BB0909 : It's not a W!

Thursday 12th March 2009

We were working under two constraints today.  

Firstly Pete (yes, we had the Cheshire BOOTboys, Pete and Ian, back with Stan and me today), advised that he felt up for something a bit more demanding than the fells local to the Kendal area.

Secondly Tony, who could not be with us as he is still rebuilding his house after the fire (whilst living the merry life in a pub), insisted that we didn’t do any Ws that he might need if he’s not there.

That set me thinking.  If we were not to do any Ws that he might need, which Ws could we do that he didn’t need?  I was taking this literally rather than metaphorically in the Wainwrightian sense.  Anyway, there was a short list from which one W leapt out at me- Wetherlam.  So that was my target.

In fact, I have only ever been up Wetherlam once, on BB0411, and I had found it very hard work, which I put down to the extreme route that Bryan had chosen.  

I had attempted Wetherlam in the 1970s with Margaret but when a white-out rushed across from Great Gable we opted to shelter in a bield whilst our companions, Dave G and Suzy S successfully reached the summit (or so they said) and returned to tell the tale.

This time we would go up the nose from Coniston.  But then another W intervened: the Weatherman, who warned of high winds, considerable buffeting on the tops and potential showers in the west.  Better east of Helvellyn.

Longsleddale from Sadgill

We parked at Sadgill and made our way up the track over to Kentmere, turning right to follow the wall all the way past Shipman Knotts, Goat Scar, to Kentmere Pike and then onto Harter Fell.  

Kentmere Pike from near Goat Scar

We could see Wetherlam in the distance, its top in cloud; we had made the right decision, even though the wind was now blowing very hard making it difficult at times to maintain an upright gait!

High Street from Harter Fell

We took lunch near Harter Fell Gully with a grand view over Haweswater.  The wind had dropped, the sun came out and for a while it seemed a good place to linger.  And then conditions reverted and it wasn’t.

We pressed on, making a minor diversion to take in Adam’s Seat with its curious stone with H on once side and L on the other before dropping down to the Gatesgarth Pass. The options here were to head down the valley to the car or continue the expedition up Branstree.  Everyone was in good form so we did the latter, following which we contemplated going on to Mosedale cottage but the weather was neither bad enough to warrant visiting a bothy or sunny enough to make it an enjoyable extension.  We opted instead to follow the fence down to the top of Mosedale and then headed over to Longsleddale and back to the car.

Although the fells were fairly local to Kendal, I think Pete found it sufficiently demanding.

And Tony, there wasn’t a W you needed.

Don, 12th March 2009

PS  I am in Saalbach next week on BOOTskiboys duty.  As it will be St Patrick's Day whilst I am away, I thought followers of Big Josie might appreciate a seasonal small snippet I found recently.  See Saturday Night Dinner.

Statistics:

 If you have Memory Map on your computer, you can follow our route in detail by downloading BB0909.

For the latest totals of the mileages, heights and Lakeland Fells Books 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

This page describes an 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, and certainly not from any skin head associations or other
type of social group,
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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Home Page

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Archive

2009 Outings

• BB0901 : A Gordon Day Out
  Thursday 8th January
• BB0902 : Thank You,
  Aunty Ethel!
  Wednesday 14th January 
• BB0903 : A Wicked Hike???
  Wednesday 21st January
• BB0904 : Take a Mug With You
  Sunday 25th January
• BB0905 : Down in the Forest
  Thursday 29th January
• BB0906 : Not How But Where?
  Thursday 5th February
• BB0907 : Binsey Can Wait
  (but Uncle Monty Can Not)
  Thursday 12th February
• BB0908 : Badgers on the Line
  Thursday 5th March
• BB0909 : It's not a W!
  Thursday 12th March
• BB0910 : Up on the Roof
  Thursday 26th March
• BB0911 : Not the Blisco Dashers
  Thursday 2nd April
• BB0912 : John's Comeback
  Monday 6th April
• BB0913 : Two Churches, a Pulpit and a Cherry Picker
  Thursday, 23rd April
• BB0914 : Companions of the BOOT
  Thursday 30th April
• BB0915 : The Gale Force Choice
  Thursday 7th May
• BB0916 : The Comeback Continues
  Thursday 21st May
• BB0917 : BOOTboys Encore !
  28th May - 2nd June
• BB0918 : Hello Dollywagon
  Thursday 11th June
• BB0919 : Has Anyone Seen Lily?
  Thursday 18th June
• BB0920 : Ancient Feet on the Greenburn Horseshoe
  Thursday 25th June
• BB0921 : The Tebay Fell Race Walk
  Thursday 2nd July
• BB0922 : For England and St George 
  Thursday 9th July
• BB0923 : The Coniston Outliers
  Friday 31st July
• BB0924 : Little To Be Said In Favour?
  Thursday 6th August
• BB0925 : The Third Night of the Rescue 
  Thursday 13th August
• BB0926 : Long Wet Windy Monty Bothy Fun?
  Thursday 20th August
• BB0927 : Dear Mrs Scroggins
  Friday 11th September
• BB0928 : An Ard Day's Hike
  Thursday 17th September
• BB0929 : A Canter of Convalescents?
  Thursday 24th September
• BB0930 : BOOTboys International Autumnal Expedition
  Wednesday 23rd to
  Sunday 27th September
• BB0931 : A Bit of an Adventure
  Thursday 1st October 
• BB0932 : Paths of Glory?
  Thursday 8th October
• BB0933 : When Yorkshire Was Welsh
  Wednesday 14th October
• BB0934 : Unlocking the Whinlatters
  Thursday 22nd October
• BB0935 : A Tale of Crinkley Bottoms
  Thursday 5th November
• BB0936 : Aye Up What?
  Thursday 12th November
• BB0937 : Where Eagles Wade
  Tuesday 17th November
• BB0938 : After the Floods
  Thursday 26th November
• BB0939 : The Mystery of the Missing Glove
  Thursday 10th December
• BB0940 : A Too Short Walk
  Thursday 17th December
• BB0941 : One Hundred and Onesfell
  Tuesday 29th December

• BH0901 : Back to the Beginning 
  Thursday 13th August
• BSKIB09 : BOOTskiboys in Saalbach
  14th - 21st March
• BB09XX : Los Chicos y las Chicas de la Bota
  11th - 14th May
• BB09Bav01 : Peaked Too Soon
  1st September

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

Wainwrights

To download a log of which Wainwrights have been done by which BOOTboy in the "modern" era, i.e. since the advent of BOOTboys 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