BB1314
:
The Other Half
Wednesday
9th April 2013
Our
last outing, BB1313,
was around the fells on the eastern side of the Kentmere
Valley. Today the objective was to visit the other half.
This seemed particularly appropriate for me as
my Other Half is away visiting grandson
Alexis
& Co in Crete.
At
first, it seemed that we might need to change plan,
The
aim was to meet by the Church but when we arrived
we found the parking spaces taken by builders' vans
and bags of cement. The church was being renovated.
Worse
still, the field that is sometimes used as a car park,
was shut. However, a notice on the gate did
suggest a house up at Green Quarter that has a camping
barn and the possibility for parking. In fact
it proved a good venue (apart from one drawback, mentioned
later) albeit at the princely sum of £3.
Green
Quarter Dog
|
Kentmere
Church renovations
Green
Quarter cock
|
Looking
up the valley
This
led to a minor readjustment of route and we set off
up the valley on the eastern side of the embryonic River
Kent, climbing over The
Tongue and then, whilst looking down on the Kentmere
Reservoir and a group of deer, up the Nan Bield Pass.
The
Other Half, with Kentmere reservoir
Mike
approaching the Nan Bield Pass
|
Kentmere
deer
|
The day was surprisingly sunny although lightly
veiled. There was a bit of a breeze but nothing
like on recent outings.
Thanks
to the car parking hiatus, we were much behind schedule
so lunch was taken near the Nan Bield shelter, enjoying
a view over Small Water and Haweswater.
Small
Water and Haweswater
|
Tony
with last week's Harter Fell behind
|
Kentmere
west side from Mardale Ill Bell
Thereafter,
we climbed up to Mardale Ill Bell, encountering various
patches of sometimes deep and now slightly thawing
snow. Thornthwaite Beacon was next before turning
south to tackle the Other Half, the western side of
the range.
Comitibus
: Thornthwaite
Beacon
|
Froswick
with Ill Bell just visible
|
Time
was ticking away so there was a debate whether to climb
Froswick or take the runners' traverse. I am proud
to say that I was the only one to top the hill. The
others wimped out of the climb.
That
is a total lie. It was me wot wimped out. At
the start of the traverse, there
was a very steep stretch that had to be crossed. Further
on, it looked like scree or at best loose rock. However,
immediately in front was a steep wide patch of virgin
snow on
which, if a mishap happened, could lead to a slide into
a very nasty gully. Bryan set off, making deep
steps for the others to use. As soon as I saw Bryan
seem to stumble
a bit whilst blazing the trail, my mind was made up.
The late Iron Lady might not have been for turning
but I was.
In
fact my route (the way dozens of others had been, judging
by the footsteps) proved not only to be much easier
but also the faster. After summiting then dropping
down to the shoulder, I had to wait for those braver
than me to
catch up. They accused me of running which was
quite unfair. Wimp, yes. Cheat, no!
Onwards
then to Ill Bell where Tony wanted his photo taken as
he can see that peak from his house.
Tony
looks for his house
|
The
source of the River Kent
|
In
comparison, Yoke is a gentle saunter following which
we took the runners' line down Hall Gill to the Garburn
Pass.
We
were now way behind schedule which had the benefit that
the drawback of parking at Green Quarter
turned into a boon for three of us.
Whilst Bryan
led Mike and John down into the valley and up the steep
climb back to the cars, Tony, Martin and I had a gentle
saunter back to the Kentmere bridge where our chauffeurs
collected us.
Kentmere
reservoir and the Nan Bield Pass
|
Martin
tries to spot the car
|
Sadly,
by this time, most had commitments that precluded the
logical stop at the Brewery in Staveley for a swift half. Fortunately,
John was able to manage his time constraints so after
offloading Bryan and even Tony, we repaired to the Punchbowl
at Barrows Green for the aforesaid drink.
And
then the other half, of course!
And
another!
Then
home for a long distance chat with my
Other Half.
Don,
10th April 2013
PS
Here is a welcome home present for Margaret. Something
I have not given her for a long time. It's washing,
Kentmere style.
PPS
Martin has subsequently confessed that on their way
home for important meetings, Mike "accidentally"
turned into the Underbarrow Punchbowl where it was Happy
Hour which he claims lasted only five minutes.
The
Colour Supplement
STATISTICS:
|
BB1314
|
Date:
|
Wednesday
9th April 2013
|
Distance
in miles:
|
11.4
(Garmin gps)
|
Height
climbed in feet:
|
3,196
(Memory Map / OS)
|
Wainwrights:
|
Mardale
Ill Bell, Thorthaite Becon, Froswick Ill
Bell, Yoke
|
Other
Features:
|
-
|
Comitibus:
|
Bryan,
Don,
John Hn,
Martin C, Mike, Tony
|
BOOTboys
routes are put online in gpx format which
should work with most mapping software. You can follow
our route in detail by downloading bb1314
To
discover 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.
Photos
have been gleaned from many sources although mostly
from me! Likewise written comment. Unless stated
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