" Rannerdale with Nick and Sue "

Date & start time: Monday 15th April 2013, 3.15 pm start.

Location of Start : Hause Point, Crummock Water, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 1630184 )

Places visited : Rannerdale Knotts, Low Bank and back down the valley.

Walk details :   2.6 mls, 850 ft of ascent, 2.5 hours.

Highest point : Rannerdale knotts 1,160ft - 355m

Walked with : Nick and Sue, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan & Sky.

Weather : Clearing after a wet morning.

 

We had an email from two Loweswatercam viewers who were in the Lakes this week

so we arranged a get together with Nick and Sue and chose Rannerdale Knotts

as a great afternoon walk to introduce them to our local fells.

Nick and Sue from Cornwall with myself , Harry and Bethan . . .

plus a guest appearance by Sky, one of our neighbour's dogs, who we are looking after for the day.

It rained heavily overnight and there's still a good breeze

as shown by ripples on the large roadside puddle across from our parking space.

The lambs have to cope with rain for the first time.	A second photo shot this time with Ann, as we start the climb.

Looking down from the Hause Point zig-zags.	A wider view from on high.

The weather is gradually clearing and the view of Mellbreak is improving all the time.

Still some cloud touching the tops but the sunshine is gradually winning out.

We can see all the way up to Brandreth but Great Gable is still very much missing from view.

Nick asks about what he can pick out up the valley.

On the side of the High Stile Ridge was the second Sour Milk Gill that they had seen in two days !

[ The other one was alongside Base Brown in Upper Borrowdale.]

Meet Sky . . . don't know how many times she will feature here

but she was a delightful dog and being used to living on a farm, she was no problem off-lead with sheep around.

Bethan was having a problem however . . . a slightly bad hair day

due to the wind blowing her fur all over the place.

Harry on the next level up the fell was feeling the effects too.

Hold your cursor over the picture to check out the breeze.

Delightful shafts of sunlight over the lake.	We continue the climb up the pitched steps.

A steep but well-built climb alongside the crags.	A local beetle was rescued from underneath our feet.

Starling Dodd and Great Borne . . . with more shafts of sunlight now falling over the Scale Beck area.

Bethan's favourite viewpoint on the rocks at the summit.

She is joined by Sky as together they survey the valley below.

The snow has more or less gone from the High Stile Ridge

but there's possibly more out of sight on the top . . . what remains is very icy due to melting and re-freezing in recent days.

Thumbs up as we all reach the summit of Sue's fifth Wainwright top.

Only 209 to go and all the AW summits will be completed . . .

then she'll fully appreciate the extent and variety of the many fells of the Lake District.

The summit cairn with Robinson beyond.

We now make our way along the ridge, taking care not to be blown off-course by the wind.

Grasmoor and Whiteless appear clear of snow but we are looking at their southern faces.

Just a little snow remains in one or two gullies right at the top.

One man and his three dogs today.

Looking back at the main summit from the second Knott.

We cut down a little earlier than normal and ended up in the valley below the small upper sheepfold.

Crossing Squat Beck, we joined the path down to High Rannerdale.

The path takes us down alongside the wall.

The red tub in the grass contains Sheep-Lick, a feed supplement for the animals at this time of year.

It was so bright we could see it from the top ridge . . . empty ones are litter but make great grow-pots for tomatoes or similar !

Sunshine abounds as we reach the footbridge at the junction of Squat Beck and Rannerdale Beck.

Technically the valley could be called Squat Valley after the stream but the name Rannerdale holds greater sway.

Whiteless Pike towers over the valley as we walk down in the shadow of Rannerdale Crags.

This small beck carried an inordinate amount of stone down across this whole area during the 2009 floods.

We brought Nick and Sue over to see the river . . . but also to see that circular feature in the grass next to Bethan.

This was an old open kiln called a "Burnary" where they used to burn bracken to create potash

which when mixed with lanolin oils from the fleeces made a form of basic soap.

Rannerdale is the home of the famous bluebell fields of course,

but this ancient Crab Apple tree also has a slight reputation of one of the classic trees of the Lakes.

For those of you thinking of visiting the bluebells this year

you should delay your visit for quite a few weeks yet . . . as the cold and dry spell has slowed their growth considerably.

This gate to the bluebell fields will be busier in days to come no doubt.

A wider view of Grasmoor and then back to the car park at the end of the walk

- - - o o o - - -

In the evening sue, Nick and ourselves enjoyed a visit to the Kirkstile Inn

where the atmosphere, the food and beverages were up to their usual high standard.

Nice to meet you both and thanks for calling over.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon Sureshot SX220 or my Canon G10 digital cameras.

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

This site best viewed with . . . Afternoon tea and Cornish Fairings a few days later !

Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 10th April 2013 - Carrock Fell and High Pike with Brina

A previous time here (check out the flowers) - 30th April 2009 Rannerdale Knotts with Neil

Next walk - 19th April 2013 - St Bees Colourful Coast