Monday, 17 August 2009
Monday, 27 July 2009
Tryfan North Face+Bristly Ridge+Devils Kitchen09
Today Jason and I are going to tackle some of the best scrambling ridges in Snowdonia.
The route we'll be taking is from Tryfan's north ridge, down the south ridge, up Bristly ridge, Glyder Fach, over Castle of the Winds, Glyder Fawr, down the steep scree slope and finally down through the Devil's Kitchen to the Idwal carpark.We left one car at Idwal carpark and one at the foot of Tryfan which cancels out the need to walk along the A55.
Here is a quick map with our route plotted for the day.
Parked along the layby just off the A55 at the foot of Tryfan, we headed up the steep climb. (9:50am)
Looking across Llyn Ogwen, A55, with my car in the distance below! Foel Goch in the middle with some low level cloud cover.
A bit more elevation gained.
At this point there are no distinct paths so route finding was up to us.
On my way up!
We could see the first of the three summit points of Tryfan.
A great photo opportunity on the famous cannon stone.
Conditions were damp so the climb down was a little bit trickier.
Jason doing the vertical stuff. This is what a grade 1 scramble looks like.
Looking across to the summit with one of the Adam and Eve stones in view.
Llyn Bochlwyd, Llyn Idwal and Llyn Ogwen all in one shot with Y Garn and Foel Goch in the background.
More of the north ridge traverse.
Taking a quick break on the summit.
It was too windy and scary to stand up or jump between the stones!
Adam and Eve.
View of Bristly ridge and Glyder Fach from the summit of Tryfan.
South side descent of Tryfan.
After the descent of the south face of Tryfan we were faced with the gnarly Bristly ridge. We had a 5mins stop and think time to discuss our line of attack!
Jason at the start of the scramble up one of the Gullies, Sinister Gully? Possibly.
A view down from a safe standing point. Not a good place to be if you suffer from Acrophobia as the exposure is quite severe.
Looking across the gully.
Plaster on my finger, minor mishap, the rock won and my finger lost!
Quite a distance down!
Nearly there at the end of Sinister Gully.
Near the top of sinister gully, notice a small group of people in the distance! I can sum up the gully as having some serious exposure, sheer drops, slippery damp rock foot and handholds and much more technical than most parts of crib goch.
Topping out, the only way is over and down climb.
My turn.
A vertical down climb part.
Looking back at the wall we'd down climbed.
Another pinnacle ahead, the great pinnacle gap perhaps?
Resting spot. me admiring the drop!
Looking across the Glyders from Bristly ridge. The lake below is called Llyn Bochlwyd or sometimes it is also known as lake Australia, due to the fact that its shape, when seen from above, resembles that of Australia.
Looking back at Tryfan from Bristly ridge.
Jason down climbing one of the pinnacles.
Llyn Bochlwyd through the gap.
Looking back from Glyder Fach after topping out on Bristly ridge. After doing Tryfan and Bristly ridge I would rate the latter as harder and more technical of the two as some lines were a definite grade 2 scramble in dry conditions!
The boulder field summit of Glyder Fach.
The famous cantilever stone on Glyder Fach.
Coming off the cantilever, there was still a fair gap to jump over!
The amazing Snowdon horseshoe viewed from Glyder Fach.
Straddling the summit stone of Glyder Fach. I must say that it was quite narrow!
Snowdon horseshow and the Castle of the Winds to the right.
Looking across to Glyder Fawr. This was a straight forward walk between the two mountains after negotiating round the castle of the winds' boulders.
Y Garn and Foel Goch from Glyder Fach.
Where's the summit point on Glyder Fawr?
Jason going down the nasty scree slope of Glyder Fawr.
More of the never ending scree slope descent.
Heading toward the top of Devil's Kitchen, our final descent.
Descending the Devil's kitchen.
A view of Pen Yr Ole Wen from Devil's Kitchen.
Looking back at Devil's kitchen.
Back to the start and we have Pen Yr Ole Wen basking in the afternoon sunshine. It was a great day out, a proper mountain day, with some scars and bruises to prove it as well!
Duration of walk:- 6hrs 20mins
Weather:- Forecast to rain, but it was dry all the way through.
Nearly there at the end of Sinister Gully.
