Date & start time: Saturday 14th March 2009. 12.40 pm start.

Location of Event : Roadside at Doctor Bridge, Eskdale, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 189 008 )

Places visited : Doctor Bridge, Low Birker Farm, the Peat Road, Low Birker Tarn, Green Crag, Crook Crag, Spothow Gill, Penny Hill Farm and back.

Walk details : 5.8 ml, 1700 ft of ascent, 4 hours 50 mins.

Highest point : Green Crag 1,602ft 489m

Walked with : Sarah, Jo, Jill, Neil, Ann and the dogs, Jodie, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Changeable but with a consistent strong and blustery breeze on the tops.

The other parking spot near the bridge was already full - of gravel !

Jill is with us this weekend and only has four fells to go before the magic 214.

Green Crag was one of them so six of us set off for Eskdale.

A new fell for Sarah and Neil's first, Jo's second and our third round. Something for everyone then !

Doctor Bridge, crossed at the start (and end) of our walk.

In a slight drizzle we set off along the track past Low Birker Farm.

Ann and Jill walking out past the farm.	Our route ahead includes a view of Harter Fell

As we climb the peat road, zig-zagging up the fell side, we gain height quickly and the view of Eskdale expands accordingly.

The cloud is down on the high fells at the head of the valley, but Eskdale Fell to the left and distant Hardknott Fell to the right are clear.

At the head of the track we pass an old ruin . . .

a "peat house" where they stored and dried the turf prior to taking it down to the valley.

Rounding the corner and our first close up view of Green Crag.

Down to our right is Low Birker Tarn and Foxbield Moss.

In the distance, Great Worm Crag, Hesk Fell, Yoadcastle and Woodend Heights,

with White Pike overlooking Seat How and Devoke Water.

Harry and I take a lower path and stop briefly at the lake . . . no swimming today.

From here the summit of Green Crag looked very impressive.

The weather is brightening slightly.

as Jill sheds a layer as Jo perches on a rock to admire the view . . . behind her Harter Fell can once again be seen.

Sara and Ann starting on the main climb towards Green Crag.

Harry (stick in mouth) and Bethan (wind in the ears) look down from above, waiting for everyone to catch up.

Reaching the hause, we can look north east and get a view of Harter Fell and a sunny Grey Friar behind.

The steepest part of the climb involves choosing a route between the rocks, usually on the grass ledges,

but sometimes it's easier to use the stones as footholds to gain height.

The cloud has lifted and as we climb we get a good view of Scafell and Slightside.

There are just a few patches of residual snow on the tops, all the rest has gone.

Oops . . . round to the front of the fell on a grass ledge and we face the full force of the wind.

Made it . . . Jill celebrates one more summit . . . Her total is now 211 out of 214 !

Sara joins her on the top but it's another bad-hat day for Jill.

Trying to repeat the pose is more difficult facing into the wind.

Today's OFC members . . .

Sometimes I think it stands for the Online Foto-taking Club.

Jill, Jo, Neil, Sara and myself (plus Ann) . . . six Online Fellwalking Club members.

All this . . . fell walking makes you hungry . . . time for lunch !

Time to find somewhere out of the wind with a nice view if possible . . . how about Scafell, Scafell Pike, Ill Crag and Esk Pike.

Across the Duddon Valley, an unusual looking Dow Crag with the white dam wall of Seathwaite Tarn down to the left.

A rather prominent rock, when I checked the map, turned out to be a boundary post.

Behind the sunshine is illuminating White Pike and the quarries on the Walna Scar Road.

To our left as we look west out towards the sea . . . Devoke Water.

With six people and three dogs about , these Herdwick were looking north, south, east and everything but west.

See a summit and you just have to climb it . . . because it's there.

Neil ( and myself ) on Crook Crag.

Leaving the tops now, we start our descent down through the heathery slopes on the Harter Fell side of the crags.

Harry enjoys a paddle in one of the larger pools trapped in this rocky terrain.

Outside the forestry area but there are quite a number of trees springing up,

presumably as a result of seed dispersal by birds, as the prevailing wind would not blow them this way.

Short, stocky conifers here against Harter Fell . . .	. . . and another with the distant Scafells behind.

Pushing photographic luck here . . .a picture almost directly into the sun as the girls make their way down from Crook Crag.

Ahead, the opposite effect, clearer panoramas with a slight distance haze.

All the major high fells are in view now, including Esk Pike, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags.

At the turn of the wall we take the path west towards Doctor Bridge

rather than cross the stile and follow the Harter Fell path back to Jubilee Bridge.

The remainder of the walk is now in view as we descend through a gap below Kepple Crag.

Penny Hill Farm looking good in it's bright white coat.

An old cultivation machine, not used for many years.	The farm track ahead is occupied by a herd of cattle . . .

. . . fortunately a useful diversion has been made.

The path used to go directly through the farm yard but now avoids it on a permissive path one field away . . . a much better idea.

We ended the walk in the company of Guy and Rose Heelis who caught up with us as we crossed Doctor Bridge again.

Five minutes of fame here for two Loweswatercam viewers, but their family name alludes to someone who is a lot more famous than we'll ever be !

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with with my Cannon G7 or Ann's Ixus 75 Digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . good company and a sheltered spot for lunch.

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Previous walk - 12th March 2009 Steel Knotts, Loadpot and Bonscale

A previous time up here - 15th July 2006 Peak Walking in Eskdale Valley