A Dovedale Horseshoe -
Hartsop Above
How, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Bakestones, Little Hart Crag,
High Hartsop Dodd, Scandale Tarn, Red Screes, Middle Dodd, and past Brothers
Water.
A story of two days..
On
Saturday 20th May 2006 I left Blackpool and set off for Cow Bridge, just south of Patterdale on what was to be my first experience of 'wild camping'. I had just purchased a Vango Spirit Lite 200 tent for a reasonable price and had just about gotten my pack down to a weight that I could lift. I have done quite a bit of walking now, and my last long one around Lingmell and the Scafells, although hard work in places, really showed me that I was getting used to this walking lark... ohh really??? Add 20 lbs to the weight of your back pack and see how fit you really are! I ache in places I thought I had built up, calves, thigh's etc.. and my back is so tender I can hardly move... am I detered, I am put off.. dont be daft.. |
..
I parked the car in the
spaces over the bridge where there didnt seem to be any 'NO overnight parking
' signs.
Just for the record I am not sure I was ok doing this, even though on my return
I had no clamps or tickets.
..
Looking up, and then back
down my ascent onto Hartsop Above Hows ridge.
You'll be seeing a few
pictures of Brothers Water,
but this first one shows the low cloud that was forcast to clear by evening...
The first crop of rock on Hartsop Above How
Guess where?
Looking up Kirkstone Pass
the cloud was getting lower if anything,
and there was quite a breeze getting up.
I believe this is Buck stones..
What ever its called once
you get on top of it and look down its amazing.
The cloud was so thick at first there was no view at all.
Only mist, by the time it had cleared I had moved on, sadly.
Looking back along the ridge to where I had come from.
And up to Hart Crag...
the thought of being in the middle of that lot,
having never been there before was not thrilling.
Looking back again.. my last glimps of a clear view for more than 12 hours..
Ascending Hart Crag..
this hurt.. with the pack being so heavy..
My wife called me on the mobile as I was half way up here,
... when I answered, she asked why I was so out of breath... ermm let me think???
Just short of the top,
there is a wonderful place to stop and admire the view..
or at least there is when it's not cloudy..
Hart Crag's Summit..
where I met up with a load of very nice people from Tamworth Elim Christian
Center.. <waves>
They were doing the Fairfield Horseshoe and had got a little seperated from
each other. .nothing serious..
Really nice folks.. should have taken a pic really.
From here I pushed onto
to Dove Crag, no pics I am afraid of anything other than the tops..
too much cloud.
Now.. cough.. I knew that
the ridge leading to High Pike was the way
I needed to walk up to a certain point, and that at this point I needed to
turn left
and make my way down to Little Hart Crag (LHC).
I had seen on David Hall's web site HERE
what the cairn looked like at High Bakestones,
however.. when I reached it..
I was a little unsure as to exactly where I was...
you can see how bad the mist was and there are paths leading off in every
direction.
Dont ask me how, but I
ended up back on the path to High Pike,
in fact it wasn't until I could actually see High Pike
that I figured out I was no where near where I needed to be.
I started to back tract and soon enough I started to lose height and finally
got below the clouds.
This was my first view of Little Hart Crag.
I pitched my tent right
inbetween the two summits,
and although it wasn't perfect it did give me a little shelter.
The forcast for the moring was fine, with no clouds..
I wasn't hopeful I have to tell you...
The pic below is taken about 5.30am
Looking towards Brothers
Water, the morning was exactly as forcast.
(LHC) dead center, taken at 5.05 am!
Looking towards Ambleside
from the largest tarn between LHC's two summit's.
I was surprised at how quickly it got light.
My next big climb would
be up there,, Red Screes.. but first..
quick run down to High Hartsop Dodd, and back again..
I snapped these whilst on the way down.
Dove Crag almost center.
Remember Buck Stones..
where I couldn't see anything..
this is how far down it was..
Carrying a full rucksack,
it really starts to hurt when you know
you have to carry something down hill..
only to have to carry it all the way back up again...
so I left my pack half way along the ridge. Looking back to LHC
Same thing but from the end of the ridge.
The view of Brothers Water from High Hartsop Dodd.
I walked around LHC and down towards Scandale Tarn and pass.
I turned around and looked back to LHC and I managed to get one of the best pics of the day.
ONTO PAGE TWO... My climb up Red Screes
