Due to the reoccurrence of my feet problems since I had been wearing my boots again I had decided to wear my Merrell's again, this might lead to wet feet if the ground was boggy or wet but I decided that wet feet were preferable to sore feet. Sarah was opting to try two pairs of socks with her boots as she had problems as well last time out. John later admitted that he must have just dropped lucky with his boots! When we were ready we set off along the road, back past the turn off to Newlands Church and along the road to Little Town. I snapped a few photos while we walked and as I was concentrating on where we would be walking I was surprised to see Catbells look “different” from this side. I guess that most people see Catbells from the Keswick side, from here it looks totally different (There I am thinking again, stop it!) But seriously, it does surprise me how certain fells look totally different from “the other side”.
As we walked along the road to Little Town Sarah was telling us about a recent visit to a place where her Paul works. She sounded very exited about it and she chatted away about it and the comparisons between that place and how she used to do a similar sort of thing when she worked with me and John. I can't say much more but good luck! While all this was going on I kept looking to the left and Causey Pike which dominated the skyline. Causey Pike is one of my favorite summits and I could not resist taking a photo, and then another but this time with the zoom of my new camera, I was pleased with the results! It still looks like it felt when we walked up there, a proper mountain!
As we reached the start of the path that would lead us up to Hause Gate I looked back to see Scope End and High Snab Bank. These are the ridges that lead down from Hindscarth and Robinson. I was wondering which one we would be coming down later in the day. As I turned off the road and onto the track John and Sarah carried on along the road, it was one of those “deep in conversation modes”! They realized that I was not with them and followed me up the track. Once through the gate we headed straight up the fell side before joining the track that led towards Yewthwaite. Once on this track Sarah commented on feeling out of breath. She wondered if it was because she had never stopped talking since leaving the car or because it was steep and hard work. Me and John just looked at her and smiled!
The track led gradually upwards, easy walking and chance for Sarah to catch her breath. Soon a path headed away from this track and up towards Hause Gate, this was the way for us. This was still nice and easy walking and the path took us nearer to the old Yewthwaite Mines, eventually crossing Yewthwaite Gill before heading straight up what looked like an old spoil heap. I seem to remember that the last time I did this walk this section was hard work, we will soon find out about that!
The path headed up this cross between a scree slope and a spoil heap, large cairns marked every turn in the path, something that I found quite strange. Why build cairns here every few feet? John carried on at his faster pace whilst me and Sarah took our more sedate “one foot in front of the other” approach. This seemed to work for me as before I knew it we had reached the end of the scree and I was looking down at a couple of other walkers making their way up, I love it when this happens, the memory of a walk being hard and now finding it really easy! That is not to say that we did not pause for a few minutes and look around us, another excuse to catch my breath !
A lady walker passed us by and headed straight up towards Hause Gate. One of those strange grass paths through the longer grass things led to the left and we decided to head up it. This was steep and hard work but as it was heading towards Catbells we took it. Nearing the main path that leads between Catbells and Hause Gate we saw the sights of the family outings for a walk from Keswick sort of thing, you know the one, Mum and Dad with the kids in tow plus babies in papooses, all that was missing was a pram! This gave us an indication of what Catbells summit was going to be like, busy! It was a relief to join the main path as for the last half hour or so our views forward had been limited, once on the main path the views opened up and we could see Derwent Water, Blencathra, the Eastern Fells and some of the Central Fells. It is one of the best things about this walk, the views.
Another great thing about this walk is that when ever you have a steep bit there always seems to follow a gentle bit. The main path up to Catbells summit was a welcome relief after the steep grass path that we had just come up. We could now see the summit of Catbells but it was the view over Derwent Water to Keswick that caught our attention. The summit of Catbells needed a slight scramble up some very worn rock to get to the top, another welcome relief.! Perhaps relief is the wrong word as I had enjoyed the walk up. So here we were at the summit of today's first tick. Sarah was surprised by how easy it had been while John and myself were surprised by the number of people up here, all that was missing was an ice cream van or burger bar!
I had no chance to take any of the usual summit photos due to the amount of people about so we decided to sit down out of the wind and wait a while, any excuse for a coffee break! People came and went and eventually I took the usual photos. I cannot remember being on such a crowded summit, ever. Mums, dads, kids and toddlers in red wellies, it was that sort of summit. I suppose that Catbells is that famous that it does draw the crowds but the crowds seemed to ruin the place for us, oh well, perhaps Maiden Moor would be different.
