Sharkey's Dream

Loughrigg Fell hadn’t been planned at all today, yes I was supposed to be around the central fells with my lad Owen but what we or I had planned was one of two possibilities in Silver How or Loughrigg & said won hands down because Owen had spied the caves while I was doing a bit of research as you do, also in conversation in-between talking Xbox!! While on drive on the way up was well we know were not going to be all day of a job on Loughrigg so why don’t we have lunch at the summit, head down & climb another fell? I’ve always quite fancied after spending days walking the fells that if I ever had the time I’d love to give Castle Crag a go, Owens eyes lit up!! That was it the day had been planned  !

ASCENT: 335 Mtrs  1,101 Ft

WAINWRIGHTS: 1

PARKING: Pelter Bridge Car Park ,F.O.C

WEATHER: 3 Degrees with highs of 9 , Overcast & warm

Miles: 6.5

Pelter Bridge car park & it seems we are getting used to arriving first, by the time we got back here it was jammed full, even parking along the grass verges , a great spot for an ice cream van you would say… to which all I heard Dad can I?,  dad can I, dad can I !

 

Nab Scar & Heron Pike, taken from Rydal Water .

Owen on the upper level path that would lead us to the quarries .

The first cave we came across and what you can’t actually see in the picture I’ve taken is the tricky rock Id clambered up to get inside the cave, only about 15 feet or so & as many as two foot holes, it got me thinking now I’m up how am I going to get down !

  Taken from inside the first cave .

And just further around the corner, cave 2 the main cave, inside there were stepping stones towards the back roughly about 50ft, 70% of the cave floor was under water & for me its the last place Id think you’d find fish ! I quote the great man himself Alfred Wainwright, There is shelter enough here for the whole population of Ambleside (Although admittedly, many people would be standing in water)

Owen donning his head torch, Oh to be a kid again

Looking towards Helm Crag & Steel Fell & far left a tiny show of Gibson Knott

Grasmere & Silver How.

Dunmail Raise beyond .

It was busy today to say the least , What Owen is looking at here is the group of extremely loud teenagers walking behind us blowing whistles & almost like us I bet the people ahead here were thinking exactly the same thing, “where these cretins taught nothing about conduct on the Fells” Go & get em Owen !!

Looking back on Pike O’ Stickle, Harrison Stickle & Pavey Ark .

A small glimpse of Elter Water & Wetherlam & the Coniston Fells.

Owen heading for Loughrigg Fell Summit .

Loughrigg Fell summit trig point.

I knows he’s thinking Castle Crag right about now,.. we’ve made great time .

Windermere, seen from Loughrigg, not the best of pictures I’m afraid !

Loughrigg Tarn & Elter Water .

One of the many Tarns found on Loughrigg  as we make our descent .

So many paths !

Back on the road to Pelter Bridge car park, & Owen’s trying his balancing skills back & forth over the stepping stones, he really loved being out on the Fells today, & as we made such good timing we decided that another fell today would be to ignorant to pass up, so now its a mad dash to Borrowdale & the Lakelands smallest Fell “Castle Crag”

In expedition terms today was our day! What two fells 21 miles apart! Its actually harder on the mind for a young un like Owen, what seemed like a great idea, I could tell by now his little dreary & tired face which didn’t help being de-toured through & around Keswick because of the new water mains, which meant sitting in the car for almost an hour gave the legs chance to stiffen up, me included, but nevertheless we made it to Grange in Borrowdale in what seemed like a perfect summers day afternoon.

ASCENT: 951 Ft  290 Mtrs

WAINWRIGHTS: 1

PARKING: Off road parking in Grange Village

WEATHER: Warm & Sunny ,Highs of 9 Degrees

Miles 2.5

Our first site of Lakelands smallest Wainwright, Castle Crag.

Crossing Broadslack Gill .

This whole area would of been quarried back in the last century .

Looking back down the path towards Derwent Water & Skiddaw.

Spring is definitely here 

Leaving the main path & hooking a left towards the slag heaps.

Owens back in his element, lead the way son !

 

Lakelands smallest doesn’t compensate for how steep this is!

Looking towards Rosthwaite  domineered by Great Crag.

Borrowdale Valley & Rosthwaite village over looked  by Ullscarf far distance, Eagle Crag & Sergeants Crag centre.

Kings How.

Ornaments made from slate, quite eerie I might add !

River Dewent & Dewent Water .

Castle Crag Summit & WW1 memorial plaque ,What a nice place to be .

Looking south towards Seatoller.

Looking towards the Scafell range & Great End.

