BB1703 : The Bells, The Bells

Thursday 19th January 2017

We didn’t expect to see much today.  Fortunately  when we set off the early morning mist had cleared and we saw much more than we expected.  And heard things we didn't expect.

As we anticipated poor visibility, we decided to stay quite low and follow a route on which it would be difficult to get lost.  That was until Bryan decided to add a variation that added considerably to the enjoyment of the walk but little to the distance.

We started from the Blea Tarn car park and headed past the spectacular views of Side Pike (our first destination) and the Langdales.

The ascent of Side Pike from the top of the pass is short but steep and well worth the effort for more superb views of the Langdale Valley, a vicious drop below us.

In order to reach Lingmoor (Martin’s suggested target) we had to pass through the Big Squeeze.  All managed without too much effort - are we getting slimmer?

My original plan was to follow the wall to Brown How, the top of Lingmoor.  Bryan, however, is on a mission to visit on the tarns in Lakeland and Lingmoor Tarn was on his to-do list.  Consequently we made the detour to make the visit and to me, it was well worthwhile, being interestingly shaped and a little larger than I expected.  Why Bryan didn’t dip a hand or toe in it escapes me.  That means he has to return to do the job properly.

Soon we reached the summit where we stopped for lunch.  It was then that we heard the bells.  It was too late and too elaborate for a noon clarion  Instead it sounded like a bellringers practice session as they worked their way through many call changes. It was an enchanting sound to hear soaring over the hills from, we think, Grasmere.

We then headed down to Little Langdale, eschewing the opportunity to call in at Tony’s wife’s ancestors’ pub (formerly The Traveller’s Rest and now the Three Shires).  Instead we headed down to the Slaters'' Bridge where we eschewed the opportunity to visit the Cathedral Cave (though after the bells that might have been appropriate).

Instead we took the path on the south side of Little Langdale Tarn, heading west.   

At the tarn, Side Pike was still in view but the Langdales were now in cloud..  Here we saw a sight that we, or I at least, have never witnessed before on the fells.  There was a women in a white dress hugging man in a black suit.  With them was a photographer and a man holing a big pole with a spotlight on the end of it.

Comitibus: Side Pike

Map shown: Memory Map OS 1:25k

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading bb1703 .

To discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing - although it may not be that up to date - or for the totals of the mileages and heightages (ditto) see the Excel file: BB Log.

You can navigate to the required report via the Home Page

Photos have been gleaned from many sources
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BOOTboys 2017

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