Another glorious winter day with brilliant sunshine and a cold
feel to the air.
The snow of last weekend still survives on the tops but has
turned icy in the below-zero temperatures of the last few days.
After giving Dylan an easy valley stroll this morning, Dougal
and I take on this more strenuous afternoon walk up my local
fell.
Starting at the red phone box . . .
Enjoying views of Whiteside and Grasmoor across
the valley.
Likewise, the Loweswater Fells of Blake, Carling
Knott and Burnbank have an inviting layer of snow.
I head off into the sun to hopefully reach the
top of the higher, second summit of Hen Comb,
seen here below that great yellow orb in the
sky.
More valley views as I leave the Kirkstile Inn
behind (for a change) and cross Park Beck bridge.
The northern face of Mellbreak is delightfully
imposing . . . but not for me today.
My first obstacle is the stepping stone crossing
of the Mosedale Beck, at "Harry's Pool".
I broke some ice off the first few stones but
they were still wet and slippery, resulting in me rather ungraciously
'entering' the water.
Fortunately I was already alongside the shallower
part, so my boot leather kept the cold water and myself firmly
apart.
Looking back and to the north, as I get my first
view of Loweswater.
A steady pull up the start of the fell and chance
of a breather , I mean a photo opportunity.
Across the way, Hopegill Head now stands out
between Whiteside and Grasmoor.
Whether you climb to the fence or follow the
farmers quad bike tracks,
you end up at the stile that needs to be crossed
before you can progress further.
I opt for the off-piste ascent of Little Dodd
and so leave the main footpath
in favour of this steep and rewarding climb
to the minor summit.
Reaching the high ground early gave me views
down into the White Oak Valley.
The strong white footpaths in the shadows are
remnants of the tracks and water leats for the old lead mine
down in the valley itself.
Gaining the intermediate summit means the ridge
walk is a lot flatter, but don't be fooled,
there are lots of undulations and (normally)
boggy sections to cross before I re-gain the track.
At the foot of the main climb the fence has
been renewed and wisely the farmer has put a gate in it this
time.
[ The last fence ignored the presence of fellwalkers
and ended up being damaged purely by the passage of numerous
people over time.]
Today, Dougal's ears prick up when he hears
voices. I take my eye off the path and look for them too
. . .
promptly ending up on my backside as I stepped
on a patch of ice.
- - - o o o - - -
Time for a little extra "Traction Control".
What with that slip and the steepness of the climb
ahead
I decided to put on my microspikes, which immediately
gave me
that extra grip and so extra confidence.
[ Between you and me I should have put them on a
lot earlier! ]
- - - o o o - - -
|
|
|
|
Dougal of course has built in crampons in the
form of claws.
The snow was crunchy and where any moisture
had flowed during day, it had turned to impressive icicles at
night.
The camera doesn't lie, the horizon is horizontal,
and yes the steepest part of the climb is that steep.
A grassy summit just manages enough stones to
make a small summit cairn . . . the climb is complete.
Time for myself (and Dougal) to enjoy the views,
here all the way across to the east, with the Helvellyn Range
in the distance.
Looking more to the south, the view includes
Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike,
Buttermere, the High Stile Ridge and the Pillar
fells.
A glance back presents Loweswater and the diminutive
white houses of Thrushbank, now far below.
The outline of Criffel in Scotland just stands
out from the side of Carling Knott, seen here on the left.
- - - o o o - - -
Rather than turn and retrace my steps down the
steep descent, I continued onward,
dropping down the back of the fell slightly,
to take a diagonal line and so ease the apparent slope.
A delightful descent, the 'spikes' gripping
beautifully as we head down, looking for a faint path somewhere
below the rough grass.
Surprisingly a lone Herdwick Sheep appeared
and went ahead of us, and though in the picture,
it is very difficult to see it due to its camouflaged
grey and white, wooly coat.
The downward route joined back to the outward
path at the new gate.
My return route deviated slightly from the outward
walk once again as I followed the quad bike track back towards
the valley.
What you see here is normally a very damp boggy
section, today it is covered in a sheet of ice.
- - - o o o - - -
My re-crossing of the Mosedale Beck was a lot easier
on my return.
( pardon the same photo used twice !)
With the spike still on my feet I just strolled over
the ice
at the head of the pool . . . no fuss, no bother,
not even a damp boot in sight !
- - - o o o - - -
|
|
|
|
As the sun was adding colour to the fells I could see the
cottage ahead . . . and just imagine a nice cup of tea waiting
by the warm fire.
- - - o o o - - -