Near the top of sinister gully, notice a small group of people in the distance! I can sum up the gully as having some serious exposure, sheer drops, slippery damp rock foot and handholds and much more technical than most parts of crib goch.
Topping out, the only way is over and down climb.
My turn.
A vertical down climb part.
Looking back at the wall we'd down climbed.
Another pinnacle ahead, the great pinnacle gap perhaps?
Resting spot. me admiring the drop!
Looking across the Glyders from Bristly ridge. The lake below is called Llyn Bochlwyd or sometimes it is also known as lake Australia, due to the fact that its shape, when seen from above, resembles that of Australia.
Looking back at Tryfan from Bristly ridge.
Jason down climbing one of the pinnacles.
Llyn Bochlwyd through the gap.
Looking back from Glyder Fach after topping out on Bristly ridge. After doing Tryfan and Bristly ridge I would rate the latter as harder and more technical of the two as some lines were a definite grade 2 scramble in dry conditions!
The boulder field summit of Glyder Fach.
The famous cantilever stone on Glyder Fach.
Coming off the cantilever, there was still a fair gap to jump over!
The amazing Snowdon horseshoe viewed from Glyder Fach.
Straddling the summit stone of Glyder Fach. I must say that it was quite narrow!
Snowdon horseshow and the Castle of the Winds to the right.
Looking across to Glyder Fawr. This was a straight forward walk between the two mountains after negotiating round the castle of the winds' boulders.
Y Garn and Foel Goch from Glyder Fach.
Where's the summit point on Glyder Fawr?
Jason going down the nasty scree slope of Glyder Fawr.
More of the never ending scree slope descent.
Heading toward the top of Devil's Kitchen, our final descent.
Descending the Devil's kitchen.
A view of Pen Yr Ole Wen from Devil's Kitchen.
Looking back at Devil's kitchen.
Back to the start and we have Pen Yr Ole Wen basking in the afternoon sunshine. It was a great day out, a proper mountain day, with some scars and bruises to prove it as well!
Duration of walk:- 6hrs 20mins
Weather:- Forecast to rain, but it was dry all the way through.
Monday, 20 July 2009
Y Garn July09
Y Garn is one of my favourite mountains which is located in the fabulous mountain range of the Glyerau Massif.
It is a mountain that can be done within a few hours without the usual long walk in. There are many routes up this mountain, from the gentle but arduous slog up the south east face to the excellent northe east shoulder. Parking is also excellent, plus it is also easy to get to from the A5.
My route map. If I wanted to extend the day hike I could either climb Elidir Fawr or Glyder Fawr.
Parking is at Ogwen, the carpark hardly gets full and it is also free if you park outside the wall. As you can see Y Garn makes a perfect backdrop in the distant.
Waterfalls near Idwal Cottage.
Y Garn! The path up for me is the right flank.
The Devil's Kitchen. Situated between Glyder Fawr and Y Garn.
Glyder Fawr.
Y Garn from Llyn Idwal.
Devil's Kitchen from Llyn Idwal.
Tryfan and Bristly Ridge on the right from Llyn Idwal.
The mighty Tryfan showing it's North and South ridges. I'll be there in 2 weeks time!
Nearly there at the summit!
Looking to my right or North West we can see Elidir Fawr and Foel Goch.
This scree path reaches it's plateau and the last stretch for the summit is left from here.
Another 100m or so to the top.
Summit view toward Llyn Ogwen.
Lunch break ontop of Y Garn, fantastic!
North East I can see Pen Yr Ole Wen.
Llanberis and Llyn Beris to the right. Some dark clouds are moving in!
Snowdon Massif with some cloud cover.
Llyn Cwn and Glyder Fawr.
Tryfan and Bristly ridge.
Glyder Fawr and Llyn Idwal.
It is a mountain that can be done within a few hours without the usual long walk in. There are many routes up this mountain, from the gentle but arduous slog up the south east face to the excellent northe east shoulder. Parking is also excellent, plus it is also easy to get to from the A5.
My route map. If I wanted to extend the day hike I could either climb Elidir Fawr or Glyder Fawr.
Parking is at Ogwen, the carpark hardly gets full and it is also free if you park outside the wall. As you can see Y Garn makes a perfect backdrop in the distant.
