The forecast was 'dry and clear, mild, quiet and settled' - ha ha!
5 degrees when we left the house, -1 when we got to the lakes.
We got to the Kirkstone Inn about 8am and set off up Red Screes. Most
of the tops were totally shrouded in thick mist. Part way up it began
to blow an icy blast, which grew stronger at the top. The gully we
chose was a bit tricky in places - still quite a few snowy stretches
and lots of invisibly-iced rocks, which were also frequent on top.
From the top, where we briefly sheltered to grab a bite to eat, we
went down to Middle Dodd. Little Hart Crag was largely cloud-covered,
so we passed up on that idea and, looking at the blue sky over
Ullswater way, and anxious to get out of the painful wind, we dropped
down the west side of Middle Dodd to the top of Caiston Glen, then
wandered back down Caiston Beck, by which time the ice had disappeared
to be replaced by mud - but not before I'd gone on my ar*e a few
times!
Then a fine walk up the old track on the west side of the beck, back
up the Kirkstone Pass (where a peregrine overflew us), in warm
sunshine, to a roast lamb lunch and a pint.
A new landlord took over on Friday - apparently the place had been
neglected since August. Anyway the food was very nice.
Then we went for a drive - Grasmere, Martindale, looking at some of
the hills I walked in 2003.
More heavy cloud was rolling in fast as we left, but all in all a nice
day, even if the walk was short.
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