Date & start time: Sunday 5th April 2009. 3.30 pm start.

Location of Start : Blakeley Moss, Cold Fell road, Ennerdale Bridge, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 060 138 )

Places visited : Blakeley Raise, through Kinney How gap, Grike then Crag Fell (& back the same way).

Walk details : 5.6 mls, 1400 ft of ascent, 3 hours 15 mins.

Highest point : Crag Fell 1,710ft ( 523m).

Walked with : Cathy, Jack, Matthew, Sam, Alexander, Ann and the dogs, Theo, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Blue skies but a cool summit breeze. A sight haze hides the Isle of Man out to sea.

This one's a real family outing . . .

With our daughter and all her four children staying over the weekend

a smaller walk was required as the youngest set of legs are just four years old.

Today's two fells are reasonably similar in height and close together, so it's easy going once the initial climb is over.

Parking on the moorland, Cold Fell road a mile or two out of Ennerdale Bridge,

we set off up hill taking a rough track to avoid the damp ground at the bottom.

Below us was the Kinniside Stone Circle which we visited at the end of our walk.

The west coast town of Cleator and Meadley Reservoir

as we near the top of the hill.

Alexander was encouraged to run ahead to each big stone then sit and rest.

Well it's one way of getting him to the top easily !

At the final stone on Blakeley Raise Alexander arrived to find it taken . . . " I'm the king of the castle " says Matthew.

[ Hold your cursor over the photo to see the action ]

Onward now and slightly downhill to Kinney How, with it's gap through the forestry.

Grike is the fell ahead above the trees..

Along the way, plenty of frogs spawn in the marshy pools.	The gate and sheep fold at Kinney How . . . breathe in !

Unseen till the last moment, the track through the forest at it's narrowest point leads to another track on the other side of the trees.

[ It is the gap that is the key point that turns this route into a straight forward and simple walk ]

Skirting round the woodland there's an obvious gate in the fence and we're off up the fell side towards Grike summit.

Just one last fence to negotiate . . . but there's a good stile.

The little ones need a helping hand over this tall stile . . . but you're not helping, Harry !

A clear walk now to the top of Grike, memorable for it's large and separate cairn and shelter.

Rumour has it that it may have been an old pre-historic summit cairn, even a burial tumulus, but it's original shape and purpose have been lost in the mists of time.

Now a good wind shelter if required, we stopped only briefly before heading off towards our second summit, Crag Fell.

The radio mast serves the landscaped weather station which serves to monitor not only the normal wind and weather,

but no doubt any airborne radio-active emissions from Sellafield a short distance away. Let's hope it never finds any.

Theo unceremoniously emerges from a distinctly muddy peat bog, looking more like a drowned rat !

Perhaps 'country-boy Harry' had kidded the 'town-boy Theo' that it was only as deep as his own muddy front legs ? What a trick !

King of the Castle again, Alexander climbs to the top of the Crag Fell summit cairn.

High above Ennerdale Lake there's a great view today which Jack and Alexander sit down to enjoy.

Ahead is Knock Murton (with the dark trees) and the Loweswater Fells including Blake and Gavel.

Gavel again and heather covered Great Borne, with Bowness Knott and it's car park below.

Sam and Jack on the edge this time.

Sam enjoying the view up Ennerdale Valley as far as the eye can see.

It includes the High Stile Ridge to the left and Pillar Fell to the right.

Further round again, Pillar, Black Crag, the spire of Steeple and the rounded Scoat Fell alongside.

We now reversed our outward route and started back towards Grike.

We avoided repeating the summit visit of Grike by following the forest track alongside the trees.

West into the sun . . .

The forest trees are covered in heavy moss on their northern side.	Back through the gate at Kinney How.

Alexander holds Theo's lead but forgot to let go when Theo ran across to see his friends.

Still Alexander seemed to enjoy the ride.

All that remains is to drop back down to the car and to the end of our walk.

- - - 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 . . . someone with little legs to slow the pace once in a while.

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Previous walk - 2nd April 2009 The Classic Scafell Pike Round

A previous time up here - 24th February 2009 Crag Fell with Dave and Josie