BB1411 : The Hunting of the Snake

Thursday 27th March 2014

In my early working career there was a joke about a particular accountant:

Question: What is the difference between a viper and Mr X?

Answer:  One is a poisonous snake, the other is an adder.

For the avoidance of doubt, I should make it clear that the accountant in question is not one on the BOOTboys distribution list!

However, to slighly misquote the title of Lewis Carroll's epic poem, the Hunting of the Snake was not the purpose of today's adventure  The criteria for Stan and me was simple. At least ten miles and back before the expected rain set in.

Stan devised an appropriate route.  At least he thought it appropriate until I measured it on the map as almost 18 miles.  A more modest expedition was devised.

Potter Fell from  Burneside

Quite simply, this involved starting from Burneside, climbing up by Potter Tarn and Gurnal Dubbs then heading over Potter Fell and beyond before returning on the east side of Kentmere Valley.

Gurnal Dubbs

Sleddale Forrest, Kentmere and Longsleddale fells behind

Skeggles Water itself was too far off, given the constraints, so post-adder, we turned south to head back. We stopped for lunch at the wrong place,  We had sought for quite sometime to find somewhere convenient to sit.  The best we could manage was a stone step stile over a wall. Had we continued another 100 yards we would have found a much more comfortable bench!

Finally we dropped down to Bowston and walked along the River Kent to Burneside. Objective achieved.  Something over ten miles and back just as the rain started.

I was tempted to close with the cheap jibe that we saw the poisonous snake but not the adder.  Or should it be the other way round?

However, it is perhaps more appropriate once again to misquote from Lewis Carroll; this time the conclusion of the Hunting of the Snark in which the identity of the Snark is revealed as a Boojum:

For the Snake was the Adder, you see.

Don, 27th March 2014

Bonus Pictures:

Cowan Head Mill apartments

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading bb1411 .

To discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing - although it may not be that up to date - see: Which Wainwright When?

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

Photos have been gleaned from many sources although mostly from me!
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