Friday 23rd June 2006
Dale Head - Hindscarth - Robinson - Knott Rigg - Ard Crags
10.94 miles with 4,101 ft of ascent
Todays walk was a last minute affair, as usual and was really about tryng to do a 5 summit walk.. why.. Well because Ard Crags is the 99th Wainwright summit I have climbed, if you take everything into account that is. I can't claim to have sat on Birkhouse Moor's summit, although I was close when we walked Helvellyn, so Ard Crags is 99, and not 100. This is important because I want to try and get as many of my friends as possible to walk with me on my 100th AW, as well as all my family of course. |
Today was a really yucky day, but to be honest, much easier to walk in this
weather
than in the raging hot sun of the last two weeks.
The church at Little Town.
From the church the view towards Hindscarth and Robinson.
The view across to Rowling End and Causey Pike
Further
along, High Spy to the left, Dale Head to the right. I had wanted to
walk this way because my walk Catbells - High Spy has a picture of me
stood right on the edge of a rock formation just below High Spy, you
can see the report here |
The beginning of the amazing waterfalls.
The terrible two had to
go investigate every little bit of water.. of course...
Finally things started
to get a bit steep.. it had been very easy going to this point.
All the way up there are more and more falls, think we may come back here
again with family,
some great picnic spots.
I actually missed Zara swimming in this one, she totally misjudged how
deep it was.. you can see Jay back peddling trying not to make the same mistake.
By far the most awsome one.. by this point how ever I was having problems
with Zara.
For some reason she just wouldn't walk in front of me with Jay, which if she
were a tiny dog
might not be a problem, but with sheep every where, you really need to know
where you dog is,
and for that they need to be in front of you. Next time I do this walk I will
climb down
to the bottom of these falls.
As I said, I keep a close eye on my dogs at all times, but as we walked around
the huge rock
in front of Dale Head tarn they were both about 10 feet in front of me.
They were out of view for only a second, but as I came around the corner a
black lamb
was walking RIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO DOGS..
neither Zara or Jay seemed to be at all bothered by the lamb, they just let
it walk by..
From Dale Head Tarn this is High Spy
From about half way up the climb to Dale Head this is the view along Maiden
Moor
From the same place, this is Hindscarth and the gully in the foreground is
I believe
'Near Tongue Gill'
When I got to Dale Head I could see the clouds coming in more and more.
Maiden Moor even started
to disappear...
Jay almost getting the
official GSD stance right for once...
Walking towards Hindscarth
we stopped quite a few times to take the pictures that follow this one..
As it turns out, of all todays pics of the dogs, this is one I like the best.
I have travelled the pass
between Borrowdale and Buttermere many times - Honister Pass,
but I have never seen it from above before today.
Buttermere in the distance
and of course one
with the dogs in it too.....
Jay stood right on the edge at one point trying to figure out what was going
on below him.
I don't think he could understand how the tiny little moving things could
be cars...
Hindscarth Summit
and again
Looking towards Robinson
When you climb up the ridge towards Robinson you come to this cairn.
You can see how misty it was, and had I not got my map out and worked out
that I needed
to walk north from here, I could have gone rather wrong..
after all.. looks like a summit cairn to me.. ??
Couldn't see more than a few feet, but finally, the top.
Just to give you an idea..
this is High Snockrigg, or at least part of it..
This was my route off Robinson, and I have to say it was VERY wet!
Looking back to Robinson.
Looking across to Whiteless Pike
and Wandope (left) Knott Rigg to the right.
For those that have not followed our walking pages from the beginning,
Jay had the most awful fear of heights when he first started to walk with
me,
almost as bad as me.. not any more..
Robinson again...
Knott Rigg is the other
side of Newlands Hause.. very quiet for this time of year.
Why do hills always look small when you are above them..
and then look really big when you get further down...
Have to say that the climb up Knott Rigg was hard work.
It's quite steep in places, but the view back down is worth it.
not even at the top yet though....
From Knott Rigg, this is
Crag Hill, or Ell Crag as AW called it
Looking towards Ard Crags, Sail and Scar Crag to the left.
From Ard Crags, Keskadale Farm as mentioned on OS maps!
Sail .. I remember walking this.. and it really is hard work..
If you look on the OS
maps you will see a path that leads from Ard Crags,
down into a valley and back up to Sail... all I can say.. is .. 'after you..'
Ouch that looks steep... ohh and don't slip..
Causey Pike behing the
dogs.
Zara had all but quit walking by this stage and I worried that I would have
to carry her.
The Newlands Valley.
My final decent path, through the heather.
