UK Mountains Expedition Report

Peaks climbed : Little Calva (642m), Great Calva (690m)

Total Distance : 18km, Total Ascent : 851m

To be fair, the day didn't look that good, the windows streaked with rain, the sky looking very grey. On any other day, stopping indoors would have been the choice, but trips to the Lake District are few and far between so these minors setbacks were going to be ignored.

The original plan was an ascent of Blencathra via Sharp Edge, but in these conditions, scrambling on wet rock was a bad idea and so the Skiddaw end of this part of the Northern Lakes was decided upon.

The start of the walk was the small pleasant village of Bassenthwaite which had the distinct benefit of allowing an easy few miles before the mountains began in anger.

Crossing fields and farm tracks, it was steadily up, but easy walking. The mountains shrouded in mist belied their height and gave the impression of being lower than they were.

Eventually the route started going up more steeply as the Cumbria Way was joined, even more so as the Broad End of Skiddaw approached. At the Whitewater Dash waterfall, it was sharp left and sharply upward onto Little Calva. The path follows the line of the fence, but is quite indistinct in places. It is a good pull up onto the ridge, literally in places, using the fence for help.

The summit of Little Calva at 642m is nothing more than a pile of stones, but is easy find as the fence runs right to the top.

From here it is a short walk to Great Calva, again following the fence with a minor short cut near the summit which stands at 690m but boasts little more than Little Calva by way of a summit marker, sure the pile of stones is bigger, but no more impressive.

The weather which had been worsening for the last hour or so was now particularly bad, with the wind approaching gale force and the driving rain hitting hard, getting off the mountain was the prime concern, so pausing just long enough for a quick photo, the descent path was located and the long and at times steep descent was made down to the gill below. The path itself is quite difficult to follow at times, overgrown with the heather than grows in abundance here.

Finally the gill is reached and the main Cumbria Way Path a short walk to the right. Out of the worst of the wind, a quick hot drink of black currant and Snickers bar bought some enthusiasm back to tired legs and body. The Cumbria Way leads straight to Skiddaw House, now a Youth Hostel but probably a farm house in days of old and it was followed almost to the door. Straight on to Sale How and Skiddaw or right back down towards the finish.

Due to the bad weather, the decision was made to abandon Skiddaw in favour of a more direct route back down to Bassenthwaite and so the main track was followed, Calva in the clouds to the right and Skiddaw in the clouds to the left. Eventually the waterfall was reached where the break for Little Calva had started but there were still three miles of downhill and fields to negotiate. As the path turned Westward, the massif of Skiddaw could be seen, still cloud covered and not very inviting, the decision to give it a miss had been a good one.

Finally Bassenthwaite arrived and the finish. It was a good day out by any standards. Shame about the weather, but being out in the fresh air and countryside more than compensates for a little rain.

Peaks climbed : Gategill Fell (851m), Blencathra (845m), Atkinson Pike (845m), Bowscale Fell (702m)

Total Distance : 26km, Total Ascent : 1,121m

2020 has been something of a disaster and a year best forgotten for several reasons; Covid 19 devastating holidays and activities and a knee operation to remove some rogue cartilage during late August pretty much put paid to it all for me. Finally though, at the end of September I managed a trip to the Lake District.

Sharp Edge is a Grade 1 scramble and something I've wanted to do for some time, so a route was devised that allowed me to bag some new peaks, revisit others and include the Sharp Edge scramble.

Setting off from Threlkeld, a few miles East of Keswick just off the A66, the first climb started immediately and my initial pace soon slowed as I realised I had started off at my pre-lockdown speed. There is almost 500m of climb from the car park to the top of Gategill Fell and as I climbed, the temperature dropped dramatically, mostly due to the strong North Easterly wind. At one point I stopped to add a layer - a rare event for me, I'm normally removing layers as I go. I also fished out my beanie hat too as my head was feeling the cold.

Onwards I finally reached the 800m point where the gradient eases dramatically and the final 50m of climb took 500m of distance. Of course, this is not the end of the climbing and Blencathra, some 500-600m further on, is another 17m higher. Having reached the high point of Blencathra (actually the highest point of the day) I considered stopping for a break, but the wind was chilling so I continued, promising myself I would stop once out of the wind.

It is a little further on that the path steeply descends for the Sharp Edge climb, made obvious by the Tarn below (Scales Tarn). Once at the Tarn at the bottom, out of the chill wind and in the sun, it was definitely break time and I fished out an energy bar.

