On and Off for 46 Years

1975 with brother Andrew, Carlin Gill in the Howgills.  Andrew with Leeds scarf.


I started with my dad, I think I was around 12.  As far as I know no photos were taken and we climbed Helvellyn via Striding Edge, Pavey ark via Jack's Rake and Scafell Pike from Great Langdale.
I  probably went through the usual teenage years and then started with the odd fell as above in my early 20s.  My dad had been in the Fell and Rock Climbing Club and I was very proud of him.  In those early days he still had the big boots with all the clinker nails in the bottom.

By 26 I was getting keener and went to the Cairngorms in winter with Dawne on a winter hill walking coarse.  That's the Lairig Ghru and the hat was a woolly balaclava, very itchy and the windproof jacket was ventile.

Tris was born and at 9 months old I carried him up Scafell via Lord's Rake, and Dawne carried the nappies.  The view above is descending from Great Gable.

I dabbled with climbing, and as I lived in the north east at the time did a fair amount of climbing on the sandstone cliffs of Northumberland.  I bought a mountain bike and did various routes including the Howgill's skyline.

By 1994 when we climbed Schiehallion  Ailsa, our daughter was an experienced walker.

We went to the Pyrenees in 1998 and did a 3 night backpack during which we climbed Pic Carlit at 2900m the highest hill so far.

It was around now I bought the book:-

This book lists 244 Lakeland Fells, which is a few more than the Wainwrights. (I have his books as well).  Alfred how can a guide to the Lakes not include fells like Caw, 1735 feet, ?

Using this book I finished climbing all 244 in 2000.........33 years after starting.

In 2004, 4 years and 2 months later I celebrated the second round.  Now wearing Goretex.

2006 and we were celebrating Dawne's round of all  the fells on Buckbarrow.  I think Tris and Ailsa have done quite a lot of the fells so hope one day to be celebrating their rounds.

I have now climbed them all 3 times.  Book front shows that some fells have been climbed more than others.  I have 113 to do for a fourth round but am slowing down,  and have no desire to visit hills like  Ponsonby Fell any time soon.

It took 33 years for the first round,  4 for the second, and 8.5 for the third.

I have backpacked, climbed, mountain biked, skied and walked the fells and continue to be inspired by their beauty.

Helvellyn Again

I think I've done more posts on Helvellyn than any other mountain.  Well it's a nice day. Strangely I'm not at work so a high eastern fell might still have snow. Helvellyn it is.

As you come over Dunmail Raise theres a hanging valley to your left with a waterfall.  I've never been up that way.  The ridge is the one above with trees.

It's my lucky day as it's not raining and Dawne is with me.

After the steep bit the ridge broadens out.  Note for the future there are one or two suitable camping spots here.

The summit plateau is very icy and seeing as we brought them we put on our crampons.

I picked up a new rucksack in the sales.  £40 instead of £80.  Seems ok but I find the opening a bit narrow.  Dawne is also modelling the new Iliam Berghaus down jacket.  Yes I know I don't usually buy Berghaus, but they are ahead of the game at the moment as the down is waterproof hydrodown.  I expect more garments will be copying these soon.

Greg also put on his new jacket as it was bloody cold.

The return route along the edge of the corries.

Down the gill to the car.
Booths was visited and cappuccinos were drunk.

Hard Tarn

A glorious morning and I'm out of the house by 08:00.  I've swapped the trail shoes for the mountaineering boots and as I head up Raise Beck from Dunmail Raise Ive got the ice axe fastened to the back of the sack and hidden under the lid my crampons. Overkill?

I am heading past Grisedale Tarn and down to the entrance to Ruthwaite Cove.  I remember now why I decided last time never to do that again.  It's a long way and you have to descend 500 Knee jarring feet into Grisedale.

The view ahead  spurs me on and I decide not to stop for  tea until I reach the tarn.

From Hard Tarn I head NE to pick up the ridge onto Nethermost Pike.  Now Ive done this twice before.Once on hands and knees in summer when a gale was threatening to drop me into Nethermost Cove and once in winter with crampons and good conditions.  What could go wrong?

As the ground steepens I realise Im sliding down in the knee deep unconsolidated snow.  I look down from a little refuge above a boulder and realise theres a long drop below me now and I probably could not reverse what Id just come up.  Gingerly I open the sack and ever so carefully get the crampons on.
There's  30 feet of steep snow above with a lip through to some boulders.  The crampons bite into something and even the narrow alpine like ridge (above) dont cause any problems.

It's just a stroll along to Dollywaggon Pike  taking photos as I go.

