this was fun, fun, fun! |
| Another waterfall, this one in Rowantreethwaite Beck |
|
|
| Another tree is used to aid progress |
Sarah making a safer way up! |
| John is a bit of a closet environmentalist, also known as
a "tree hugger". Along the gill John was taking this literally as he always
seemed to find another tree that needed "hugging" as he made his way upwards!
At one stage I watched as he at first tried to climb over a slightly misshaped
tree, then he had to climb through it and onto the side of the gill, this
was really strange to watch! Sarah meanwhile was well and truly out of
the gill now, I kept catching glances of her, mainly as a silhouette high
up the side. The occasional wave was the only contact with her, perhaps
we should have been using her two way radios that she always brings but
we never use! (She is gadget lady!) |
|
|
| More waterfalls ! |
And another tree helping John out! |
| By now the sides of the gill were becoming much more steep
and any grass banks that had offered an easy escape had long since disappeared. I
guess it was becoming a more serious proposition now, it was certainly
becoming slower to make progress as our options were limited. I still thought
that I had the much easier side as I watched the rock that John had his
left foot on crumble away and disappear into the water, I guess he was
glad he was "hugging" another tree at the time as he would have got a soaking
otherwise! Once past that obstacle it was time for John to watch me struggle. |
|
|
| Looking back down Rowantreethwaite Beck |
John making his way past another water feature |
| I had come across a small pool of sorts, the only
way around it was by making my way along just above the water on a slab
of rock. The footholds were not that bad and there was a variety of things
to hold on to. I made my way around the pool without any real problem until
I came to the point of exit. |
|
Here the problem was an overhanging tree or bush that blocked the exit.
It was my turn to start "tree hugging"! I didn't mind apart from the fact
that this was a Holy bush, ouch! It was strategically placed in a position
that made you try to duck under it just at the time when you wanted to
be standing upright and stretching upwards. John looked on in amusement
as I struggled with it. I somehow managed to get under it and then push
myself upwards until my rucksack became caught! I then had an anxious few
minutes as I tried to free myself without letting go of any hand holds
that I had! The back of my neck got a bit scratched but I managed to free
myself somehow with my dignity still intact and more importantly still
dry! |
| A big water feature ! |
|
| We took a few moments to steady ourselves before the next
waterfall. I don't think that John could see what was in front of him yet
as the gill changed direction at the waterfall. I could clearly see the
height of this waterfall and the side that John was on did not look easy
at all! My side looked impossible but another steep gill came down here,
it did offer me a way out, but in the wrong direction! |
|
|
| John again using a tree by the side of the large waterfall |
Sarah waiting above |
| I shouted over a few hints about the route up to John as
he made his way up. A large tree helped him and he was soon "hugging" this
as well! By now I could see Sarah up at the top of the waterfall and I
guessed that this must be the last stages of the gill. John seemed to be
struggling for ideas by now. |
|
From where I stood I could clearly see a way up and around a slab of
rock, I tried to tell John but he did not seem interested as at first this
led straight towards the water. Eventually he tried it and soon made his
way up to join Sarah. I shouted up to them that I was going to have to
go up the other gully and would rejoin them up there in about 10 minutes,
hopefully! I started to make my way upwards but soon found that t his looked
a lot easier than it actually was! Everywhere I placed my feet the ground
started to move downhill, very disconcerting! I made my way over to one
side and found it a bit easier so up I went until I found a spot where
I could scramble up the rocky side to escape the gully. This I did and
soon found myself up above Rowantreethwaite Beck for the first time |
| My way out upwards and out of the gully |
|
| Out here in the open the view back over The Rigg was fantastic. I
couldn't resist taking a panoramic photo. Whilst I was doing this I could
hear John and Sarah but I couldn't see them yet. |
 |
| Harter Fell, Mardale Ill Bell, Rough Crag, High Street,
Kidsty Pike and High Raise behind The Rigg and Haweswater from the exit
of Rowantreethwaite Beck |
| As I traversed around the head of the thing I had just climbed
out of I saw John and Sarah again. The only problem was that I still had
a rather fast flowing stream and a big gap between them and me, even more
unfortunate was the fact that they were on the correct side and I wasn't!
This meant that I had to walk along the stream until I could find a place
to cross it, maybe John's choice of sides was better after all, Mmm! |
|
|
| John rejoins Sarah who has been waiting patiently for us! |
And then carry on to meet me somewhere where I can rejoin them! |
| So with John telling Sarah about all the fun she had missed
we started to walk along the stream. I tried to do this quickly as I was
eager to let her know my side of the story (or Gill) , and not let John
have all the glory! |
|
As I made my way past yet another waterfall I still could not see an
easy way across to rejoin them. This was to be the last waterfall as the
stream now turned into something more resembling what it looked like on
the map and not what it looked like in reality!