It had only taken us an hour to reach here. I was pleased by this, not a record by any means but the views down into Newlands made it seem like it would have taken longer. Leaving Catbells and heading towards Maiden Moor we could see the path very plainly. The rocky section below the summit made us take our time but once on the main path we headed towards Hause Gate at a good pace. The path was busy but we soon passed various walkers who seemed to be walking even slower than I normally do! One elderly gent took some catching and it was not until we started to head upwards from Hause Gate that we eventually managed it.
At Hause Gate a few people headed down towards Derwent Water or Little Town and only a few seemed to be heading towards Maiden Moor. This path looked like it would be a nice one to walk on as there seemed to be a steep drop down to the left. Unfortunately the path did not feel like it looked and it was a case of walking up it without any excitement. Somewhere between Catbells and Maiden Moor it reached midday and John and Sarah had decided to hold our own 2 minutes silence for Ken Bigley. It was weird really, one minute we were chatting away and then silence as we walked until John decided that the 2 minutes were up. A lot has been written in the press about this but we just thought our own thoughts and then carried on talking. It felt like the right think to do bearing in mind that both John and Sarah originate from Merseyside.
The nice looking path began to get steeper and as it did the path started to turn into a multitude of paths, I suppose it is places like this that draw the path repairers, trying to keep every one in single file and keep the Mountain Rescue people busy ! Please leave this one alone, from a distance it does not look out of place or unsightly and is much safer than a stone staircase! As the gradient decreased the path returned to a much more defined and individual path until a much fainter track led upwards towards the top of Maiden Moor. Looking over my shoulder I was dismayed to see bad weather approaching, maybe it was time to put on the over trousers. As we got to the cairn above Bull Crag that we thought was the summit of Maiden Moor I took the opportunity to do this just as the rain got to us, phew! After I had struggled into my waterproofs I got out the camera for the usual photos. As I was doing this a large party of walkers appeared as if from nowhere and promptly sat down around the cairn.
For some reason I felt really miffed by this, all I wanted to do was take a few photos and be on my way but I found myself wanting to throw all of these people off the crags, I was experiencing summit rage again! The loud voices and unwillingness to recognize what I wanted to do infuriated me, coupled with the rain I was feeling really angry. Somehow I managed to take the photos and as I packed my rucksack and got ready to set off I looked up to see John and Sarah in the distance. I think they had the same thoughts as me and just decided o get away as soon as possible without waiting for me!
I was in a bad mood now, rain, idiots, summit rage and the thoughts of walking the rest of the walk in poor weather across potentially wet ground with my Merrell shoes and not boots made my blood boil! I guess it was good that John and Sarah were in front and did not witness my dark side! I stopped occasionally to snap the odd photo and soon I remembered that I was here to enjoy myself, a few deep breaths and a few choice words and I began to feel better!
I eventually caught them up and after voicing my opinions about things began to get back into the swing of things. The fact that the path we walked on was one of those really nice paths that lets you concentrate on what is around you instead of in front of you helped. It was great, level, even, and a joy to walk on. The only downside was the weather, drizzle, low cloud and limited view.
When I say limited view I mean in the distance. Because the path headed from one side of a narrowing ridge to another we had views down into both valleys below. On one side we had Borrowdale and we could make out Castle Crag. We always remember the day we did Castle Crag fondly, an interesting way up involving tree root climbing and terrible weather, what a way to introduce a friend of Sarah's to fell walking!
On the other side we had the Newland Valley . It looked a long way down but the old mine workings of The Goldscope mine caught the eye. Across Newlands the ridge leading down from Hindscarth dominated the view. I always remember the walk down that ridge as one of the best in the Lake District . This is one of the things that I always remember about this walk, the views. I know it sounds daft but everywhere you looked there was a view, something worth seeing, and something of interest! A big advantage is that it is all easy walking as well, always a plus!
