BB1123 : The First Indecision Outing

Wednesday 24th August 2011

Indecision ruled this week.  Wednesday or Thursday? The voting was evenly split.  In the end, not wishing to exercise a casting vote, we ended up with two outings of different characteristics and characters!

Today, the aim was to walk from Ambleside over Wansfell then down to Orrest Head and back to the Linthwaite House Hotel where the car would be left.

Stan accordingly drove Bryan and me to the Linthwaite where we met Mike and walked down to Bowness Pier in time to catch the open topped bus to Ambleside.

On alighting from the bus whom should we see but our local MP, Tim Farron, holding his Summer Tour “surgery” in the open air at the bus station.  What a shame James wasn’t with us to engage him in conflict!  Verbal of course!

Our route lay alongside the Stockghyll Force waterfall and then out on to the fell and straight up the hill.  

Given that we were all a bit rusty, I thought we made a good fist of reaching the Wansfell top despite the somewhat inclement conditions.

Lake Windermere from Wansfell

After descending by Nanny Lane to Troutbeck we had lunch sat on a bench in the church yard.

Next, we crossed the road and climbed to find the Longmire Road track.  We then crossed the Moorhowe Road and followed the footpath to Near Orrest where the derelict barns are now being converted.  

Orrest Head comes into view

From here it was an easy climb up to Orrest Head, another splendid view point.

The view from Orrest Head

I remembered 2007 when Margaret and I had climbed it to watch the Red Arrows.

Red Arrows from Orrest Head

I recall one particular move where they flew in convoy down the lake and one peeled off right over to Coniston Old Man.  What we didn’t realise was that another had peeled off left and a few seconds later attacked from the rear, clearing us by what seemed only a few feet with a tremendous roar.  No such excitement today!

Our route thereonwards took in part of the Westmorland Way and part of the Dales Way, both of which I had covered with Margaret some time back. The railway line was crossed near to the remarkable Gill Droomer Stile garden.

Gill Droomer Stile garden

In fact, the last couple of miles were in pretty heavy rain.  However, Mike and I agreed that it always seems worse when looking out at it from indoors than it does when you are actually in it.  In fact, it was almost enjoyable!  And finding road signs with strange running men on them certainly enlivened the final section back to the Linthwaite!  

Can anyone throw any light onto why they are there and what they signify?

Finally, a round of applause for my old uni pal and occasional BOOTboy, Tim, who has just climbed Kilimanjaro.  He wrote:

Well, I'm back and did make it to the top.  The attached photo shows me totally kn****d after 8 hours of climbing which started at midnight.  After a (very) brief rest we had to descend over 2,000m, pausing only at our last camp for a brief meal - we eventually stopped for the day at 5:00pm after 17 hours of 'exercise'  12 out of the 15 of us made it and I know our chief guide was quite impressed given the average age of the group (if it hadn't been for 2 'youngsters' of 40, the average age would have been almost 60!).

More importantly, it looks as though we will have raised about £7,000 for Julia's House (the only children's hospice in Dorset).

Well done, Tim.

Don, 24th August 2011

PS  For Mike's take on BB1122 see The Last Ciabatta Beefburger.

Terry C subsequently contacted me to say:

Thanks, Don.  This one particularly reminded me of:

• The spectacular view over Windermere. It's a long time since I did the Wansfell walk.
• Kilimanjaro. 1995 and what an experience; coincidentally out of 14 in our party only the 2 youngest (in their 20's) didn't make it.
• How talented the Red Arrows are and what a tragedy last week.

Keep up the great BB editions and one day I'll be 'free' to join you.

Terry, we look forward to you being with us!

STATISTICS:

BOOTboys routes ares now being put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading BB1123.

To see which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing see
Which Wainwright When?

For the latest totals of the mileages and heights see: BB Log.

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Archive

2011 Outings

BB1101 :
Wasnfell Revisited
Tuseday 11th January

BB1102 :
Recuperation Scar!
Thursday 17th February

BB1103 :
A Promenade of Pensioners
Thursday 24th February

BB1104 :
The B Team
Thursday 3rd March

BB1105 :
A Little Bit Of Wind
Thursday 10th March

BB1106 :
A Linthwaite Round
Thursday 17th March

BB1107 :
Home From The Pulpit
Thursday 24th March

BB1108 :
Taking The Brunt
Thursday 31st March

BB1109 :
Up The Spout
Wednesday 6th April

BB1110 :
Not The Royal Wedding
Friday 29th April

BB1111 :
Kentmere Parts 1 & 2
Thurs 5th, Saturday 7th May

BB1112 :
Five Unknown Tarns
Wednesday 11th May

BB1113 :
Gurnal Dubbs Revisited
Thursday 19th May

BB1114 :
A March Through The Mist
Wednesday 1st June

BB1115 :
Brief Encounter
Wednesday 8th June

BB1116 :
Extraordinary and
Lesser Mortals
Wednesday 15th June

BB1117 :
Farewell David Daw
Wednesday 29th June

BB1118 :
West Side Story
Thursday 7th July

BB1119 :
East Side Story
Wednesday 13th July

 BB1120 :
All The Way From Barrow
Wednesday 20th July

 BB1121 :
Suitable For The Guests!
Thursday 28th July

BB1122 :
Graylings In Flagrante
Wednesday 3rd August

BB1123 :
The First Indecision Outing
Wednesday 24th August

BB1124 :
The Second Indecision Outing
Thursday 25th August

 Click on the photos
for an enlargement
or related large picture.

 Wainwrights

To see which Wainwright
top was visited on which
BB outing see Which Wainwright When?.

To download a log of heights and miles and which Wainwrights
have been done by which BOOTboy in the"modern" era, i.e. since the advent
of BOOTboys
click on BB Log.