Waterfalls near Idwal Cottage.
Y Garn! The path up for me is the right flank.
The Devil's Kitchen. Situated between Glyder Fawr and Y Garn.
Glyder Fawr.
Y Garn from Llyn Idwal.
Devil's Kitchen from Llyn Idwal.
Tryfan and Bristly Ridge on the right from Llyn Idwal.
The mighty Tryfan showing it's North and South ridges. I'll be there in 2 weeks time!
Nearly there at the summit!
Looking to my right or North West we can see Elidir Fawr and Foel Goch.
This scree path reaches it's plateau and the last stretch for the summit is left from here.
Another 100m or so to the top.
Summit view toward Llyn Ogwen.
Lunch break ontop of Y Garn, fantastic!
North East I can see Pen Yr Ole Wen.
Llanberis and Llyn Beris to the right. Some dark clouds are moving in!
Snowdon Massif with some cloud cover.
Llyn Cwn and Glyder Fawr.
Tryfan and Bristly ridge.
Glyder Fawr and Llyn Idwal.
Car Park to Y Garn Summit:-3km or 1.85miles, time:- 1hr 19mins.
Y Garn Summit to Car park:- 1hr.
Monday, 29 June 2009
Hafod Eryri via Crib Goch
Click here for a video of the summit cafe:-
Hafod Eryri
That was the name given to the Snowdon Cafe and visitors centre on the summit of Snowdon itself. Designed by architech Ray Hole, this building replaces the old concrete bunker.
It was recently opened to the public on 12th June 2009 at a cost of £8m to build.
The new building is designed to stand the extreme weather conditions at the peak, where winds can reach 150mph and temperatures drop to -20C.
This was my first visit to the cafe. I went with Jason (Shiqiwang from the Walking Britain forum).
Weather today was hot and humid, thunderstorms were expected later in the day according to the Met Office.
Arrived at Pen Y Pass at 9:30am, as I was waiting for Jason the car park was filling up extra fast! He had to park 1and a half miles further down when he arrived because he had been delayed on the M6. We finally set off at 11:00am.
Crib Goch up ahead, weather was still fine. We summited at 12:09, this must have been my record ascent in 1hr 9mins from the carpark!
Jason and the Llanberis Pass.
This view suddenly hits you when you ascend the PYG track.
This is the way we wanted to go for some ridge walking!
A guy who swims every week, runs 5miles 2-3 time a week, no wonder I had a hard time keeping up! Jason on top of Crib Goch.
A shot of me scrambling up to the summit of Crib Goch.
Crib Goch up ahead, weather was still fine. We summited at 12:09, this must have been my record ascent in 1hr 9mins from the carpark!
Jason and the Llanberis Pass.
This view suddenly hits you when you ascend the PYG track.
This is the way we wanted to go for some ridge walking!
A guy who swims every week, runs 5miles 2-3 time a week, no wonder I had a hard time keeping up! Jason on top of Crib Goch.
A shot of me scrambling up to the summit of Crib Goch.
Cloud moving in but were at a high level. My eighth Crib Goch summit and arete traverse.
Skies darken, rain imminent.
Classic shot of Glaslyn.
Just before the down pour which lasted 10 mins!
More scrambling fun! This shot was taken after the easy section of Bwlch Goch Pass. Me, in orange, scramblimg up the Crib Y Ddsygl and the next knife edge section.
We followed the crest of the ridge with some superb scrambling which leads to the trig point of Garnedd Ugain.
Summit of Garnedd Ugain (Wales' 2nd highest mountain) and Snowdon in the backdrop.
Snowdon Mountain Railway. Runs by the rack and pinion system. The line is 4miles in length with the steepest gradient being 1 in 5.5.
The coal fired steam locomotive and a carriage full of day trippers!
Another Snowdon Summit, my ninth! But only a few in fine weather like this.
Quick summit shot as there is a lack of standing space on here!
Next stop the summit cafe, now with loo break facilities!
The main side entrance.
More details of the wall to the left of the doorway.
Inside, it is nice and cosy! Can't wait till winter!
The viewing wall of glass.
Train platform, access from the rear of the cafe.
Looking back again at the awesome Crib Goch.