The weather could not make its mind up now, one minute it was raining, the next it was dry. As the path neared the right hand side of the ridge/plateau it gained some shelter from the weather and I decided that it was time for a break. I had something to eat and drink, as Sarah opened up her lunch box thing John decided he would play football with a packet of “snak a jacks” that Sarah had been looking forward too. He tried his best to use the packet as a football and kick it down into the valley below, after failing once or twice he started to disappear below our view, I was concerned about this but as he is past the age of consent I concentrated on my caffeine instead! Eventually he came back to us and handed Sarah a packet of crumbs, it was quite funny really, even more so when a few walkers passed us and looked at us like we were idiots, well they looked at John a lot! During this break Sarah decided to put her new waterproof trousers on. I forget the make but as they came in a small sac I had my doubts about there use. After spending ten minutes trying her best to get them on, I think she would have had to take her boots off first, she gave it up. This was OK as it had stopped raining again! I believe she has since bought some proper over trousers that are not in a sac!
By now I had finished my refreshment break and after Sarah and John had finished winding each other up it was time to continue. Looking back to Maiden Moor John made a comment about whether we had actually been to the top or not, when Sarah seconded this thought I realized that Maiden Moor must go down as another dubious tick. We had visited a cairn but looking back I was still unsure about whether it was at the highest point or not. I really must start to take more notice of these things as I did the same with Dollywaggon Pike! Back at home and reading AW's book I am still not convinced, in mitigation the weather was turning and I did experience a bit of summit rage!
Forgetting about Maiden Moor for the moment I tried to concentrate on High Spy. After a long while of level walking the path started to gain height in a gradual sort of way. All too soon we could see thesummit cairn of High Spy in the distance. As we approached it I was on the lookout for something that I had seen on various web sites, a small outcrop that had a great view over the valley, a sort of place that gave great views and a sense of height. Just before the summit I saw it and headed down to investigate. At first John and Sarah seemed reluctant to follow and as I managed to trip up on the way down to the outcrop I can't blame them! Sarah offered to take a photo of me as she seemed to think that there are not enough images of me on this site. Me and John went to the end and I tried to give my best “explorer” pose for the camera, why did I bother. John was in one of his “this walk is not enough for me” moods and started to play around! As well as map reading skills I also need to reach Sarah some photography skills as she had missed my ”explorer” pose but got John messing around as well as numerous photos of the sky and a
Returning back to Sarah who had stayed above the outcrop we headed up the last few feet to High Spy. Once again it was busy with lots of walkers next to the summit cairn so we retreated away from it and sat down on some rocks. John felt the call of nature and disappeared for a while as Sarah still tried to eat her packet of “snak a jacks”. She kept looking at the picture on the packet and comparing it against the crumbs she was eating, I suggested that she got in touch with trading standards but this did not seem to help!
Eventually we got fed up with waiting for the crowds to clear and decided to take the usual photos. The crowd at the cairn had asked someone to take their photo and I was tempted to do the same. For some reason I felt really stubborn about doing it myself and tried to set my old camera up with the timer. With the wind and stuff this was not easy but at least I was happy that we were still self sufficient. Whilst we finished off various refreshments and stuff I wondered around the summit area and took quite a few photos. The panorama ahead of us to the southern fells was great. I played about with the zoom and spent some time trying to figure out which fell was which.
Pike O'Stickle was obvious. Great Gable took a bit of figuring out because it had such a different silhouette but once that was done every thing else seemed to fall into place. Bowfell, Esk Pike, Scafell, Scafell Pike , they all just clicked in my mind.
I seemed to spend ages with the camera now. Zooming in on fells and then trying to figure out what was what. I love the new camera! Once back at home and consulting maps and the Anquet mapping software any doubts that I had disappeared. High Spy must be one of the best places to view the southern fells from. The views to the eastern and central fells were good, come to think of it the northern and north western fells were not bad either! Now I know why I love this walk so much, maximum views and minimum effort!
Now it was time to carry on and head down to Dale Head Tarn. For the first time today we had some descending to do and as much of this was on rocky steps and things I had to take my time as for some reason my shoes did not feel very grippy today. John managed to race ahead while me and Sarah took a more sedate pace. We passed quite a few people heading up in various states of exhaustion! Ranging from the power walker types to groups of OAP's it was quite interesting eavesdropping on the OAP's who had stopped for a breather, discussing whether to carry on or not!
