Wednesday 12th November
It is all very well setting the alarm for 5am to wake oneself up if asleep but if one is lying there
awake already there comes a time when it just isn’t worth waiting for the alarm to go off. In my
case that time came at 4.30am.
If these words look familiar it is because I used the self same words to open my Martindale circuit
TR but history has a habit of repeating itself. Actually it was 4.32am this time but the principle
is the same.
It was still raining when I left at 5.45am and still raining when I crossed into Cumbria even though
the BBC weatherman at 5 was forecasting the rain many miles to the East by 6 and cleverly avoiding
use of the weather radar which would have proved him wrong. But worse was to come - cloud down to
less than 1300 feet over the Kirkstone Pass and a touch of damp in the air as I arrived at the
carpark North of Brotherswater.
I had originally intended to walk North along the road for a bit to pick up the path that followed
the ridge up to Hartsop above How but the ‘you are here’ map display at the carpark showed a path
straight up the side of the ridge so I took that instead. A steep start and a rather unwelcome one
with the lower stages of the path obscured by fallen leaves.
The ridge was (relatively) quickly reached and with it a cool breeze and the inevitable mental
argument of whether to don a sweater and if so, when. I pushed on thinking I would stop on the
summit but little humps came and went and it wasn’t till the last on the ridge (and several humps
past the supposed summit of Hartsop above How) that I finally weakened and put on the sweater. By
this time there was a little drizzle in the air and as the short stop had made me cold as well so I
was now debating with myself whether the Gortex should come out. (It never did but the sweater
stayed on all day).
Ahead the summit of Hart Crag was shrouded in cloud but as the traverse below the summit looked a
bit rocky I took in the summit anyway. Some of the rocks on Hart Crag were slippery, several very
slippery and I had one or two embarrassing moments as I struggled to keep upright.
Dove Crag was out of the cloud and to the East at least it was beginning to break up with glimpses
of sun over Windermere. As I paused on the summit of Dove Crag I saw a stationary figure near the
top of the slope leading down to Little Hart Crag. Then he was off running down the steep path and
by the time I reached the point where I had seen him he had almost reached Little Hart Crag. I
missed which way he went and I saw him no more although latter in the day I followed his footprints
for a while.
From Little Hart Crag I dropped down to High Hartsop Dod. The first summit had a prominent cairn but
the spot height was the lower summit one eighth of a mile further on. All the time the weather was
continuing to improve and this section at least was largely out of the wind.
Back up the ridge and traversing easily below the summit of Little Hart Crag on what might have
been a sheep trod (but a good one) I reached Scandale Pass. As I stood deciding which way to go a
small hawk hovered overhead, fluttering its wings to keep stationary. I had originally intended to
take Wainwrights alternative route to Middle Dod but it looked so unappealing that I opted to go
via Red Screes instead. It is a long pull from Scandale Pass up to Red Screes (or so my legs told
me at the time) but worth it both to avoid the grotty direct route to Middle Dod and for the view
over Windermere. By this time the East was largely in sunshine and Bowfell and Crinkle Crags could
be seen although both the big hills behind and the Coniston Fells were in cloud as was Helvellyn
behind me.
Middle Dod was yet another Ridge masquerading as a summit but in this case without the several
alternatives. It was also a very steep descent but by no means as bad as it had looked from across
the valley on High Hartsop Dod. I followed a quite distinct path down and near the bottom the track
through the grass led right up to the edge of a vertical drop and stopped. I had to backtrack a bit
to get round it. From the base of the ridge it was just an easy walk (a few rabbits along the track
and a solitary Mallard on Brotherswater) back to the car and a late lunch.
10.1 miles and 3800 feet of ascent in 5 hours 30 minutes. Another victory for Naismith. :-)
After lunch I drove down the Valley and parked near the White Lion for what was intended to be a
quick walk up and down Arnison Crag. By now the weather was almost perfect with little cloud and
plenty of sun. I really should have discarded my sweater for the ascent but I didn’t.
The summit was occupied when I arrived (only the second walker I had seen above the valley floor and
the first close enough to speak to). I stayed chatting for perhaps 5 to 10 minutes before heading
down again. As my acquaintance said it might be a small hill but it is a very good view point.
11.74 miles and 950 feet of ascent in 1 hour.
8 Wainwrights but unfortunately only 5 new to me. Still better than last Wednesdays walk with a
friend though. 6 Wainwrights mostly in cloud and a nasty cold wind and none of them new.
--
Roger Looking North over the Aire Valley (and Marley Gasworks) to Rombolds Moor Top Posters
killfiled on sight