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BB0733
To Monroe or Not To Monroe?
That is
the Question
Thursday
1st November 2007
The
excitement this week was all in the anticipation.
On
Monday the plan was to tackle an English “Munroe” (Skiddaw),
necessitating a team of 7 including Sherpas.
On
Wednesday afternoon forecasts of 50mph winds and thick
cloud surfaced and enthusiasm began to wane. Philip
e-mailed to say “I am really ambivolent about
this.” Alternative suggestions of Beda Fell or the Helm
were floated.
On
Thursday morning the phones were hot. Don rang at 07:30
to say he, Emma and Scott had received a better offer
and were pulling out.
Fifteen
minutes later Philip rang. His ambivolence almost got
the better of him but every pull-out excuse was fended
off….
- Got
to be back for 4pm - no problem, we’ll
do a short walk
- Can’t
set off until 9:15 at the earliest - no
problem, we’ll do an even shorter walk
- Must
have lunch at 12 - no problem, Tony’s
coming
At
8am I called Stan. He was in total confusion about what
was happening having been left off the copy list for
many of the e-mails (not deliberately of course!), but
agreed that he could just about manage to get ready
in the 60 minutes available.
So
by 9:20 our group of four was on the road. Our target?
Not the lofty heights of a Munroe any more. It was instead
a trip to the Wainwright tops of Sour Howes and Sallows
above the Troutbeck valley. This would give Stan and
Tony vital ticks in their quest to finish the Far Eastern
fells before Xmas.
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After
the long 15 minute drive from Kendal we
parked up at the start of the Dubbs Road
which ultimately joins the Garburn Pass
between Troutbeck and Kentmere.
Previous
experience of this route (BB0517)
taught me that it’s not one to rush (mainly
because we would be back before Tony had
chance to have his lunch. What chaos this
would cause his digestive system I hesitate
to imagine!). So we decided on a coffee
stop as a treat, which it was for those
who had coffee, less so for our soup drinking
companion!
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Troutbeck
valley from Garburn Pass
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We
pushed on towards the Garburn pass before turning off
and crossing the stile to head for Sallows. The clag
was by now enveloping the tops and the views from the
516 metre high top were none-existent.
From
there we made our way around the head of the Park Beck
valley, still in thick mist and a strongish breeze,
before heading off to the top of Sour Howes. Lunch was
calling (it was now 12:10!) so we hurried off to find
a suitable spot and in the process forgot to take the
obligatory team summit photo, so today’s was taken on
the descent.
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Team
photo
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Windermere
from slopes of Sour Howes
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As
we descended the weather began to improve and we got
some spectacular views of Windermere
The
sun by now was beating down (sunshine when we’ve finished
seems to be an occurrence that has happened all too
often on our walks this year!) and we arrived back at
the car 4 hours after setting off.
Not
quite the Munroe we anticipated but a pleasant day out
none-the-less. Probably a walk we wouldn’t have done
if the Wainwright ticks weren’t wanted, and perhaps
a good reason for doing so – it gets you into areas
you wouldn’t otherwise bother with.
Bryan,
1st November 2007
Distance: 6.7
miles
Height
climbed: 1,100 feet
Wainwrights:
Sour Howes, Sallows
Afternote
from Don: Poor old Bryan. Fresh back from
the delights of Jordan (the place with endless sunshine,
not the model with endless boobs) to that sort of weather!
Here is a taster of what he had left behind him.
Meanwhile,
our "better offer" was a family walk through
Levens Park, with antlered stags and horny old goats
in autumnal splendour, to the Hare & Hounds at Levens.
Deep fried plaice gougons with chips washed down
with a couple of jars of Black Sheep. Gentle stagger
to the Sizergh barn shop to get provisions for tea,
rescuing an escaped border terrier from certain death
in the traffic en route then home for a snooze. A
surprising (but non-qualifying) 7.8 miles and 850 feet.
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Monarch
of the Park
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Horny
old goat
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Don,
3rd November 2007
For the latest totals
of the mileages, heights and Lakeland Fell Book Wainwrights see: Wainwrights.
If anyone wants to claim other peaks, please let
me know and I will submit them to the adjudication committee!
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BOOT
boys
Home
Page
BB04
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Archive
Click on the photos for an enlargement or related large
picture.
Wainwrights
Bryan
has kindly produced a log of which Wainwrights have
been done by which Bootboy
in the "modern" era, i.e. since the advent
of Bootboys.
To
download the Excel file click on Wainwrights.
If
anyone wants to claim other peaks, please let me know
and I will submit them to the adjudication committee!
BOOT
boys
This page describes a 2007 adventure of BOOTboys, a loose group of friends of mature
years who enjoy defying the aging process by getting out into the hills as
often as possible!
As most live in South Lakeland, it is no surprise that
our focus is on the Lakeland fells and the Yorkshire Dales.
As for the name, BOOTboys, it does not primarily derive from an
item of footwear but is in memory of Big
Josie, the erstwhile landlady of
the erstwhile Burnmoor Inn at Boot in Eskdale, who enlivened Saint Patrick's Day
1973 and other odd evenings many years ago!
If you want to contact us, click on
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