Snowdon Mountain Railway. Runs by the rack and pinion system. The line is 4miles in length with the steepest gradient being 1 in 5.5.
The coal fired steam locomotive and a carriage full of day trippers!
Another Snowdon Summit, my ninth! But only a few in fine weather like this.
Quick summit shot as there is a lack of standing space on here!
Next stop the summit cafe, now with loo break facilities!
The main side entrance.
More details of the wall to the left of the doorway.
Inside, it is nice and cosy! Can't wait till winter!
The viewing wall of glass.
Train platform, access from the rear of the cafe.
Looking back again at the awesome Crib Goch.
Friday, 26 June 2009
PARIS09
A Quick stop over at Paris earlier in the week for a short break, the weather was also perfect.
The famous Notre Dame Cathedral with the midday sun in the backdrop.
La Grande Arche de la Defense.
Eiffel Tower post sunset.
We were walking to the Eiffel tower, late afternoon time.
View from Notre Dame.
Versaille & Gardens.
Walked from Palais Du Louvre to Arc de Triomphe, they say it is 3miles but felt a lot more in the heat! Then a 284 step climb to the top.
La Defense in the distance.
PARIS09 MONTAGE
The famous Notre Dame Cathedral with the midday sun in the backdrop.
La Grande Arche de la Defense.
Eiffel Tower post sunset.
We were walking to the Eiffel tower, late afternoon time.
View from Notre Dame.
Versaille & Gardens.
Walked from Palais Du Louvre to Arc de Triomphe, they say it is 3miles but felt a lot more in the heat! Then a 284 step climb to the top.
La Defense in the distance.
PARIS09 MONTAGE
Monday, 15 June 2009
Moel Siabod from Pont Cyfyng
Summit Height : 2861ft or 872m
Distance:- 6miles
Ascent:- 2521ft or 768m
Some Wiki info about this mounain:-
Moel Siabod is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, which sits isolated above the villages of Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. It is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mountain Centre, Plas-y-Brenin, is located at the foot of Moel Siabod. From the top of the mountain, it is reputedly possible to see 13 of the 14 highest peaks in Wales on a clear day without turning one's head. It is also known as Snowdonia's forgotten mountain, 139 ft below the 3000 mark but every inch a mountain.
There are many routes up this mountain but today I'll be tackling it from Pont Cyfyng ascending via the north eastern ridge and coming back down the Daear Ddu Ridge or the East ridge. (note: as it was my first ascent, I'd found out if by doing it the other way round by scrambling up Daear Ddu ridge, it would have been a lot more fun!!)
No doubt, this is my favourite "half day" mountain. This route could be tackled in under 4hrs with lots of breaks in between.
This is the route, drawn in red.
Distance:- 6miles
Ascent:- 2521ft or 768m
Some Wiki info about this mounain:-
Moel Siabod is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, which sits isolated above the villages of Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. It is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mountain Centre, Plas-y-Brenin, is located at the foot of Moel Siabod. From the top of the mountain, it is reputedly possible to see 13 of the 14 highest peaks in Wales on a clear day without turning one's head. It is also known as Snowdonia's forgotten mountain, 139 ft below the 3000 mark but every inch a mountain.
There are many routes up this mountain but today I'll be tackling it from Pont Cyfyng ascending via the north eastern ridge and coming back down the Daear Ddu Ridge or the East ridge. (note: as it was my first ascent, I'd found out if by doing it the other way round by scrambling up Daear Ddu ridge, it would have been a lot more fun!!)
No doubt, this is my favourite "half day" mountain. This route could be tackled in under 4hrs with lots of breaks in between.
This is the route, drawn in red.
Parked on a very narrow lane near the Cyfyng Falls just off the A5 east from Capel Curig. It is quite difficult to find a spot for parking on this stretch of tarmac. Further down is a single track only wide enough for 1 car to pass!
Just off the lane there is a footpath shown here with a cattle grid which signals the start of the walk.
Clearly marked! The first and only marker to say where you're going.
Looking back, the first part of the walk is a pleasant short stroll with a bit of gradient through the trees.
Looking back through the valley. This was the route taken to by-pass Rhos farm, there were many markings on the ground indicating that the farm was private property and that you should follow the public footpaths.
First sight of Moel Siabod with it's triangular point.