Back down now at the river Dewent & time for a quick rest on the banks, this is the sort of place “If you could freeze time”

You have to spoil a nice set of pics don’t you Sharkey !

Time to head home now & judders at the thought at having to get through Keswick again, but I’m not going to let a bit of traffic spoil what a great day we’ve both had !

I wasn’t supposed to be on the fells this weekend due to the bad weather forecast & as usual Id moved heaven & earth to get this Saturday free, so you can imagine my disappointment when  keeping almost hourly tabs on this weekends forecast that Id almost given up hope on getting on the fells ,then comes in the Friday evening one last check fingers crossed & hey there it was blue skies start to finish, how the hell can it change so much in such & short time! You know what I don’t know & frankly didn’t care I was on the fells again ,Jo Blyth consider yourself stalked again!trouble was Id sulked myself into finishing off some last minute decorating the Friday evening which left me with very little time to pack my stuff ,never the less I got there in the end,sky plus corrie ,couple of beers & job done

ASCENT : 762 Mtrs  2500Ft

WAINWRIGHTS : 3 Blea Rigg, Sergeant Man,High Raise

PARKING : Grasmere C E Primary School

WEATHER : –2 With Highs Of 5 Degrees Clear Blue Skies

MILES : 10

 

 

Having just parked up at Grasmere C E Primary school I was surprised to how such a beautiful day it was &  how quite Grasmere is, not a single sole on the streets  ,I even managed first dabs on a parking spaces on the school playground ,not before leaving my donation of course ,Great idea for a small village such as Grasmere to let us outer towners park on there school playground

Crossing the small bridge over Easdale Gill .

Looking towards one of the ascent routes up Helm Crag.

The aptly named “New Bridge” as the old bridge was washed away in the floods back in 1997 ,you wouldn’t think this was only 13yrs old ,looks more like 200yrs which can only be a credit to the builders who built it .

Still quite a while away but I can certainly hear it ,…Sour Milk Gill .

Ok guys you know the drill! you don’t stare at me & ill walk through pathetically staring at my boots! who knows what kind of mood they’ve  woke up in !

Perched almost on top of Sour Milk Gill looking back in to the Easdale valley ,& yeah at this point I’m remembering the incorrect but made correct on the last minute weather forecast ,maybe that’s why Grasmere was so quite this morning ,I still haven’t seen a single person but in no way am I complaining

Not far from Easedale Tarn now.

A frozen Easedale Tarn.

Leaving the tarn towards my first real climb ,Blea Crag .

Tarn Crags over looking Easedale Tarn, with Great Rigg & Fairfield under cloud which pretty much didn’t move all day .

Windermere & a glimpse of Elter water from Blea Rigg .

Blea Rigg Summit cairn.

Looking across to Pavey Ark & Harrison stickle .

Central & southern fells with Morcambe Bay in the distance .

Harrison Stickle this time with its frozen Tarn & right opposite is Lingmoor Fell & the Langdales

Looking back towards Windermere from Blea Rigg .

To the left is my second Summit ,Sergeant Man .

Snow caped central & southern Lake District.

On the approach to Sergeant Man ,the conditions were perfect except for the snow underfoot ,will it hold my weight? went through every footstep, the answer was no of course !

Sergeant Man summit .

As good as winter walking gets ,Heading toward High Raise from Sergeant Man & its just a steady incline of about 40Mtrs or so covered over by about 1/4 of a mile .

High Raise summit & shelter ,looking pretty busy ,did I pass a Hi & a good morning? ,.yes I did ,.did I get one back? ,..no I didn’t! what is it about a person when walking in groups (not every one I might add) seems to think they are above the rest ?  I know its not just me because I had a father & son closely walking behind me & they fell for the same trick & yielded the same response ,.Just ignore me ! I’m feeling pretty opinionated today!

After the groups had gone I discovered this !!! The summit trig point ,.Paul your just being ferocious now,  Time for lunch ,..Paul your just being hungry now

More or less back at the Tarn after some lunch ,you can see Blea Crag to the right my ascent route .

Descending back in to the Easedale valley was a little tricky to say the least ,I guess it wouldn’t cause to much damage If I took a tumble here ,the sun most of warmed the snow up causing it almost to feel slush like underfoot .

Equally a little tricky .

Almost back at Easedale Tarn .

And finally back in to Grasmere, A pretty long day by all accounts ,Id roughly covered just over 10 miles & was ready for a soak in the bath , all I didn’t need now was a convoy of arctic trucks carrying Luxury log cabins all the way back to the M6 , Which was what I got !Never less that’s 3 more Wainwrights ticked off my list which for me can only be a good thing .