My original plan for today
was to just do the normal Kentmere Horseshoe,
with the addition of Gray Crag. When I actually got onto Gray Crag two things
occured to me.
Firstly that when I walked with my kids around the Mardale Horseshoe we hadn't
actually stood
on the summit of Rampsgill Head, and secondly, that the walk around to there,
and then down to
The Knott wouldn't really put that much more time on my walk, or so I thought.
More of my thoughts below under the pictures.
Starting from Garburn
pass out of Kentmere I could tell that the 5 litre's of liquid
I was carrying was going to be needed.. it was sweltering.
Looking back down the pass.
Looking towards Yoke from the top of the pass.
The climb up Yoke
Yoke, summit number one.
Looking towards Ill Bell
Across to Red Screes.
My first look at Kentmere Resevoir
Getting close to Ill Bell
Getting ever closer to the three cairns
Ill Bells three summit cairns, number two of the day.
Looking back to Yoke.
Looking towards Windermere
from Ill Bells summit. It really was a murky old day,
but by this time it was so hot I had already drunk 2 litre of liquid.
A great shot of the resevoir
Again my first real look down the Kentmere valley.
The next fell, Froswick.
Looking back to Ill Bell
Froswick looking towards Thornthwaite Beacon, summit three.
Almost at Thornthwaite Beacon looking back to Froswick and Ill Bell
This is not one of those
summits that you miss.
Very busy here today, party of about 12 had stopped to have diner along with
a fair few others.
Summit four!
Looking towards Stoney
Cove Pike, (Caudale Moor).
As I started to walk towards Gray Crag I started to wonder about the possibility
of dropping down
to Stoney Cove once I had been to GC. As I got further down to Gray Crag it
looked very inviting.
From Gray Crag I could
see my first view of Hayeswater. Above the shaddow on the hill
you have Rampsgill Head, and to the left of that, The Knott.
Stoney Cove again but from the southern summit of Gray Crag. Summit Five!
Looking down Gray Crag to its nothern summit.
From Gray Crag you are almost within touching distance of Hartsop Dodd,
Behing in the distance, the Helvelyn range. Click the image for large one.
I really hate having to
double back on myself, going over exactly the same ground,
but in this case I had little choice. The view from Gray Crag back to Thornthwaite
Crag
However, when I did get
back, everyone had left, I had the whole place to myself.
Windermere in the distance.
I had made the choice
that I wasn't going to walk across to Stoney Cove and down to Hartsop Dodd,
but that instead I would add on a walk down to Rampsgill Head and The Knott.
That meant
walking the side of High Street.
You actually miss High
Street summit out going this way,
but it's the quickest way to Rampsgill Head.
Great view of Hayeswater, Gray Crag left, The Knott and Rest Dodd on the right.
Grey Crag.. I guess you can at least understand where it's name comes from???
Along the path to The
Knott, probably near to where that last picture was taken
I came across the most amazing animals I think I have seen so far on the fells.
There are actually four of them, and they stood and watched me like statues whilst I clicked away.
Finally, I got to The Knott, summit six for the day.
From here I could really see the summit of Rampsgill Head, and further to the left, High Raise.
One of my next big walks
is going to be around the more northern part of the Far Eastern Fell range,
and when I do it both Rampsgill and The Knott may be fells I visit again.
The fell very far left
is Rest Dodd, further on from it is The Nabb. The ones to the right are part
of the circuit I will be doing.
Rampsgill Head, summit
seven. I have to say this was about the point, where I got the map
out just to get an idea of all the fells I still needed to do, The Nabb, Steel
Knotts etc.
It was also where it dawned on me just how far north I had walked,
and just how far it was back to the car!
I started the walk up to High Street.
Kidsty Pike
The Straights of Riggindale.
And finally, summit Eight,
High Street - deserted.. shops where all shut.
I so wanted to just lie down here and have a nap, but the wind was starting
to get up
and I got a view of how far I had to go still.
In the foreground, Mardale Ill Bell, and behind it Harter Fell.
Where it all began some
7 hours earlier, Yoke, Ill Bell and Froswick.
Click here for large version.
Approaching Mardale Ill Bell. Summit nine!
Haweswater from Mardale Ill Bell's sumit.
Between Mardale Ill Bell and Harter Fell lies Nan Bield Pass.
Look left as you walk down....
Small water in the foreground,
Haweswater behind it.
Look right...
And you get the Kentmere resevoir with Forswick and Ill Bell behind it.
Having already done about
13 miles, when you come across a path (half way up the pass),
that cuts out a lot of climbing, and a lot of time, its really tempting to
take it,
but that would have left me without a visit it Harter Fell.
Harter Fell, summit Ten!
The wind was really starting to blow at this stage,
but it was 5pm and unbelievably hot.
A long walk down to Kentmere Pike.
Kentmere Pike, summit eleven for the day!
Looking towards Shipmans Knotts.
This was taken some where
around the summit,
but by this time I was really looking forward to getting back to the car.
This is the furthest I
have walked so far, and when I started had you told me I would
be in a fit state to be able to do the Eastern ridge walk that my good friend
Andrew has done,
Nab Scar all the way north to Clough Head I would have laughed at you. Now
I feel I am ready..
In six days I have walked 29.22 miles, and ascended 9,446ft, or there abouts.