A view to Pen Llithrig Y Wrach (799m) centre.
Open farm moorland, a straight and distinct path. Moel Siabod with it's whale back like ridge sloping to the right. That will be my path up.
Just taking my time on a fine Monday morning up this quiet path.
The ground at the base of the climb is soft and grassy. After a gentle ramble the gradient steepens from now on.
Looking back towards Pont Cyfyng and Rhos farm.
Summit point ahead? As I had found out it was not the true summit!
The unmistakeable Tryfan's shark fin poking through in the distance, plus Bristly ridge and the Glyders on the left.
The are two ways to climb this, continue along the path to the left or attack it stright on.
Looking back.
A long plod up!
Photo moment! With some great views even at half way up.
As soon as the grassy bit ends it is all about scrambling on rocks from now on.
A bit more to go!
Looking down and to my left there is a nameless lake.
The A4086
Looking across to Carnedd Moel Siabod to the true summit point.
A clear view of Llyn Y Foel.
A smooth and flat slab, one of the many obstacles to scrambling on Moel Siabod. When it is dry like today my boots coped really well when smearing on this slab with its Vibram sole.
Summit trig point ahead.
I'm at the top! The summit trig point was bigger than I thought, me as a comparison! Well I'm short any way!
Cloud moving in, looks like I've just made it on time with the clear views.
Looking across to Yr Arddu.
Looking across from the summit point.
Snowdon Horseshoe just below the cloud line.
A classic view of the Snowdon horseshoe from Carnedd Moel Siabod, in near perfect weather.
Another view of the Glyders.
A Boulder field on the way down.
Looking across to my left on the descent.
The Daear Ddu ridge leading onto Llyn y Foel.
The drop offs are quite severe on the edge of the ridge.
Bouldering. Some great rock faces on the way down if you fancy a bit of bouldering!
The beautiful Llyn Y Foel.
Looking back up.
Llyn Y Foel.
Looking back up, you can see the gully that I was at earlier on shooting my camera down towards the lake.
Another lake shot.
Some interesting rock features.
Bouldering problem.
The path back was clearly laid out.
Rhos Quarry Lake. Such a tranquil place.
The nameless lake.
And back to the starting point.
Clearly marked! The first and only marker to say where you're going.
Looking back, the first part of the walk is a pleasant short stroll with a bit of gradient through the trees.
Looking back through the valley. This was the route taken to by-pass Rhos farm, there were many markings on the ground indicating that the farm was private property and that you should follow the public footpaths.
First sight of Moel Siabod with it's triangular point.
A view to Pen Llithrig Y Wrach (799m) centre.
Open farm moorland, a straight and distinct path. Moel Siabod with it's whale back like ridge sloping to the right. That will be my path up.
Just taking my time on a fine Monday morning up this quiet path.
The ground at the base of the climb is soft and grassy. After a gentle ramble the gradient steepens from now on.
Looking back towards Pont Cyfyng and Rhos farm.
Summit point ahead? As I had found out it was not the true summit!
The unmistakeable Tryfan's shark fin poking through in the distance, plus Bristly ridge and the Glyders on the left.
The are two ways to climb this, continue along the path to the left or attack it stright on.
Looking back.
A long plod up!
Photo moment! With some great views even at half way up.
As soon as the grassy bit ends it is all about scrambling on rocks from now on.
A bit more to go!
Looking down and to my left there is a nameless lake.
The A4086
Looking across to Carnedd Moel Siabod to the true summit point.
A clear view of Llyn Y Foel.
A smooth and flat slab, one of the many obstacles to scrambling on Moel Siabod. When it is dry like today my boots coped really well when smearing on this slab with its Vibram sole.
Summit trig point ahead.
I'm at the top! The summit trig point was bigger than I thought, me as a comparison! Well I'm short any way!
Cloud moving in, looks like I've just made it on time with the clear views.
Looking across to Yr Arddu.
Looking across from the summit point.
Snowdon Horseshoe just below the cloud line.
A classic view of the Snowdon horseshoe from Carnedd Moel Siabod, in near perfect weather.
Another view of the Glyders.
A Boulder field on the way down.
Looking across to my left on the descent.
The Daear Ddu ridge leading onto Llyn y Foel.