If I was the sort of person who was into winter climbing I think that I would
head up here as soon as a big freeze set in. All of the waterfalls in the gill
looked like they could offer some good ice climbs, especially the last two which
were at least 50 feet falls. Who needs to traipse up to Great End and Helvellyn
when something as good as this is at the car door, I'm just glad I don't do that
sort of thing! (how much is a set of crampons and a pair of technical ice axes
?) |
| Another waterfall |
|
| Leaving the waterfall behind my worst fears were confirmed,
after the great fun we had in the gill we were confronted with a picture
of high moorland. No rock, no paths, just lots of soggy grass and marshland,
yuk! Even the few sheep that were about looked fed up! |
|
|
| Looking back at the head of Rowantreethwaite Beck |
And again with a view over to Kidsty Pike and High Raise |
| After five or ten minutes of head down, get on with it,
walking I was at last able to jump over the stream and head back to rejoin
the others. We had a bit of a chat about where we were heading for
and set off straight towards Selside Pike. We agreed that it was time for
some lunch and I must admit that I was feeling pretty tired now, John decided
that because off what we had just been up we had used a lot of energy more
different muscle groups than we would if we had just walked, tell me about
it! The only problem with deciding to have a lunch stop was that there
was absolutely nowhere to sit down that was dry! |
|
|
| Hare Shaw from our lunch spot |
Selside Pike from our lunch spot |
| Looking ahead we could see a collection of rocky outcrops
that might provide a solution so we headed off over. As a bit of
a breeze had made its presence felt as we left the shelter of the gill,
we choose a spot out of the wind but still ended sitting on our rucksacks
to keep from getting wet backsides! So here we were after one of the best
part of any walk we have yet done, nattering away about this and that,
still full of high spirits. The trudge across Mardale Common was forgotten
even though it had been hard work trying to find a way through the marsh
land. As I ate I checked our location on the map and realized that another
summit of sorts was staring me in the face, Hare Shaw. This was not an
AW summit but a FRCC one. As I started to mention this to John and Sarah
the thought of retracing our steps back over Mardale Common made me swallow
my words, maybe next time! |
|
|
| The steep pull up to Selside Pike |
And a bit further on, no paths here! |
| Suitably refreshed we set off upwards again. This was no
fun at all! The steepness of the fell side was unrelenting, no paths or
easy gradients, just straight up the grass. I was really feeling tired
and just could not keep up with John and Sarah. I started to try and
zig zag up, but this just made me loose more ground. I was saved by the
bell, well the mobile phone bleep! Instead of Sarah receiving a text message
it was my turn. I had to stop (thankfully) and get the phone from my rucksack,
thinking it might be another of those family emergencies like "the dishwasher
is leaking!" or "will you sort these kid's out!" I hurriedly read the message.
It was a message from my cousin asking if she could please, please come
and see the new horse! Now was not a good time! But I composed a message
about me being 2000' up in the Lake District and perhaps she would be better
off contacting my wife! |
|
|
| Looking back towards High Street, Riggindale, and Kidsty Pike |
Looking back over Hare Shaw and Swindale Common |
| As I stood there and composed this message John and Sarah
just stood and watched me, for all they knew it was a family emergency
and reminded me of those times that I had gotten such a message in the
past! Unfortunately I do not have jet propelled fingers like Sarah
and this took some time. As I finished I looked behind me and saw a shower
of rain approach over Haweswater. It was time to don the new waterproof
(hopefully!) trousers. Why is it that when you try on waterproof trousers
in a shop they slip on in ten seconds flat, but when you need to put them
on in the Lake District it takes ten minutes? Needless to say I got a bit
damp! |
|
|
| Selside summit shelter appears |
The terrible trio at Selside Pike summit |
| Once suitable waterproofed I followed the others up towards
the summit. The gradient eased, but I still found myself lagging behind
again, perhaps I should have stayed on my diet after Scafell Pike, and
not succumbed to the thoughts of "it's all easier now"! As I joined
John and Sarah at the summit shelter I found them in conversation with
some fellow walkers huddled together in the shelter. John was telling them
about the way we had come up, it really was good enough to share! We soon
left the shelter and headed a few yards over to what looked like the highest
point. |
 |
| 360 degree panorama from Selside Pike |
| Taking the usual photo's there was nothing to inspire us
to linger up here. We made a beeline back to the fence and headed off towards
the next summit Branstree. |
|
|
| Looking towards Branstree |
Following the fence towards Branstree |
| Looking ahead Branstree did not seem like much at all. I
knew it would be like this! After the great way up the gill, most of the
