If I had known at the start what I know know I doubt if I would ever
have set out to do Wainwrights Outlying Fells but having started I (like
Magnus Magnusson) just had to finish so there I was on a cold frosty day
in the Lake District mopping up the last few.
First on the agenda was the School Knott group which AW would have us
approach from Windermere Station via an extensive housing estate. Not
being over fond of tarmac roads in general and housing estates in
particular I opted for an approach from the other side with a circular
route mostly on PROWS. Quite a pleasant stroll and not so suburban as
might be supposed by the proximity of Bowness.
Going was mostly reasonable underfoot although there was in places a
breakable crust on the semi frozen mud. At one point early on I was a
bit puzzled. There was no sign of the path on the ground and likewise no
sign of the gate through the fence into the next field. It took a little
time to realise that the gate in question was slap bang in the middle of
an obstruction caused by a very large windfall. No way could I actually
use the gate. :-)
The Dales Way was joined at Hag End and left again as soon as the open
fell was reached. Walking up hill on the right hand side of a
substantial wall it seemed for a time that the highest point around was
on the other side of the wall but eventually all was revealed and the
true summit of the oddly named Grandsire (and the highest point of the
day) was reached and the position of the next summit (Nameless 818'😉
ascertained. Getting there was easy enough and surprisingly (once the
discrete stile was located) so was crossing the wall that separated AWs
target from highest point.
School Knott was the final summit of the trio, again with some help from
the Dales Way followed by an easy return to the car via School knott
plantation and Whasdike. An easy 90 minute stroll carrying no excess
baggage except my anorak.
I could have done Brant Fell easily enough as part of the first walk but
I wanted to check out a couple of minor high points so I drove into
Bowness and luckily found a 1 hour free parking place right at the start
of the walk. Thinking an hour might be tight I set off in a bit of a
rush (sans anorak) forgetting to enable the track on the GPS or
resetting the trip. Halfway up the tarmac I remembered the track but
unaccountably not the trip. At the top of the rise there was a notice
saying Ilkley 81 miles, I was back on the Dales Way again.
At the point where the track for Post Knott turned sharp right there
were NT notices saying closed due to windfalls. (The first of several
both on this and the final walk). Not being one to be put off by trifles
I ignored the notices as apparently had several other people out on the
hill. Post knott is a noted viewpoint but the distant views were
disappointing as it was quite dull with 100% cloud cover.
Brant Fell was not much further and then it was off in search of AWs
other minor viewpoint, Biskey Howe which is so insignificant it is
difficult to determine where it is on the map. It was however quite
prominent when I reached it and had the added advantage of providing an
off-road way-off for much of the descent back to level ground. The walk
only took 45 minutes so I needn't have hurried.
By this time senility seemed to be setting in as I plumped for a pay and
display car park in Windermere forgetting completely about the layby on
the A591 opposite the station and conveniently situated for Orrest Head.
Wainwright mentions the possibility of being found on Orrest Head in his
introduction so it was perhaps fitting that Orrest Head was my last
Outlying Fell even though I was a decade or 2 too late to meet him. In
the appropriate chapter he laments on the impossibility of ancient bones
keeping to the guidebook time of 20 minutes for the ascent. I'm sorry to
say that I too found it impossible to keep to that schedule arriving at
the summit a full 9 minutes before I should but then I found out fairly
early on that I am far too young for the Outlying Fells. :-)
There were 3 people on the summit when I arrived one of which I almost
mistook for Judith. Luckily I realised my mistake in time. After a short
while and a few dull photographs I made my way back via a (closed)
permissive path through Common Wood to my car, lunch and the trip home.
On one of the more winding bits of the A65 I was surprised, looking
across a field, to see an upside down car leaning against the inside of
the hedge. Close by it was hardly visible from the road and it was by no
means clear how on earth it managed to get into that position.
Thankfully my car remained on the road at all times.
And so I am temporarily at a loose end again. The Outlying Fells are all
done (but not necessarily by AWs routes). 114 must do summits, 21
additional minor points along the line of his walks, 11 higher summits
overshadowing his walks and 4 a bit further afield. 150 in total. A
curious mixture, all nominally easy but the ground underfoot varying
between tarmac through good grass to virgin bog and heather forest.
--
Roger Chapman so far this year 10 summits
New - 10 (Marilyns 0, Sweats 0, Outlying Fells 10)
Repeats - 0 (Marilyns 0, Sweats 0, Wainwrights 0, Outlying Fells 0)