The nearer we got to Dale Head Tarn the more I was not looking forward to the ascent up to Dale Head. With the cloud hiding the summit, watching where I placed my feet and trying to keep up with John I started to remember my last visit here. On that day the direct ascent to Dale Head from the Tarn looked so unappealing that we headed towards Honister before joining the path from Honister to Dale Head, at the time I thought that a more gradual ascent would be easier than the direct one. A mile or so more walking and still a steep ascent on grass, what were we going to do today?
The area around Dale Head Tarn was quite interesting. To start we had to cross a stream, the beginnings of Newlands Beck. Then we had a choice of paths that John seemed confused by, and then Dale Head Tarn and a large enclosure or the ruins of, good views back to High Spy and then the choice. To do or not to do, that was the question! My memory was playing games with me again; the direct path up to Dale Head looked much easier than my memory told me! Without many doubts we took the plunge and headed straight up.
Getting to the straight up bit meant a bit of bog hoping, because anything over my ankles in terms of mud or water was out of the question today. It was hard work for me to get across the boggy ground around the Tarn , but I managed it! Sarah also seemed to struggle as she had not seen how John miraculously appeared at the other side of the bog without any difficulties! Isn't it funny that you can take your eye of someone for just a few seconds and when you look back they have moved quite a distance, John is an expert at this!
At first this path was a breeze, upwards along a gravely track until I decided to answer a call of nature. From then on it was one of those remade path things, I was expecting it to be hard work but the remade path actually made it easier here! After all of my experiences of walking down these things I now have the answer! Rocks used as steps are Ok for ascent but a killer for descent, what is needed (if it is needed at all!) is two remade paths side by side. A stepy thing for ascent and a gravelly thing for descent! Why has someone not thought of this before! Less erosion, less accidents and less typing for me complaining about remade paths, it's a win win situation!
Needless to say that because I kept stopping to take photos I was left behind. I still managed to pass a couple of walkers who were slower than me, but that sense of achievement soon left me as I heard the pounding of feet coming up behind me. It was a bloke with a dog who seemed to be running up the path without any effort at all! They passed me but I soon caught them up again as they stopped at a point where the path turned. It was no wonder that they stopped here, it was the end of the remade path and it also offered a full length view up Newlands. A great place for a break and to wipe the sweat from my face. This ascent from Dale Head Tarn was one of those that makes your calf muscles complain and the sweat just drip from the end of your nose, even though it was chilly!
From here the going was much easier but I could see no sign of John or Sarah. The cloud came down and all the views disappeared apart from the path. As the cloud played games and lifted and then descended I kept catching sight of John and Sarah in the distance. And then all of a sudden the cloud lifted and I was treated to the full length view down Newlands. It was weird, I felt like if I stood on my tip toes I would see nothing but cloud, but if I crouched down I could see for miles. Very strange but most welcome.
The cloud level dropped again and then all of a sudden I could see something in front. It was John and Sarah at the summit cairn. I felt sorry for them as they looked really cold just standing there waiting for me, meanwhile I was still too warm from my ascent and walk up here, perhaps there is something about this walking slowly thing!
There was not much chance of a panorama so I just took a few photos. It was too cold to hang around so we quickly left the summit, well John and Sarah left quickly, I left at a more leisurely pace and soon they disappeared into the mist again! As if out of nowhere came loads of walkers passing us in both directions, where had they all come from! It was quite funny listening to the conversations that these people were having. “How long shall we wait to see if the cloud clears” or “We couldn't wait all day for the cloud to clear” was the only difference between people going up and people going down!
With me taking my time eavesdropping and stopping to take the odd photo I was way behind the others. I did hope that they would wait for me but I am getting used to the solitary fell walking experience by now! The problem is that now I am walking with a camera I just can't stop taking photos, each time I stop the others get just that little bit further away!
Walking along the ridge away from Dale Head is one of those frustrating places, you don't really know where to look next. With the cloud coming and going this made the decisions for you today! One minute it would be the ridge itself, a great place to be. Next it would be Hindscarth, then that would disappear and the view towards Buttermere would open up. That would disappear and Honister Crag was the only thing in sight. I can't really remember what the weather was like last time was here but I do remember lots of views, this is probably the reason that I take so many photos, just in case I forget again!