rest of the walk would just be a trudge across the moorland , it made
us all go a bit quieter now. At least the fence seemed to have been rewired
in recent times and was intact the whole length that we walked alongside
it. |
|
|
| Branstree and Captain Welter Bog |
Looking back to Selside Pike |
| Down past and through Captain Whelter Bog we went, who was
he then? It was not as bad as it looked and John decided to cheer himself
up by running into the peat bog at full tilt! This made us laugh
and John encouraged us to do the same, no thanks! A bit further on John
found the jaw bone of a sheep, he picked it up and looked at it. It was
interesting to see the layout of the teeth, very similar to that of a horse
(oh god, I'm at it again!) |
|
|
| The path along the fence to Branstree |
Looking back to Selside Pike |
| As the fence and path started to gain height again I looked
back to Selside Pike. From here it looked a bit better than it did when
we were on it! I am probably being a bit harsh on Selside Pike and
Branstree really. It was just what we needed today after all, a great way
up that held our interest for a few hours, a couple of summits to tick
off and a walk just long enough for the limited daylight and late start
that we had! John started muttering things about being able to smell something
bad, something like like a dead sheep! I know he quite often enjoys the
smell of the countryside, the peaty smell of the moors, the smell of wood
smoke, the freshness of a stream bed, but a dead sheep? |
|
|
| Still heading along the fence |
The first view of the old survey post |
| As we reached a small depression before the rise up to Artle
Crag I looked over to the horizon and saw the silhouette of the old survey
post. This was something of interest to look at so we crossed over
the fence and headed up towards it. |
|
Things like this interest me, they point to the old industrial history
of the area. I know that they were used for surveying the aqueduct from
Haweswater but not exactly how! There is one down by the side of the
road at NY 479 125, this one is at NY 483 102 and there are two more
at NY 487 078 on Tarn Crag and NY 490 064 on Great Howe. They all form
a straight line on the map heading towards Kendal.
For a web site that has a lot of information on the history of Haweswater
and Thirlmere click this link .This
web page also shows the exact same metal plates that we saw in the gap
between the two upper pillars!
I was wondering if it was possible to see the next sighting post on Tarn Crag
so I wandered over to have a look. Well I know my eyesight isn't what it once
was but I think I saw a blob on the horizon that might have been something,
but it was too far to see really! |
| The old survey post used during the construction of Haweswater and the
aqueduct by the Manchester Corporation |
| I was wondering if it was possible to see the next sighting
post on Tarn Crag so I wandered over to have a look. Well I know my eyesight
isn't what it once was but I think I saw a blob on the horizon that might
have been something, but it was too far to see really! |
|
|
| John and Sarah at play! |
Looking back past the survey post to Haweswater |
| When I returned to John and Sarah I found that John had
climbed to the top of the pillar to see what he could see (more
adult supervision required!) We had a fun few minutes as they tried to recreate some
sort of comic sketch, it passed the time of day and gave us a few laughs! |
|
|
| Looking back at the survey post and Selside Pike |
John finds his dead sheep! |
| Sarah sort of noticed that time was getting on, in fact
we only had just over an hour of daylight left now! With that in mind we
set off heading for the next point of interest on the route, Artle Crag,
or rather the large cairns on Artle Crag! On the way John noticed
something, he wandered over to find a sheep carcass. Now he was pleased, "I
told you I could smell a dead sheep!" OK so John can smell a dead sheep
at a distance of over a mile, I was impressed. He then made us laugh by
describing the cause of death, "This sheep died because it's face fell
off back at Captain Whelter Bog!" This was funny, I know it was one of
those you had to be there at the time sort of things but his sense of humour
and timing are spot on! |
|
|
| The twin cairns of Artle Crag Pike |
Looking back to Haweswater from Artle Crag Pike |
| Still chuckling to ourselves we headed up to the twin cairns
of Artle Crag. These were impressive things, why they are here I do not
know, the view back over Haweswater was OK but not the best, it wasn't
the highest point and they were off the path. In the politically
correct times that we live in today certain places that we have visited
today could be prosecuted under the Trades Description Act. Selside Pike
is not a Pike, and there are no crags at Artle Crag! The Langdale's should
have been granted a monopoly on the use of "Pike" and "Crag" should only
be used where there are crags!, Selside Pike and Artle Crag did not fit
the bill at all. As I pondered over thoughts such as these John decided
to get aquatinted with the cairns personally. He had found a couple of
lengths of old fence posts which he stuck into one of the cairns. It made
it look like it had hands so he shook one of them and said"Hello, I'm John.
