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BB1924
: We Must Have Missed The Closed Sign
Wednesday
17th June 2019
There was a strange
lack of people on the fells this week (me
included, Ed.). Mike T relates the
experience:
On arriving at the top of Wrynose, at 8:30 a.m.,
there was a solitary camper van parked, where the occupants were probably still
asleep, so were spoilt for choice of parking places.
We were quickly away and
the cloud was descending, giving us brief, but dramatic views towards Eskdale.
It was so cloudy, as well as windy, we needed a bearing to take us back off the
top of Grey Friars and soon found the memorial to the 8 Canadian Airmen killed
in the crash of a Halifax aircraft on 22nd October 1944.
However, where were
the other walkers? None had been encountered! Was there some unknown ban from
walking the fells this day. We hadn’t spotted a Closed sign.
After ascending
Great Carrs we went back along the ridge to Swirl How, which again was without
a sign of fellow fell wanderers. The cloud was now lifting giving great
panoramas of Coniston.....
..... and back towards Langdale, with Stickle Tarn being very
prominent.
Still we couldn’t spot another walker.
Rain was forecast for about
1:30 p.m. so we hurried on down Prison Band and hardly paused at Swirl Hawse
before ascending Wetherlam.
On approaching the summit, what did we see before
us but a walker, who in conversation stated we were the first people he’d met
and too thought he’d missed that the fells were shut this day. Then the bus
service principle (i.e. none for ages then they all come at once) came into
effect and another chap hoved into view, who also said we were the first
walkers he’d seen.
We struggled with the wind on Wetherlam summit, where
Brian’s camera refused to stay upright long enough for a group photo. [I've
steadied it for you! Ed.]
There
were great views to the east and south, despite a heavy cloud base.
As it was
till half an hour to Tony’s lunch time we decided to go down Wetherlam Edge and
the Greenburn side would afford protection from the prevailing wind.
At this
point we heard a great deal of shouting and whistling that was doubtless a
farmer with his dog; however, they were audible but not visible. Two more
walkers were met, who were pleased to see someone else and diverted to chat; it
was starting to feel crowded.
At midday we stopped outside an old mine entrance
for our lunch, before the steep descent to the old mine
buildings. A group of six walkers could be seen in the valley bottom; probably
a coach trip!
The clouds were starting to look ominous and, with no break, we
got to the bottom and straight up the ridge to Rough Craggs, which felt more
onerous that the map suggested it would be, where we again met the first chap
we encountered. Once on the top and with odd spots of rain in the air, we
rapidly traversed to the Wrynose side of the ridge back to the vehicle, where
there were more cars, but no people. The time was 1:30 p.m.; must be some sort of
record.
Mike T, Thursday 17th July 2019
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