I nearly managed to catch the others up somehow, it was not that they were walking quickly, I just kept stopping to take a photo and they would disappear again. It was frustrating for me as every time I got within talking distance of them the cloud would lift or I would see something that took my eye and I would stop. Come to think of it, it must have been frustrating for them as well, wondering where I had gone or what I was doing now!
The path that we were walking on was interesting, making its way between rocky outcrops. With my addiction to taking photos of just about everything that I could see taken care of for the moment I put the camera away and concentrated on the path in front of me and catching the others up.
This lasted until we reached the flatter part of the ridge that is Hindscarth Edge. John and Sarah had stopped here to watch a dog that belonged to the walker who had raced me up from Dale Head Tarn , now complete with the rest of his party, chase sheep around the edge. We looked on in horror as the dog seemed to chase the sheep over the edge before it could be brought under control by its owner. Thankfully the sheep soon reappeared after the dog had left. While all of this was going on the cloud around us lifted and I was back snapping photos. The view up Newlands was once again great.
While we were all together I took the opportunity to discuss the route and choices that we now had. We could plainly see Robinson behind Hindscarth but to be honest even though I really wanted to do both I was thinking again about an early finish and getting back home as quickly as possible. Apart from the need to get back home I did not like the look of the ascent to Robinson!
As we stood there and discussed the options John took charge of the situation and said that I did have to get back home so we should just get on with it and headed towards Hindscarth. Hindscarth was the next objective anyway and the option of Robinson as well was still to be decided! While we had talked about the options I could not help but notice Pillar behind the High Stile ridge. We could just about make out Pillar Rock and the Shamrock Traverse, it was a case of picking out darker grey from lighter grey but we all agreed that we could see what we thought we could see! Just to wind me up ,looking back to Dale Head I was not surprised to see the summit clear of cloud. Various phrases about waiting and patience came to mind at that moment! Things like "Who waits wins" and " He who waits last laughs longest", or maybe I got the phrases wrong!
Heading up the path to Hindscarth I really wanted to get a photo of the path, something that would remind me how easy it was, a nice path and a gentle incline with a large cairn that must be the summit in view all the time. Unfortunately John and Sarah kept getting in the way so I had to settle for two photos. One with the clutter of walkers in it and one looking back showing what a nice path this was!
Needless to say the big cairn that we could see was not the summit but once at it the proper summit was plain to see! Why is it always a bit of a downer when you reach something that you think is the summit only to be confronted with something higher just a little bit further away, as Sarah would say “ a secret summit”! The summit shelter looked very inviting so I just helped myself. Sarah joined me and it was cozy. Three would have been a crowd so John sat down just outside! He definitely drew the short straw as the wind was very very cold. The walk up here had been much easier than I thought it would be so my mind turned to Robinson. In fact my mind had been in some turmoil about the choice of Robinson and an early start home for a while now!
After finishing the last dregs of my flask I decided it was time to take a panorama. It was hard work getting out of the wind shelter as it was much warmer than stood in the wind, it felt positively arctic up here! I decided that it was time for my fleece to go on under my jacket before I stood up to take the panorama, once I removed my jacket I immediately felt like a block of ice, it was so cold! John took my place in the shelter but I soon had to persuade him and Sarah to venture out of it for the summit photo, I was not popular!
Stood here at the summit of Hindscarth I attempted to persuade the others about Robinson but made the mistake of mentioning that I was not really bothered because the path down from Hindscarth to Scope End was one of my favorite paths. John asked me why and I realized that I could only show him rather than tell him, besides the weather looked like it was bringing some rain with it. Another thought did cross my mind, there comes a point during walk when you realize that you are really enjoying it but you still have to get back, another summit and a longer way back would just spoil the walk, besides I really should try and get back home early!
With a decision to head straight back and leave Robinson for another day we headed towards the large shelter above the steep descent back down to Newlands. As we got here the rain came. Worse than the rain was the wind, it was blowing like a full blown gale! As I tried to take photos I found that my fingers looked like big red blocks of ice, guess who wasn't wearing gloves then!
Luckily the rain did not last for too long and as we descended the wind dropped as well. In places the path was very worn and the going was slow, especially for me as I did not feel confident without boots, on the plus side my feet did not hurt too much so I was thankful for that, I knew that I would have been in agony if I had been in my boots!
