BB2116 : Terry had a little lamb

Wednesday 14th April 2021

Terry did have a little lamb.  I don't mean tasty meat and gravy washed down with a fine red wine though that might be the lamb's destiny.  I mean a little, fluffy, endearing, living lamb.  And everywhere that Terry went, that lamb did surely go. For a while at least.  But more of that later.

Tony needed an early return in order to undertake post-lockdown festivities so that meant an early start and not too far to drive.  I suggested Whinfell, not only because it fitted that brief but also I had been told of a different way off the fell that would enable a shorter walk from Hucks Bridge.  I wanted to check it out.

The initial climb up Ashtead Fell is the stiffest part of the walk and perhaps the stiffest part of the stiffest part was actually climbing out of the track cut into the fell by the loggers!

The weather was kind, and the views were good thereby resulting in leisurely progress along the range.

We even found some snow- can't remember being in any previously this year.

The highest point is actually at Mabbin Crag, between the forests, though it doesn't feel like it.  Tony and Stan examined the Hobbit House and then we moved out of the woodland bog onwards to Castle Fell .....

..... and eventually to Whinfell Beacon.....

..... with the radio masts beyond.....

..... and beyond them the Howgills.

Tony was delighted to discover that he was being allowed to have his lunch at just two minutes after noon.

There were several carvings on the summit cairn, one seemingly dating back to 1835.

The "new" route off the fell involved crossing back over the wall stile then heading east down the hill to pick up a track that leads down eventually to the minor road near Evattsike.  Strangely this is shown on the OS 1:50k map but not on the 1:25k.

Lambing is evidently later round here than elsewhere as there were many very young lambs to be seen.  One of them, so young that its mother was still trailing, well I'm not really sure what it was trailing but it was something to do with its afterbirth.  The lamb however was steady on its feet and decided that humans were much more interesting than ewes and, in particular, that the human called Terry was the most interesting of them all.  Perhaps it thought Terry was vegetarian?  Anyway, as I said at the outset, everywhere that Terry went, that lamb did surely go.

I thought mother might become a bit aggressive with all the attention its offspring was enjoying but she kept her distance albeit with a very watchful eye.

Eventually Terry persuaded the lamb that mother's milk was far better than anything he could offer and we were able to escape to the road.

This led north through very rural countryside.....

..... passing the occasional farm or very nice house until we came to a paddock with a couple of fell ponies.  Stan of course befriended them although he didn't tell them his usual tale that had he got an apple, he would have offered it to them. This was next to the old farmhouse where a pleasant woman engaged us in discussion about fell ponies- one of Stan's new friends was thirty years old and was being fattened up to return to the hills.

A little further on, after Stan had spotted several deer heading into the woods, we left the tarmac road to take a rough track that led more or less back to the cars.

It was only later, as I drove home, that I realised that I had forgotten to ask Terry what he was having for dinner.  Lamb, horse or venison?  Washed down with a fine red wine of course.

Don, Wednesday 14th April 2021

PS My apologies that the Relive track initially shows a straight line up the hill. Unfortunately I hadn't realised that it had been on Pause.  It still gives you a good idea of our route.  Click on the aerial view below to follow our route.

Comitibus:

Comitibus:  Don, Stan, Tony, Terry

Route:  Map: OS 1:50k

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STATISTICS

BB2116 : Terry Had A Little Lamb

Date:

Wednesday 14th April 2021

Features:

Whinfell

Comitibus:

Don, Terry, Tony, Stan

Distance in miles (MM):

8.0

Height climbed in feet (MM):

1,906

GPX track

BB2116.gpx

John Hn

Don

Terry

Martin

Tony

TV Mike

Stephen

John PL

Stan

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