Heading south west from Dollywaggon I descend the little gill that brings you out onto Willie Wife Moor and the path off Reggle Knott. This is a much better descent rout than the eroded and often icy path down Raise Beck.

No cafes were visited in the making of this blog.

Staveley Horseshoe. (Why Eat Cheddar)

I had not realised Staveley was such an interesting place.  There's Wheelbase, one of the biggest bike shops in the universe, there's the offices of Montane, Hagloffs, and Innov8 and the artisan bakers where if I had not been on a diet I could have stocked up on carbs.  I parked the car in the main street and headed for Potter Tarn.  Turning left here I headed up Brunt Knott where I ate my Hairy Dieters pie.

This ones for McEff,   ( http://becausetheyrethere.com/ )    

From here you look east across a big expanse of largely unvisited land towards Longsleddale, before descending towards Skeggles Water Dike.

        View to head of valley with fells still to come.

Yes your feet are very wet by the time you reach here.  After  refuelling with a couple of  sandwiches with just a taster of  Blue Wensleydale grated into them I headed over Green Quarter Fell and  filled up the 2 platypuses in a little gill coming down from Wray crag.
A flat dryish area was then secured for the tent on the side of Shipman Knotts.

I spent the long evening cooking and reading the book downloaded on the Kindle.  I awoke at 2am with  cold legs.  Really must save up for a new sleeping bag.  Brewed up some soup and then came up with the brainwave of wearing my fleece pullover upside down as a pair of long-johns. This worked well as I had my down jacket on the top half. For breakfast i finished off the Blue Wensleydale sarnies.
Then onwards over Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell, Mardale Ill Bell, and lunch stop on High Street.

After Thornthwaite Beacon I'm heading south again over Froswick and Ill Bell.

On the left between Froswick and Ill Bell is Over Cove where me and my dad ascended one snowy winter's day over 30 years ago.  I am now the same age he was then.
The shadows are lengthening as I hurry over Yoke and get camped up as it gets dark in an old quarry on the south side of Sallows.

I have a warmer night wearing the newly invented long johns and in the morning get a quick photo before the wave of fog engulfs me.

To finish the horseshoe i finished by going over Sour Hows, Capple Howe and heading for the Williamson Memorial and Reston Scar.  There may be an easy way between the last two that does not involve climbing and falling off high walls,  keeping low profiles in case farmers see you, and wading through knee deep cow slurry.

The cheese bit, when in Orkney we went in a Spar shop for some cheese.  Being on a diet I was looking for low fat.  A bit optimistic in a small remote shop and yes they didn't have any. What they did have was 12 different varieties os cheddar, possibly the most boring cheese on the planet.
Why would anyone need so many choices in the Cheddar field?


The Staveley Horseshoe:  approx 20 miles.  Lakeland FRC Fells climbed: Brunt Knott, Green Quarter, Shipman Knott, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell, Mardale IllBell, High Street, Thornthwaite Beacon, Froswick, IllBell, Yoke, Sallows, and Sour Howes.

Cairngorms were Derry Cold

I drove up to a campsite near Perth on Monday, the weather was atrocious on the motorway.  Got the tent up about  7 pm and ate the sandwiches I'd brought.  The Nammatj survived the night and I drove to Glen Shee on a breezy day and nipped up The Cairnwell.  I then dossed about the Caravan Club site at Braemar as the next day was again atrocious.
Finally on Thursday I ditched the car at the Linn of Dee car park  and headed up Glen Lui towards Derry Lodge.

This was about 3 miles and I wished I'd had a mountain bike for this bit.  I then followed the Luibeg Burn heading for the Sron Rioch ridge on Ben Macdui.

That's the ridge in the middle of the photo.  I've done about 5 miles and I'm still not near the bottom of the fell.  These hills are bigger than the Lakeland fells then.

Eventually I'm on the ridge as a snow shower whips across.  Yes it is August.

The long distances are worth it as I am now in granite heaven.

I think that's Ben a Ghlo on the horizon.  I dont linger on the summit as it's very cold and I'm nacked. I head down past Loch Etchachan.

Its late as I head down past the Hutchison memorial hut.  I'm looking for somewhere to camp but its all bog, midges and heather.  May be those sheep in the Lakes have a use after all creating nice short grass for camping.  After 3 more weary miles I start approaching the trees in Glen Derry.

The first flat dry place is a little patch of grass besides the beck and a bridge. I sleep but am awake and frozen about 3am.  I put on all my clothes in the sleeping bag but am still freezing.  In the morning theres frost and ice but no midges.  Can't believe it's August.

Just a tip, dont drive at speed back to Braemar in the hope of getting breakfast cos all the cafes will be shut.  Strange place.