Who are you?" This caused more laughter and I just turned away and headed
up towards Branstree summit with a smile on my face. He did take the wood
out so as not to disfigure these fine cairns permanently though! |
|
|
| Heading for Branstree |
Branstree summit! |
| We followed a track of sorts that headed up to the summit.
Another walker was heading in the opposite direction following the fence,
he was too far away to talk to and did seem in a hurry! All to soon
the summit of Branstree was there. Just the highest point on some moorland,
nothing much at all. At least Selside Pike had a shelter ! |
|
|
| The trig point at Branstree summit |
The terrible trio at Branstree summit |
| One interesting think about the summit was the Trig point,
it was another of those round concrete things like the one on Blencathra. When
I set the timer to take the photo of us all at the summit, John decided
that he needed to strike a different pose! I have begun to notice something
about John. If the place where we are walking is full of interest he is
happy just walking and looking, if it is a bit boring he will make it interesting
for himself by fooling around. Take for example climbing up the survey
tower, the shaking of hands with the cairn on Artle Crag, and this photo,
and they are just on this walk! Other examples that spring to mind are
him laying down on the white cross on Blencathra and him pretending to
lose his head on Sallows, oh well at least he is happy! |
|
| 360 Degree panorama from Branstree |
| As I took the 360 degree panorama I realized that the more
I take of these the worse I am getting at taking them! It really is difficult
to keep the camera level and pointing at the same angle as you turn around
going snap, snap,snap! Perhaps it is time I invested in some form
of tripod or mono pod, if that's the right word! With the low cloud cover
today it was quite difficult to spot the horizon through the camera display.
Or is that just an excuse to come back on a nice sunny day and retake the
panorama! |
|
|
| Looking back to Selside Pike from Branstree summit |
Heading towards Gatescarth Pass from Branstree |
| With time really pressing now we headed towards the fence
and down towards Gatescarth Pass. On the other side of the fence
there were a lot of sheep, we got to talking about the lambing season in
Spring. How long is the gestation period for sheep? With March and April
only 4 or 5 months away I was wondering about whether the sheep were at
that time that they let the rams loose. John and Sarah soon got into this
conversation and as we chatted we realized that we new next to nothing
about sheep farming! We did know that the rams are covered in a substance
on their belly's that would rub off onto the yews back if and when the
rams had a good time! We had a look but couldn't tell if the markings were
that stuff or just a dye to indicate different flocks (we need to stay
in more!) |
|
|
| Something to note alongside the fence |
Looking down towards Longsleddale |
| A piece of slate caught my eye alongside the fence. On one
side was the letter "L" chiseled into it. On the other side I think there
was a "W". I can only presume that this represents the different
land owners, the "L" represent the Earl Of Lonsdale who sold the land around
Mardale to the Manchester Corporation back in 1919 for them to build the
dam, flood Mardale, and create Haweswater, the "W" , if it was a "W", would
then represent the owner of the land on the Longsleddale side of the fence.
I think! |
|
|
| Gatescarth Pass |
Looking back up the fence to Branstree |
| As we started to loose height more quickly John noticed
something over on Harter Fell, not only does he have a keen sense of smell
but his eyesight is of a superman standard! He had spotted a farmer on
a quad bike herding sheep over on the fell side above Gatescarth Pass! This
reminded me of my time on the Outward Bound course back in 1981 when I
came across a hill farmer called Mason (I think!) who walked with us up
from Stonethwaite to Greenup Edge as we made our way back from a climbing
trip in Borrowdale to the Outward Bound Center at Ullswater (on
foot!). Back then he used to walk up on foot to gather his sheep,
none of this quad bike stuff! Apart from that thought, I was a bit jealous
anyway as I wanted a go on his quad bike up here! |
|
|
| Harter Fell from the descent to Gatescarth Pass |
Gatescarth Pass and the path to Harter Fell |
| The path by the fence started to steepen and as we neared
Gatescarth Pass we took a slight detour to pick up the path. This ground
was quite boggy and as I walked along here I realized that all of this
moorland stuff that we had been walking on was doing a great job of cleaning
my boots, they looked really clean with no sign of any mud now! How
strange is that. |
|
|
| Heading down from Gatescarth Pass |
And a bit lower down |
| Once on the path down from Gatescarth Pass we were on the
last leg now. This was good as the daylight was rapidly disappearing! For
some reason as soon as my feet touched the path and we started going down
hill I realized that my toes were really starting to hurt! I was
really annoyed at this as I was only able to walk at a snails pace, John
and Sarah soon left me well behind them as they descended at a normal pace!
