Date & Time: Sunday 27th April 2008. 11.05 am start.

Location of Start : Over Beck Bridge car park, Wasdale, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 168 068 )

Places visited: Over Beck, Brimfull Beck, Dore Head, Stirrup Crag, Yewbarrow, Dropping Crag and back.

Walk details : 4 mls, 1950 ft of ascent, 4 hrs 35 mins.

Walked with : Jill, Jo, John, Ann and the dogs, Jodie, Megan, Polly, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Mild with slight rain in the air at Dore Head. Clouds coming and going throughout the walk.

Cloud formations cross the face of Yewbarrow

Jill was over for the weekend and on a bit of a home run for her final unclimbed Wainwrights.

The weather forecast today was poor for the central fells so we headed south and west to Wasdale to climb the last missing link on her list of Western Fells.

The party party of five plus five today, taken by the kind diving chap in the mobile home parked at Over Beck Bridge.

Actually taken a few minutes before, on our way up the valley, we just had to stop at the lake side to catch the view to the head of Wasdale.

Britain's Favourite View . . . . but perhaps on a more sunny day !

Yewbarrow with the cloud, Great Gable, Lingmell, the slopes of the Scafells plus the start of the Wasdale Screes.

Looking down the lake from the same place.

Across the water from near Over Beck.	On the way now, we cross the top stile onto the fell.

New leaves on the Birch tree in the field by the stile.

The clouds are well down on Scafell and Scafell Pike across the head of Wast Water.

Rather than the direct ascent we chose the valley path following Over Beck.

As we climb we regain our view down the valley over the green fields of Bowderdale Farm.

Over Beck has a number of delightful falls and cataracts which we pass as we climb the valley side.

Bethan leads the way, pausing to make sure we are following.

Wasdale's Red Pike is partially hidden at the head of the valley.

Two large boulders have fallen alongside the beck.

Just above the rocks, the foot bridge shown on the map which we use to cross the river.

The right of way path crosses here and climbs to Dore Head, but a second, smaller path stays on the opposite side and would be an alternative route if preferred..

Jill tests out the newly repaired bridge - she looks worried !	The delightfully named "Brimfull Beck" a little further on.

This second beck cascades off the hill after starting it's life in Low Tarn high on the fells above.

Best foot forward now as the gradient eases.

Unfortunately as it eases so the ground water has more difficulty escaping. This area is known as Gosforth Crag Moss.

Up on the skyline is Dore Head, our next objective.

Looking back, we are being followed by a large, low cloud . . .	. . . which envelopes us and the locals before we made the hause.

The top of the Dore Head scree shute.	The cloudy slopes of Stirrup Crag	Suddenly the mist clears.

The mist and low cloud was moving and swirling around the mountains today and it was a real delight to stand for a few minutes to watch it come and go.

Unfortunately this particular cloud had a little more rain in it than our windproof gear would appreciate so we put on our waterproofs before we started the climb.

Looking down into Mosedale as we start the ascent of Stirrup Crags.

Looking down to the small tarns on Dore Head.	Looking up as we start the scramble..

Yes . . we had to climb the crags above. Time to put the trek poles away and touch rock with your hands - the defining point where walking turns to scrambling.

Jill watching Megan as she starts the climb.	Relief on her face after passing the steeper section successfully.

The ascent was rather wet and slippery today and this was the main reason for doing this walk in a clockwise direction.

Had we climbed Yewbarrow first we would have been faced with the difficult descent in the wet conditions.

Jill was certainly pleased to reach the top, as the next photo shows.

" I made it - yeah "

Our lunch spot on the ridge - the rocks provided a good 'back rest' as we sat with our backs to the weather.

The rain had more or less stopped but the conditions up here on Yewbarrow were damp so the waterproofs stayed on.

Just a short while later, the true top finds Jill in celebratory mood a second time.

Yewbarrow top completes her Western Fells - only nineteen of her 214 to go now.

Spectacular cloud effects as the weather clears.

Below is Brimfull Beck again with Middle Fell, Seatallan and Heycock showing above the slopes of High Fell.

John pauses to admire the view down from the southern end of Yewbarrow.

Long Crag and Bull Crag as the path starts it's serious descent of Yewbarrow.

Down below is Great Door where we would normally expect a beautifully framed view of the Scafells.

No view today as the mist rolls in again . . .	. . . but on the Over Beck side the weather is clearer.

A careful descent of the scree and rock slope is required today as everything is wet and slippery.

Jodie catches a fine viewpoint as the others make their way down.

Back to normality as we regain a more reasonable path.

The stile at the head of the steep wall down from the fell to the lakeside car park below.

Today has been a day of occasional big words thrown into conversations, so may I suggest the mist looked rather "ethereal" as it crossed the Screes opposite ?

More "ethereal" but rather less Scafell than on the way up.

A last view back at the impressive southern end of Yewbarrow.

Back at the car, another fine walk completed.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with my Cannon G7 or Ann's Ixus Digital cameras.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . rubber suckers on your boots to grip the slippery rock ?

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Previous walk - 17th April 2008 Fellbarrow and Low Fell with Jayne

A previous time up here - 4th February 2003 Yewbarrow in Wasdale with Hilton and Dave