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Date & Time: Saturday 13th December 2008. 10.45 am start.

Location of Start : Revelin Moss car park, Whinlatter, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 209 243 )

Places visited : Comb Bridge, Sanderson Gill, Grisedale Pike, Hobcarton End, Black Crag and back.

Walk details : 3.5 mls, 1675 ft of ascent, 4 hrs including lunch.

Highest point : Grisedale Pike 2,593ft ( 791 m)

Walked with : Simon H, Sarah, Lin and Chris C, Jo, Ann and the dogs, Jodie, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Forecast was dry, with clear air. Also the poor weather would edge no further west than the Pennines. In practice it was . . . grey but dry, rain, sleet, snow, back to sleet, rain, and misty grey !!

It's Christmas . . .

 

Simon organised this walk so we met up with him at Whinlatter, along with several other friends from the OFC.

The proposed walk was to Grisedale Pike but the weather failed to live up to the reasonable forecast. Still, we'll go anyway . . . it looks ok on the day.

We were joined today for the first time by Sarah from St Helens, who was in the area and interested in meeting everyone.

The small but happy crowd at the start of the walk.

Ann, Lin and Chris, Sarah, Jo and Simon.

The day started rather damp

but the cloud drifting below us in the valley was rather dramatic.

As we climbed the mist was joined by drops of rather cold rain.

Add altitude and the consequent lower temperatures and the rain starts to get whiter !

Still, if you don't go out in the poorer weather you'll never get to enjoy the different experience.

Lin and Chris seemed to be enjoying the weather too !

As we climbed, the path ahead got whiter and whiter.

Sarah takes to the edge of the smooth grass as it was getting slippery.

The Hobcarton Ridge.

The snow from the last few weekends is being added to as we climb.

This will be our route down if all goes to plan.

We send the St Bernard back to ensure the safe arrival of Lin and Chris.

Mean while the other St Bernard is up ahead, and Ann even further ahead.

Sarah, Jo, Jodie and Simon climbing alongside the old fence line.

This photo taken by Ann from her position nearer the summit.

She wanted to take a few photos as we made it to the top.

   
Sarah, Jo and Simon again.
We're there now and it's time for Jodie's weather protection.

Time for another group photo.

Oh . . . and I'll just try for a self timer shot with me in it.

No wonder these walks take as long as they do !

The view from the top.

The fence line continues on Hobcarton Crags and over to Hopegill Head.

A wider panorama from roughly the same place.

Sand Hill is the white, snow covered but rounded peak in the distance.

Eel Crag to the left disappears into the mist but Ladyside Pike to the right is clear but turning whiter by the minute.

Turning back, the summit group caught my eye . . . caught in time and space too you could say.

Time to leave the top.

" Are you coming too ? "

Rather than follow the wall, we turn off down the broad Hobcarton Ridge.

Below us the ridge extends onward but is starting to disappear

under a moving curtain of mist that had moved in from Bassenthwaite.

The snow is easing now as Sarah and Ann descend.

Lunch was due and there's a good place just a little further along.

It's Christmas (nearly) so lunch with a Christmas Tree seemed appropriate.

The mist had moved across us now and so it was a cold and damp lunch spot, hence the hats, gloves and the damp look.

Still the company is great and the sandwiches and soup weren't bad either.

On the move again and descending further.

The mist gets thicker . . . but hey . . . it's not raining, or sleeting, or snowing.

From the ridge, the last part of the walk follows a rather muddy path through the trees.

   
Scary dog . . .
Scary woman ?

That's better . . . a bit more light . . .

. . . and we finish with a short walk back to the cars past a section of a new Whinlatter mountain bike route.

- - - o o o - - -

Thanks to Simon for organising and inviting everyone on the walk.

What was looking to be a wet and miserable day out actually turned out to be an excellent and varied walk,

and we haven't even mentioned that we made it to the Royal Oak afterwards for a sociable, hot, Christmas glass of mulled wine.

- - - o o o - - -

 

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

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

This site best viewed with . . . the variety brought on by a non-sunny day.

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Previous walk - 9th Dec 2008 Ling Fell as the sun sets

A previous time up here - 9th December 2006 A winter walk up Hopegill with Keswick cloud inversions