Relaxing in the sun was fine, but the route wasn't going to climb itself, so I stowed my wrapper and set off for the start of the scramble. It is a good walk up on a steady path to the base of the scramble. Slightly concerned about the strong wind, I set off cautiously but quickly realised the Edge was well sheltered and there was no wind at all. Quite a relief.

On the route, it starts very easy, in fact so easy I started looking for harder rock to exercise my scrambling muscles. I quickly reached the Bad Step, which isn't bad at all, but quite easy. From there, the scrambling improves in quality dramatically and it started to feel like a real scramble, although there was not the same exposure as on Striding Edge or Crib Goch for example. There are big juggy holds and reasonably good footholds, made smooth by the passage of boots over the years. There are a few sections requiring walking on sloping rock to test the balance but at no time does it feel particularly exposed. All too soon, it was over and it became a walk up a rocky, grassy path to the top of the Edge and a further few minutes to the top of Atkinson Pike at 845m.

Overall, I was not terribly impressed with it and would not go out of my way to do it again. Having said that, it was fun, short-lived but fun and might suit a nervous scrambler or beginner gaining experience on rock.

Next stop Bowscale Fell, some 3km away over easy, but at times, damp ground. At 702m it was the lowest high point of the day but pleasant all the same. There is a circular shelter at the summit and a cairn further over. To ensure I had climbed the true summit I walked over to the cairn, but need not have bothered - the shelter is the true summit. Unfortunately for me it was already full and not wishing to risk any Covid transmissions, started my descent.

Rather than walk back down the way I came to the path, I took a more direct route, joining the path at an angle and followed it down to the river in the valley which was the Cumbria Way (the path, that is, not the river!). Crossing the river proved more troublesome than I had expected and I ended up walking more than 1km upstream before I could cross, through very boggy ground, having a number of failed attempts on the way before I finally found a place to cross, and even that was less than ideal.

Lunchtime saw me sheltering at a sheep pound so that I could have a quick brew and a sandwich. It was a late lunch, but I had made the decision to cross the river first, however long it took! Rather than bring a flask, I elected to bring my Kraku cooker and gas which actually weighs less than a flask of hot tea. It takes just a few minutes to heat enough water for a cuppa, even on a cold and windy day, and a hot drink works wonders for the moral.

From there it was straight along to Skiddaw House on the Cumbria Way, then left turn and head down towards Keswick on good tracks. Electing to take the direct route, all went well until I arrived at the disused railway line and the final river crossing. Unfortunately the bridge was closed for rebuilding! Disaster. The alternatives were not pleasant - either back up and over Latrigg or back to Threlkeld and 7km of A66 to walk. Looking at the bridge, it looked in good condition and there seemed to be no actual barrier so I decided to give it a go. All went well and I was soon over and heading up the other side to join the main road. From here I had just 1km back to the accommodation.

During my evening 'peak ticking' exercise I realised I'd missed Bannerdale Crags, by only a couple of hundred metres, but missed all the same, which rather disappointed me, but hey ho, what can you do? It will be there for a future 'bag'.

Peaks climbed : Long Side (734m), Carl Side (746m), Skiddaw (931m), Little Man (865m), Sale How (666m), Lonscale Fell (715m)

Total Distance : 18km, Total Ascent : 1,206m

A very long time ago, before most people were born, I had a trip to the Lake District with my favourite Uncle for a couple of weeks of walking and mountain climbing. I'm pretty sure we climbed Skiddaw, but I can't be certain as there is no official record of the trip. In my mountains book, I ticked the mountain but added no date. Being based in Keswick, it seemed only right that I should put this one to rest and claim the peak officially.

Starting from about 2/3 of the way up Bassenthwaite Lake at Ravenstone Hotel, I headed up Ling How and onto The Edge which continues up to Ullock Pike, which strangely doesn't have an entry in the mountains book, but is a peak in its' own right at just over 650m. Interestingly Longside does feature and is a little higher at 734m. I guess it's due to the lack of descent between the two so Ullock Pike is subsumed into Longside Edge. Pausing briefly for a photo opportunity I continued up to Carl Side (746m) with the huge bulk of Skiddaw ever-present to my left. This is a classic edge and seems in some way, a defensive rampart for the mighty Skiddaw beyond.

