BB0628 Knocking off Wainwrights "directissimo" plus Skiddaw!

18th October 2006

Readers (if indeed there are any) may have noticed recently how Bryan has been subtly influencing our outings to cover hills he needs in order to complete his nth collection of Wainwrights.  More overtly this time, he offered his list of 18 walks that he plans to do to knock off the 80 or so he has left and asked if any took our fancy.

Inspired by our Blencathra walk last week, when I noticed "Lonscale Fell / Skiddaw Little Man / Dodd" on the list, I suggested we did this but, as we would be so close, we should add on Skiddaw.  I realise we had been there on 26th August 2004 but the visibility had been poor and as the forecast this time was promising, it seemed too good a chance to miss.  So you can blame me for the added height.  Or at least some of it.

It was another misty moisty autumnal morning, made worse by the fact that we started out an hour earlier than last week and the unnaturally early start was taking its toll.  Bryan found us one of his cunning places to park, half way up the hill near Underscar, and proudly boasted about how he had saved us 700 feet.

We set off up the Skiddaw "Tourist's" route, past the memorial to the Shepherds, along the side of Whit Beck.  It was the coldest start we have had for a long time but we soon warmed up.  Lonscale Fell was our first target and somehow we missed the path.  However, quickly realising that we should not be branching round to the left with the tourist route, we set off directly up the hill, another Hardaker special but he wants me to report how his navigation was spot on and that, despite the fact we were now in thick mist, we hit the fence exactly where he predicted.  We followed the fence east and then its original line after it turned left and this took us directly to the summit cairn.

The path, which should have fallen away, started to climb again and before long, on reaching its cairn, we were congratulating ourselves on the speed of our ascent of Skiddaw Little Man and predicting lunch on top of Skiddaw shortly after noon.

We soon picked up the tourist motorway and found ourselves behind two men.  Stan and I had decided that there would be no silly chasing people up hills today and I was proud of the fact that I was maturely resisting the temptation.  Then I remembered how Stan had said how annoying people found it to have someone on their heels, so I thought that might be fun.  So I advanced to within a yard or so and the next thing I knew I was a hundred yards in front and the old urge had reasserted itself.  Which explains why I came to arrive at the summit a few minutes before the rest of our party.  In thick mist and in other places that would have been a really stupid move but given the existence of the motorway plus the fact that the higher one got, the thinner became the clouds, it was not too silly.

Arriving at the top was magical.  Timing was perfect- the clouds were just starting to dissipate and the views were spectacular but ever changing.  In particular, for a brief period we had a perfect view of Blencathra and this time it was perfectly straightforward to tell which of its peaks was the actual summit!

We took lunch in the summit shelter.  Not quite before noon but before Tony had time to complain.  The path chosen to descend to Carl Side was not the slanting one that we had found such hard work going up two years ago but, to quote Bryan, "directissimo".  A very loose surface and quite steep; I found it tricky going despite the emerging glimpses of Derwentwater.

Carlside Tarn hardly merits the description, more of a puddle really and Carl Side was swiftly ascended.  The descent however was another matter.  As we needed to take in Dodd, we had to find a way down to the right of the main path and with hindsight we branched off too early.  Hence we pioneered a new route "directissimo" through the heather.  Again hard going but for very different reasons.  The feet had to be lifted high to clear the heather and you never knew what was going to happen when you put them down.  Hole?  Normal Ground?  Hidden Rock?  It was a relief to find the proper path at last even if we were the best part down by then.

We came down Dodd the way we went up and then followed a wall, traversing the hill until we came to the Slades Beck footpath.To be fair to Bryan, at this point he gave us two options.  One was to go down the footpath to the road and have a simple stroll back to the car, the other was to contour round the hills and scramble across the various becks en route, which might take a couple of hours.  Legs very tired at this stage, we opted for the road.

Stan and Bryan galloped off down the Slades Beck path at a frightening speed.  Tony and I gave up trying to keep up with them, it was very steep and hard on the legs.  Bless them though, they eventually waited for us to catch up.  By now the path had turned from stone to grass, still quite steep but as they set off down the grass I realised that this was a surface on which I could keep up.  And then, not just keep up, but overtake them.  "Look out lads, I'm coming through," I shouted as I barged between them, accelerating all the time.  All the time, that is, until my left foot lost grip and I ignominiously tumbled to the ground.  However, undeterred, I managed to execute a perfect recovery and in one continuous movement, rolled back onto my feet and carried on, still in front!  I am getting worried.  What is my problem? Why do I do this? After all, I am 60 next year!! Fortunately the Red Cross Green Goddess waiting at the bottom was not needed.

Don, 18th October 2006

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• BB0631  Coppermines
• BB0630  Relocation, Relocation, Relocation
• BB0629  Stone Arthur and a Mystery Plume
• BB0628  Knocking off Wainwrights.  Oh! Plus Skiddaw!
• BB0627  Blencathra and the Mungrisdale Round
• BB0626  The Deepdale Round
• BB0625  Les Garçons de la Botte
• BB0624  The Crookdale Horseshoe and then some
• BB0623  Selside Pike revisited
BB0622  Round the Dunny!
BB0621  The Malham Experience
BB0620  Newlands Horseshoe
BB0619  Old Man Succumbs!
BB0618  Kentmere Horseshoe
BB0617 QH2QH High Street (the length thereof)
BB0616 Thornthwaite Beacon
BB0615  Fairfield Horseshoe
BB0614  High Street Racecourse
BB0613 The Coledale Round
BB0612  Well, Well, Well, Wansfell and Troutbeck Tongue      
BB0611  Carlin Gill
BB0610  Whitbarrow, Yewbarrow and a history lesson
BB0609  Clough Head and Great Dodd
BB0608  The Corpse Road and beyond
BB0607  Grim Fell!
BB0606  A Bit on the Side.....
BB0605  Angle Tarn with Surprises! 
BB0604  Hart Cragg via Dovedale
BB0603  Islands in the Sky with Brocken Spectres
(or High Street via Gardiner's Grind)
BB0602  Holme Fell, Black Fell and Electric  Eyes
BB0601  Ingleborough
 
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