The drop offs are quite severe on the edge of the ridge.
Bouldering. Some great rock faces on the way down if you fancy a bit of bouldering!
The beautiful Llyn Y Foel.
Looking back up.
Llyn Y Foel.
Looking back up, you can see the gully that I was at earlier on shooting my camera down towards the lake.
Another lake shot.
Some interesting rock features.
Bouldering problem.
The path back was clearly laid out.
Rhos Quarry Lake. Such a tranquil place.
The nameless lake.
And back to the starting point.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Blencathra via Sharp Edge & Skiddaw
WEATHER:- (according to Met Office Lake District Mountain Area Forecast)
A few early mist and fog patches in the valleys otherwise another dry, sunny and warm day with little in the way of cloud, so plenty of water and suncream is advisable.
VISIBILITY:-
Very good or excellent with good panoramic views from the summits, although locally poor with fog patches in valleys at first.
HILL FOG:-
Not expected
MAXIMUM WINDS ABOVE 500M:-
East or southeast, 20mph or less.
TEMPERATURE:-
Valleys Plus 8 Celsius rising to plus 24 Celsius
900m Plus 12 Celsius.
DURATION:- 7.5 Hours (SATMAP10)
DISTANCE WALKED:- 16Miles (SATMAP10)
TOTAL ASCENT:- N/A
Below was our original route for the day. I was with Mike and Paul from the UK Walking forum.
It was a linear route so two cars were needed to complete the journey. Paul parked at the start in Scales and I left my car at Dodd Wood's public carpark at the end of the route. The only changes to the origial route was the blue line through the forest back to the car. (map provided by Mike). Our aim was to tick off as many Wainwrights as possible in a day.
Plenty of water was needed for today and I had at least 3Litres of the stuff. I was about half a litre short. It was definitely a shorts day, but I had on Montane Terra pants which were thin, lightweight and cool, they also stopped midges bitting my legs plus no need for sun lotion on those parts!
I also gear testest my La Sportiva Korakoram boots, with sorbothane double strike insoles. These were great, a little on the heavy side and less stiff compared to the Cristallo GTXs for scrambling but did a great job traction wise on steep scree stuff on descents. I have found the sorbothanes were not as good compared to superfeets, sometimes my feet were sliding inside the boots too much on uneven ground and felt a little too soft where cushioning was not required.
Start of the walk, at Scales. Picture shown is the White Horse Inn right by the side of a busy A66. There is also an outside toilet that the landlord kindly allowed me to use before my trek.
We're on our way, a very long day ahead! We all met up at Scales and started the walk at 10am.
Slowly ascending the side of Scales Fell through Mousthwaite Comb and just taking a quick snapshot of what we'd climbed.
Ahead we could now see the first sign of the distinctive Sharp Edge and Blencathra.
The path gets a lot steeper here, on our way to Scales Tarn.
After a short break by the side of the Tarn we start the ascent of sharp edge.
Scales Tarn. We were supprised that it wasn't too crowded up here considering the superb weather conditions.
Vapour trail!
The ascent was steep and the conditons were getting hotter!
Approaching Foule Crag at the top end of Sharp Edge.
Looking back onto Sharp Edge
Ahead we could now see the first sign of the distinctive Sharp Edge and Blencathra.
The path gets a lot steeper here, on our way to Scales Tarn.
After a short break by the side of the Tarn we start the ascent of sharp edge.
Scales Tarn. We were supprised that it wasn't too crowded up here considering the superb weather conditions.
Vapour trail!
The ascent was steep and the conditons were getting hotter!
Approaching Foule Crag at the top end of Sharp Edge.
Looking back onto Sharp Edge
On our way up! The conditions were perfect for scrambling.
Not advisable in windy conditions! There was not a hint of a breeze up here.
Paul on edge, Sharp Edge!
Pure scambling fun on Foule Crag.
Scales Tarn looking a lot smaller from here.
Most of the route, the slabs were very polished. So in winter conditions it would be a serious proposition.
An easier path up the the summit of Blencathra (868m).
Halls Fell Ridge, one of the great ridges of Blencathra. One that I would consider doing on a circular route in the future.
A view from the summit.