From the summit of Carl Side, Skiddaw is a huge undertaking with two paths leading up, both of which looked very steep. I elected to take the left hand path and made my way up. It is quite unrelenting and required a couple of tactical photo stops on the way before it eased off. I'd ascended almost 200m of altitude in about 500m of distance. From there, it was an easier pull to the actual summit. The summit itself has a Trig Point and also an information plaque showing Scafell, Blencathra, Workington and other notable features and areas. Unfortunately, all of the shelters were taken so I decided I would continue on to Little Man. Around 70m lower than Skiddaw but requiring a descent to 800m before the ascent itself back up to 865m. To my left I could see Blencathra in the distance and also Skiddaw House down in the valley - I'd passed that on Day 1 so could orientate myself easily.

A brief stop for a gel and a quick drink I took a direct line across to Sale How a couple of hundred metres lower. The sky was clear, there was no wind and the views amazing, so a direct line was easy. In the mist or rain it would have been a different prospect as Sale How is a rounded peak requiring careful navigation to reach the true summit. Soon there I could see the final summit of the day so began the descent to the stream below. Not wanting to head too far into the stream valley which would require a steep descent into and an ascent out, I aimed at a diagonal and came to an easy crossing. Being around mid-day I made the executive decision to stop for lunch. Finding a small pound I settled down to eat lunch and boil water for a brew. With no wind, the water was soon boiling as I tucked into my chicken roll. A perfect lunch stop.

After lunch I cleared up, ensuring to take everything with me. It annoys me intensely to see rubbish left on the mountains. Why? It was carried in, why can't it be carried out?

On and up, Lonscale Fell at 715m proved a challenge due to its steepness but eventually I crested the rise. As with a lot of mountains, the actual summit is unclear due to the shape, so I headed out to the point to be sure. This time it wasn't the highest point so I headed back to what I thought was the actual summmit, but at 710m wasn't quite high enough. I realised the actual summit was a little further over, so I continued to it - had to get the final 5m!

It seemed to be pretty much downhill from here now and as I crossed the fellside heading for the main path from Keswick to Skiddaw I congratulated myself on a great day out with a good bag of peaks. Unfortunately for me, the pain was far from over. The descent path from here was steep and unrelenting. My knees complained bitterly as I made my way down, finally arriving at a car park. A stop for a biscuit and drink was essential. I also decided to use my walking poles from here to help with the final walkdown, although it was initially up over Latrigg. The view from the far side is awesome over Keswick and Derwent Water. According to my map, the path drops immediately over and down through the forest below, but that is not true. I dropped down, only to find to came to an end quite abruptly and steeply into the trees. I contemplated continuing down, but realised it would be a fight that I would probably lose with the trees so retraced my path back up again and walked round. A second path proved more successful, but it too ended, this time with a locked gate. Climbing it, I dropped down onto the forest track and followed a zig zag path down eventually popping out onto the A66 and the short walk back to the caravan park. The old railway line is closed which is a shame and means that the final section is a bit of a disappointment, but it had to be done.

Peaks climbed : Carrock Fell (660m), High Pike (658m), Hare Stones (627m), Great Lingy Hill (616m), Little Lingy Hill (609m), Knott (710m)

Total Distance : 14km, Total Ascent : 663m

For the final day, it was over to the Eastern Corner of the Skiddaw area for a route that would complete (almost) the entire range as defined by the Mountain Tables book. Starting at the base of Carrock Fell, it was a steady hours climbing to finally reach the summit ascending over 400m which accounted for almost 2/3 of the days entire ascent. It is a worthwhile peak and has a mountain feel about it even though it is only the 305th highest peak in England and Wales (who knew?).

From there it was a steady walk over to High Pike passing by Round Knott and Miton Hill which I did just in case they were in the book, which they weren't! High Pike leaves all its ascent until the end and being on the Cumbria Way, is an obvious footpath right to the summit and features another direction plaque showing Scafell, Skiddaw, Workington and many others. There is also a shelter and a seat at the summit so quite sophisticated.

Pausing only for a couple of photos I soon set off in the direction of the next two summits; Hare Stones, which is more of a lump than a summit and barely distinguishable from the surroundings, then to Great Lingy Hill, another summit that, were it not on the list, would easily be ignored, although it does feature a cairn to mark the actual summit.