Perhaps I had made a mistake by stoping taking all of my pills from the
doctors after the obvious fact that they had been working ! When we went
up Scafell Pike by the end of the day I was probably in the best physical
shape that I have been in for years, it was me who was leaving the others
behind, now I was back to slow walking and pains in my feet again! I consoled
myself with the thought that I had to try and see if I could get by without
them, now I will have to try and see which one or both of the pills I was
taking was the one that worked! John and Sarah had stopped below me and
I was grateful that they had waited for me, I was just about to thank them
when Sarah told me that I had missed her fall! (And
there was me thinking that they had stopped for me!) She had managed to slip and fall backwards,
somehow damaging her wrist as she put her arm out to stop herself, ouch! |
|
At a much slower pace now we again headed back down to Mardale
Head. The last time we were on this path there was a huge amount of white
bags all over the fell side of Branstree. At the time the only explanation
we had for them was to collect and transport stone to be used in path repairs.
Now all signs of these bags had gone, probably moved away and used by the
dreaded path repairers. Eventually with dusk falling (was this great timing
or what!) we arrived back at Mardale Head. Now it was Sarah's turn to mess
about as she noticed a bus stop sign. She stood there patiently waiting
for the bus, looking at her watch all the time! I don't really know
if buses come down here and I had to drag her away. |
| Sarah waiting for a bus at the bus stop! |
| For my feet the relief of level ground was welcome, in fact
they felt quite normal walking along the road surface, very strange! Once
back at the car we got changed into more comfortable clothes, we were all
looking forwards to a nice drink and something to eat in a local pub, according
to Sarah the best bit of the day! We were quite surprised by the number
of cars that were coming down the road to park up, I think they must be
here to pick up people who had walked in from somewhere else. What a great
idea, all we need is a volunteer to drop us off and then wait a few hours
to pick us up somewhere else |
 |
| The GPS Track log from today's walk, we can walk on water
! |
| Driving back down Haweswater in the
growing darkness we looked back and decided that this had been a great
walk. I have often worried about how John and Sarah would cope with
some of these moorland sort of hills, they much prefer a sort of in
your face rocky experience! I do try and mix the walks up so as to
give a change of scenery and not do all the "good
stuff" at once. As it was John's idea to come up to this part of the
Lake District I thanked him for the idea, for me it was a nice change
to have someone else's input into deciding where to go, I suppose that
as they get to know the area more this will increase (I
hope!) , anyway
good choice John! I needn't have worried as the scramble up the streams
towards Selside Pike had been a real stunner, two summits after it had
been a bonus and we all enjoyed it.
Whilst John and Sarah had been looking forward to a pub meal I had been looking
forward to finding the pub that my parents had told me had all sorts of photo's
on it's walls about Haweswater and Mardale. Unfortunately all of the likely candidates
were closed! As we drove past pub after pub there was no sign of life in them
at all. We arrived in Shap and looked at a pub we had visited before but John
and Sarah did not fancy it, I was told to come up with another idea! I was running
out of options but I did have one last idea, the Cross Keys in Tebay. We arrived
at the Cross Keys just after 5pm, unfortunately they did not serve food until
6pm, what a pity, we would just have to sit by the nice warm open fire and have
a drink or two until then! Sat nearby was a couple who were discussing the walk
that they had done today. It seemed like they had a difference of opinion on
where they had actually walked, pouring over the map they argued between themselves!
I thought this was funny, I could only presume that the bloke had done the map
reading as they were by a nice open fire instead of still on the fells! We soon
realized that there was a games room, so to while away the time until food was
served we played pool. I am not bragging but I must admit that I retired with
a 100% record, I lost both games! Sarah and John had obviously been practicing!
Once it was time for the food we were not disappointed, apart from the fact that
I had finished mine before John and Sarah's arrived it was great fare, nearly
as good as the pub in Coniston! I think we will be visiting here again, nice
warm fire, nice menu and good food and a friendly staff.
Selside Pike and Branstree are not on everyone's must do list as far as
Lakeland fells are concerned, but the way we went up them was great. The
gill, gorge or whatever you want to call it was a fantastic scramble. No
real danger apart from a soaking with plenty of options all the time, a
fun way up. John has told me that the smells in the gill were great! As
I am a smoker I will have to trust him, but I will never doubt his sense
of smell now! This was a great day, or a half day really! |