Lonscale fell (715m), Littleman (865m) and Skiddaw(931m)
Looking back onto the north face of Blencathra. The descent was fairly steep but the zig zag path down was very grippy.
Brisk descent across Mungrisdale Common, Blencathra in the distant, heading toward another Wainright, will it be worth it? The grass was long, ground was very soft and still boggy in some areas.
There we go! The summit stone of Mungrisdale Common (633m). A peaceful and quiet summit compared to Snowdon!
The way ahead, Skiddaw to the far right.
A house in the hills, perfect! (here is a little more info from skiddawhouse.co.uk)
Paul on edge, Sharp Edge!
Pure scambling fun on Foule Crag.
Scales Tarn looking a lot smaller from here.
Most of the route, the slabs were very polished. So in winter conditions it would be a serious proposition.
An easier path up the the summit of Blencathra (868m).
Halls Fell Ridge, one of the great ridges of Blencathra. One that I would consider doing on a circular route in the future.
A view from the summit.
Lonscale fell (715m), Littleman (865m) and Skiddaw(931m)
Looking back onto the north face of Blencathra. The descent was fairly steep but the zig zag path down was very grippy.
Brisk descent across Mungrisdale Common, Blencathra in the distant, heading toward another Wainright, will it be worth it? The grass was long, ground was very soft and still boggy in some areas.
There we go! The summit stone of Mungrisdale Common (633m). A peaceful and quiet summit compared to Snowdon!
The way ahead, Skiddaw to the far right.
A house in the hills, perfect! (here is a little more info from skiddawhouse.co.uk)
YHA Skiddaw House is a century-old cottage, formerly used by shepherds & gamekeepers. It is the highest hostel in Britain - at 1550 feet above sea level - and is three miles from the nearest road.
It opened in May 1991 to provide simple accomodation for walkers & cyclists, and after a period of closure, mainly due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak, has now re-opened to offer users a unique accomodation experience. It is located in the shadow of Skiddaw, and near Keswick, in the English Lake District National Park.
After Burnt Horse this was a long slog up along the fence to Lonscale Fell, extremely energy sapping. We had about 4 or 5 rest points on the way up!
Looking across we can see Lonscale Fell.
Little Man (865m)
Skiddaw from Little Man.
Derwentwater and the town of Keswick from Little man, Cat Bells to the right.
A tree lined walk back to the car park through Dodd Wood. The last stretch of our journey. We were all completely knackered at the end. It was a longer day than I expected and also extremely enjoyable.
It opened in May 1991 to provide simple accomodation for walkers & cyclists, and after a period of closure, mainly due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak, has now re-opened to offer users a unique accomodation experience. It is located in the shadow of Skiddaw, and near Keswick, in the English Lake District National Park.
After Burnt Horse this was a long slog up along the fence to Lonscale Fell, extremely energy sapping. We had about 4 or 5 rest points on the way up!
Looking across we can see Lonscale Fell.
Little Man (865m)
Skiddaw from Little Man.
Derwentwater and the town of Keswick from Little man, Cat Bells to the right.
Looking back at Blencathra.
Summit plateau of Skiddaw.
Mike, Me, and Paul on Skiddaw Summit (931M)
Summit plateau of Skiddaw.
Skiddaw the fourth highest mountain in England, third if you count Scarfell Pike and Scar Fell as one mountain.
The descent from Skiddaw down this scree zig zag path is both steep and loose. It was also extremely dusty with the speeds we were going!
Carl Side(746m), Long Side(734m), Ullock Pike(692m). All Wainwright Fells and part of the Skiddaw group.
Looking back onto Skiddaw and it's scree path
On Carl Side looking toward Long Side.
Stonehenge!
Ullock Pike.
Bassenthwaite lake.
The descent from Skiddaw down this scree zig zag path is both steep and loose. It was also extremely dusty with the speeds we were going!
Carl Side(746m), Long Side(734m), Ullock Pike(692m). All Wainwright Fells and part of the Skiddaw group.
Looking back onto Skiddaw and it's scree path
On Carl Side looking toward Long Side.
Stonehenge!
Ullock Pike.
Bassenthwaite lake.
A tree lined walk back to the car park through Dodd Wood. The last stretch of our journey. We were all completely knackered at the end. It was a longer day than I expected and also extremely enjoyable.
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