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BB0721
- Levers Water Circuit
Thursday
19th July 2007
Over
the years when I have been out on the hills in really
bad weather I have justified it to myself, and others,
with the view that such days turn hills into real mountains
and makes you appreciate the good weather days all the
more. This approach is being severely put to the test
this year!
A
look back at the Bootboys report BB0620
for the same day last year offered no comfort. It starts
with….
"Do
you think you are wise to do this on the hottest day
of the year?"
However
the report from a week earlier BB0619
was a reminder that every year has its share of bad
weather. This begins….
”I
confess, I tried to get out of going up Coniston Old
Man today.
The MWIS weather forecast put me
off with tales of drizzle and high winds”
With
Don in France getting some warm weather training in,
it was left to Stan, Tony and myself to head off for
Coniston. We parked at the start of the Walna Scar track
and began the process of getting ready to go. There
was some debate on my decision to wear shorts. Stan
too thought this was a good idea and changed into his.
Unfortunately Tony had thought it was going to rain
so had opted to wear his waterproof trousers and had
not brought any others. So for him a very sweaty day
was to follow!
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Thick
clouds covered the tops as we headed off
towards Levers Water. We went past the tarn
and headed on up towards Levers Hause.
There
were a couple of people in front of us and
we reminisced about the last time we came
up here (BB0607)
when Don had done one of his infamous “they
shall not pass” challenge races up to the
pass.
The
mist was swirling around on the pass. One
minute you could see right across to Langdale
and the next you could barely see each other.
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Levers
Water from track to Levers Hause
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As
a treat I offered Tony a coffee stop on the pass but
surprisingly he declined, preferring a "lunch or
nothing" approach to things.
So
we carried on in the mist over Swirl How and on to Great
Carrs. By this time the mist had turned to black clouds
and it was starting to drizzle so we decided to have
a Tony-time (12 o’clock) lunch in the shelter of the
rocks in case the drizzle turned into heavy rain.
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Stan
disappears into the mist near Swirl How
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Plane
wreckage and memorial
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After
lunch we headed for Grey Friar. On the way we passed
the remains of the Halifax bomber plane that had crashed
here in 1944, killing all of its Canadian crew. According
to Wainwright the plane had misjudged the height of
the pass and the undercarriage had ripped off, with
the rest of the plane going over the edge of the cliff
and crashing hundreds of feet below.
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We
retraced our steps back over Great Carrs
and on to Swirl How. The sun had come out
now and we stopped for a coffee break. Stan
had got his map out and suggested that as
the weather was improving we could carry
on to Wetherlam.
As
we descended the Prison Band to Swirl Hause
we stopped a few times to look at the stunning
views over to Bowfell, Crinkle Crags and
the Scafells. The subsequent climb up to
Wetherlam seemed quite painless
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Wetherlam
summit with four old men
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From
there we had decided to descend down a ridge which neither
myself or Stan had previously tried. This was the one
on the west side of Red Dell Beck and proved to be a
delight. There were occasional faint traces of a path
but generally it was a case of weaving a way down through
the broken crags until reaching a point just above the
outflow from Levers Water where we cut down and crossed
the dam to rejoin our outward route from the car park.
It
was then a pleasant, leisurely stroll back to the car
- for me anyway. Tony and Stan were finding it quite
hard on their feet.
We
were late back home, but with the summer we’ve been
having it would have been a shame to cut the walk short
on such a glorious afternoon.
Bryan,
19 July 2007
Distance: 9.7 Miles
Height
climbed: 2,767 feet (Anquet / Harveys)
Wainwrights:
Swirl How, Great Carrs, Grey Friar, Wetherlam
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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!
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