Knott was the final destination, but as a nod to peaks in the vicinity, I took on Little Lingy Hill which at 609m and indistinguishable from its Great brother, doesn't get a mention in any book, but as I was passing, it seemed rude not to (Note: Since this walk, I have discovered that Little Lingy Hill, or Miller Moss as it is known has been upgraded to mountain status, so actually, it does count!). Knott is just off the edge of my map and from my direction of approach, doesn't have a path, so I was forced to make my own and hope for the best, although given I knew I was on the mountain and basically had to head up until I could head up no more, didn't fill me with too much dread! At times it was quite hard going but eventually I crested the rise to the great reward of views across all of the mountains I had climbed the previous two days. This time, a stop for a drink and goodie bars was a 'must do', if only to admire the views.

I was ahead of my schedule and gave some serious thought to popping over to claim the only peak in the vicinity I hadn't done. It looked pretty straightforward so I made a plan that I would see how much time I had when I got down to the valley and if I thought I had enough, would go for it. Descending was straightforward on the path, which unfortunately started to take me too far to the left. I cut across right, again making my own path, which worked well for a while until the gradient steepened dramatically and I had to descend with caution to avoid falling, eventually dropping into a dry stream bed. Arriving at the valley and the river I realised that I would not quite have enough time, so decided to walk directly back to the pick up point, even though that meant arriving almost an hour early. Another 30-45 minutes would have been enough, but not today.

Arriving at the pickup point, I had plenty of time, so settled down for lunch and a brew with my trusty cooker. Soon enough my taxi arrived and I was on the way out.

Three days of excellent weather helped enormously with views, navigation and general enjoyment. This area of the Lake District is amazing and yet relatively quiet, compared to, say Scafell or Helvellyn which are, quite rightly, incredibly popular, mostly due to being Englands highest Peak and having Striding Edge respectively. I managed to bag fifteen peaks and only one for sure was a repeat (Blencathra) although that was a very long time ago, and Skiddaw was only 'probably'.

Of course, I will return to the Lake District, whether it will be to conquer Bannerdale Crags, which, although a nice looking summit, barely warrants a day out just for that. I'll probably look elsewhere in the area - there are, quite literally hundreds to choose from, and a lot of space in my book for ticks and dates. Of course, if my obsession with completing mountain sets gets the better of me, and it probably will, then I'll be planning a day to complete the Skiddaw area.

Peaks climbed : Atkinson Pike (845m), Bannerdale Crags (683m)

Total Distance : 8.6km, Total Ascent : 697m

Ever since I missed Bannerdale Crags on my last visit to the Skiddaw region I've wanted to climb it to complete the entire region of mountains so today's outing was doubly satisfying; climbing another new peak and completing a section.

There is a very small car park just above Scales off the A66, it has room for about eight or nine cars and is an ideal starting point for Bannerdale, but also Blencathra via Sharp Edge which I guess is the main attraction. Rather than just going up and down Bannerdale, which to be honest, is not that exciting in itself, I decided I would walk up to Scales Tarn and tackle the famous scramble of Sharp Edge. I'd done that on a previous trip and whilst it is nowhere near as exciting as Striding Edge or Crib Goch, it is still a great way to ascend Atkinson Pike, that too being uninteresting otherwise.

The walk up is steep to start with but nothing like yesterdays start so I felt I was easing in to the day rather than having a major assault on the legs! The path is a good one and takes under an hour to reach the tarn. It's a good place for a rest and a drink before joining the Edge a few minutes walk up. It starts reasonably enough being nothing more than steep rocky ground but if the edge is followed, it becomes much more interesting, including some proper hand and foot scrambling and route choices - follow the smooth rock seems to be favourite. Rosie coped with most of it, but had to be encouraged over a couple of sections where it got steeper and her paws lost traction, resulting in some frantic scrambling and whimpering. For those of you who might think it cruel, I was behind her to give her a gentle push where required and occasionally ahead to guide her in the right direction. She seemed to be enjoying herself, getting regular praise, bounding up the rocks with a confidence that grew as we ascended.

It is quite short lived and we soon reached steep grass which flattened off up to the summit, which at 845m was a significant achievement, even if I had done it before. A rest for goodie bar and drink with Rosie scoffing her treats in record time and we were off to the actual challenge of the day. Being 150m lower there was inevitably some downhill as we crossed the saddle and headed around to Bannerdale Crags. There are two summits, the first seemingly the actual top, but a second with a much more interesting cairn needed to be visited to be on the safe side as it looked like a very similar altitude. Hardly pausing we took the obvious path which continued to circle around Scales Tarn and Sharp Edge, providing excellent views as it descended into the valley to cross a very well made bridge, then back up a short way to meet the path we used to ascent earlier. From here, the walk back to the car was around twenty minutes and we were done.