With the weather better I got down to enjoying the path. Although I have only done this walk once before I will always remember this path. There is just something about this path that I love. Its narrow, in places the drop down into Newlands just seems to go on forever, the views are great, its easy walking and at the end you start to realize that you are walking on a narrowing ridge that you can not see the end of, questions start to appear in your mind about the final descent. I just love it! Needless to say because of the amount of time I spent taking photos I was into solitary mode again!
Sorry for the amount of photos but the path down to Scope End is without doubt my favorite path in the Lake District . As we neared the end of the ridge with just space between us and Newlands I caught up with John and Sarah. John had stopped to admire a tree full of red berries that grew out of a crack in the rock. I took loads of photos but none can do it justice.
As we made our way down the final steep rocky section that linked Scope End to ground level (so to speak) I made my apologies for taking my time over walking along the ridge. I tried to find out from John what he thought of the path. I must have sounded like a raving lunatic going on about a path, the best I could get out of John was that it was OK. When quizzed about his fave path he came up with the descent from High Street down Long Stile to Mardale Head. It took me a while to convert the description that John gave me to that particular path as both John and Sarah still remember walks by what happened and what we did! Sarah did not venture any opinion as she was fascinated by the herd of sheep that we came across as we reached a wall and turned right to head down to valley level.
Walking below the old spoil heaps of the Gold Scope Mine we reached the farm of Low Snab. Signs on the gate told us that permission was granted to walkers to walk, how kind is that! Seriously, after my recent walk over Potter Fell and the landowners not giving permission to walk I was feeling all nice and friendly to the farmers! There was a sign offering tea and cakes and it was very tempting, especially as our way forwards was blocked by some gates with the farmers trying to load some sheep into a trailer. The farmer's wife came up to us and told us it was OK to carry on. She seemed interested in our appearance as she commented on the hats gloves and waterproofs that we were still wearing, we all agreed that we had needed them up there today!
fascinated me. Apart from the signs on the side of the church telling about the school and an old head mistress the graveyard and the head stones made interesting reading. Side by side would be headstones naming people of Low Snab or Stoneycroft or Birkrigg. It struck me that the farmer's wife that we had talked to before had most of her family buried here. The thought of such a close knit community, a community that lived within the valley, went to school here, worked the farms here, and were finally laid to rest here, made me think that this must be one of the few places like this left. I found the whole thing quite moving. How often do you see this happen in today's society. I travel thousands of miles a year working across the North West . I live in a small town with people that originate from all corners of the UK . How different must it be for the people who live and work in these remote Lakeland valleys? As I stood there thinking these deep thought I realized that John and Sarah had left. Perhaps they kept thinking about getting me home early as I seemed to keep forgetting!
From the church it was only a short distance back to the road and John's car. Sarah seemed amazed that the car was there, she never trusts my navigation! As we got changed I was amazed to find that my trousers under my over trousers were soaking wet. It looked quite embarrassing and I can only put it down to sweat and not leaking over trousers. Perhaps they are waterproof but not breathable as it had only been raining for a short while, but then again my legs had never felt cold up on the tops so I did not mind a bit of discomfort from them!
So that was the Newlands Round. One of my all time favorites. There is just something about this walk that appeals to me. Easy walking all the way with views that just keep on changing. I am not sure if John and Sarah enjoyed it as much as me but it will always be on my list of best walks. The ideal way to end this walk would have been to visit the Cross Keys in Tebay on the way home but I really had to get back. The traffic did not help as the M6 was a nightmare past Lancaster , it was so bad that we took the A6 instead of continuing down, mistake! The A6 through Garstang was held up by a set of traffic lights and we would probably have been better staying on the M6. When I eventually arrived home I was pleasantly surprised to find that my front door key still worked but there was no one home. When the wife and kids did eventually turn up I was greeted with smiles and questions about my day, this was very unexpected and my mind turned back time to the summit of Hindscarth and the decision to leave Robinson for another day! The thought of a pub meal in the Cross Keys also became very vivid as I found that no shopping had been done today, the rest of the family had eaten out and I was left with trying to salvage something from the freezer ! This did put me into a bit of a bad mood, but as soon as I started to look at the photos I was back with a smile on my face, it was just one of those walks that nothing can spoil for long!