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BB1214
: A Pleasant Morning Stroll. Or What?
Wednesday
11th April 2012
The
choice this week was to go with Bryan on Tuesday for
a mountain marathon in terrible weather or to have a
pleasant Wednesday morning stroll with Stan. Well,
which would you choose?
I
didn’t want to travel far as Jamie was due home from
Crete so we decided to visit Scout Scar and Helsington
Barrow. Not exactly new territory but a lovely
area to walk apart from one aspect to which I will return
later.
From
home we crossed the canal, down to the River Kent.
I had never previously noticed Kendal Castle from
here. It must have looked quite intimidating in
its day.
Kendal
Castle
Cutting
up by Helsington Laithes, we crossed the Barrows and
up to the trig point. I don’t know how many times
I have been on Scout Scar previously but until a few
days ago, when I visited with Margaret, I had never
even noticed the trig point which is just a little set
back from the dramatic Scar edge.
From
here we progressed past the stone spiral to the mushroom shelter. We
had intended to stop for a brew but, although a much
better than expected day with stunning views all round,
it was colder than we anticipated.
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The
stone spiral
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Inside
the Mushroom
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The
circular shelter is divided into four equal segments
and on the inside of its dome are shown the names of
the hills visible from that quarter. It is a lovely
place to linger except that apart from the cold, today
some idiot(s) ..... well let’s just say a dog, a plastic
bag and a boot had combined to make that section seriously
uninviting. Don't worry- no photographic evidence.
Who
are these people and what do they think they are doing?
Any volunteers for the firing squad?
Coniston
Old Man and round from the Mushroom
Arnside
Knott from Scout Scar
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The
surprise path
More
lanes followed, this time down to Holeslack Farm. I remember
taking some Christmas goodies there many years ago,, probably for the
Round Table or something like that, to a little old
lady who lived in this remote run-down old building.
Rather different to what now a well-restored National
Trust owned property.
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Retracing
our steps, we dropped down the cliff on the surprise path
to Barrowfield then south along lanes and through
woods to climb back up near Helsington Church.
No
visit this time- to admire the inside and its remarkable
wall painting see:
BB1203
: The Air's Like Wine .
Holeslack
Farm
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Another trail took us to
Sizergh Castle, looking quite splendid in the sunshine.
Sizergh
Castle
Low
Sizergh Farm had an old tractor that would have got
Tony salivating and the friendliest hens ever.
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A
project for Tony?
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Friendly
Cockerel
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Very
friendly hen
Finally, a brief canter across the river and home
where Jamie had just arrived.
Excellent timing.
River
Kent with angler
Not
exactly a Bryan expedition but a good leg stretcher.
Here is Bryan's account of what we missed the previous day:
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Got
out yesterday. Weather was mixed – snow / hail / rain
/ sun – and the fresh overnight snow made conditions
interesting.
I
was able to check the snow conditions going over Sheffield
Pike. It was balling up under my boots and making it
slippery. I tried the microspikes but with similar results.
I had intended heading into Keppel Cove and going up
Catstye Cam via the north ridge, but with no ice axe
I decided against it, as a slip going that way could
send me a long way down!
Swirral
Edge
Anyway
the weather improved a bit for the final stretch over
Birkhouse Moor and I finished OK - 10.2
miles and 3,687ft. Still leaves an awful lot of
tops to do before the end of the month*. Bryan*
This
refers to Bryan’s aim to complete all the Wainwright
Eastern Fells during April, a month in which he
has a number of other commitments limiting his time
available.
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Grim
on Catstye Cam
Instead
I went via Red Tarn and on to the shoulder at the start
of Swirral Edge.
I had lunch part way up the final slope
and was surprised to see the number of people going
up the Edge who didn’t appear to have an axe or crampons.
Judging by the snow conditions on Catstye Cam I would
think that the final 50ft of the edge would have been
manageable without crampons but the slightest slip would
have been pretty serious.
Helvellyns
and Catstye Cam from Birkhouse
Moor
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So,
for future reference, my peroration is that if you want
to go out on the wildest days, pick Bryan, otherwise
stick with Stan and me!
Don,
11th April 2012
A
Major Triumph
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BOOTboys
does not normally carry photos of non-related
items but when a very good friend enjoys
the first major victory of his golfing career,
an exception has to be made.
On
the right, you can see Keith and his trophy
with, in the background, a couple of disgruntled
losers and an ecstatic group of supporters.
Well
done, Keith. Who was it said that
golf was A
Good Walk Spoiled?
Well,
me, amongst others, but I'll make an exception
in this case!
Ed.
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Champion
Keith
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The
Sensible Wineglass
Nor
does BOOTboys
normally carry advertising on its
website.
But when one of our distinguished
members comes up with a brilliant idea,
another exception has to be made.
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Introducing
the coolest invention
since the Seebackroscope
The
J. Shiels
Patent Wine Glass
"Sheer
genius!"
New
Scientist
"At
last, a sensible glass"
Catholic
Herald
Take
a couple
to your very next social event
and amaze your friends
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When
the Hair Turns Green 2
Dear
Editor,
Why
is there a palm tree coming out of my head
at the end of your last article?
Not
that I mind :-)
Confused
in Crete
Dear
Confused in Crete
Perhaps,
if you were to visit one of our tonsorial
specialists
in the UK, we could return your pileous aspect
to a more normal lustre?
Ed.
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A
Call of Nature 2
Bryan
has confessed to being the person mentioned on BB1211
as being responsible for the photo of Tony seemingly
relieving himself . He explains that the geological
feature in front of which Tony was stood is known as
a sink, hence what Tony was doing was .......!
Ed.
STATISTICS:
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BB1214
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Wednesday
11th April 2012
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| Distance
in miles:
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10.2
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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1,237
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| Wainwrights :
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-
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| Other
Features:
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Scout
Scar, Helsington Barrow
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| Comitibus:
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Don, Stan
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BB1214
Unofficial
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Tuesday
10th April 2012
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| Distance
in miles:
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9.8
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| Height
climbed in feet:
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3,687
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| Wainwrights :
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Glenridding
Dodd, Sheffield Pike
Catstye Cam,
Birkhouse Moor,
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| Other
Features:
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-
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| Comitibus:
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Bryan
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BOOTboys
routes are normally put online in gpx format which
should work with most mapping software. But not today.
Route estimated by hand.
To
see which Wainwright top (excluding Outlying Fells)
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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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
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