Thinking back a few years to my Munroing days (completed June 2009) I seem to remember weather forecasts being somewhat unreliable. These days things have changed and mostly they seem to be pretty accurate right down to predicting within an hour or so when rain or sunshine will prevail.
That enables one to plan excursions into the hills for maximum comfort and my recent outings with Bowland Climber in pursuit of Wainwright's Outlying Fells have benefited from these forecasts in present times of erratic and quickly changing weather.
Yesterday we capitalised on a weather window between 10:00 am and 2:00pm, getting back to the car just as ominous clouds and spits of rain were mounting.
We were up in the wilds of Kentmere and trespassing to gain our first summit. The Chris Jesty revision of W's book says:
"...to an unusual stile that has been obstructed by fencing. The agile walker will find a way through; others will do better to give the summit a miss."
Views to the snow covered Lakeland hills were Himalayan.
I'm not sure who was leading who on the subsequent wall clambering; I seem to remember an inconclusive vote being taken on whether to continue across country or return to the car and re-ascend from Staveley, but I was grateful for assistance with my creaking frame from BC, and we eventually completed the cross-country bogfest to take in the other two peaks in this title thus completing three chapters in the book with one walk.
A top tip for walkers: use churches for shelter and re-grouping. Staveley Church saw us munching a sandwich with a flask of hot coffee before taking the road back to our car.
Once again I see that BC has beaten me to a report on this trip and you can see his version at:
These photos do benefit from click to enlarge
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| A great view up Kentmere |
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| Williamson's Monument - 1797 - he was a local farmer who went up to this summit every day before breakfast (why I do not know) - erected by his son |
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| Langdale Pikes - zoom |
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| Looking back to Williamson's monument |
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| Maximum zoom to Rainsborrow Crag above Long Sleddale where BC has done some fearsome routes |
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| A fine view of the Langdales and Pavey Ark - Jack's Rake prominent |
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| Descending to Staveley |
that really is one of the finest images of the Pikes I 've ever seen - and from a compact camera too!
ReplyDelete(good rugged profile of gimmer there, i see)
the pennines were a thick sheet of white with little of the sculpturing of your pic - but the curving slopes were voluptuous in the later sunshine !
good days all round
gimmer - I presume you mean photo number 5. I was pleased with it myself. You will note that some of the boring foreground has been cropped and I did a bit of "darkening highlights" in Photoshop to bring out more detail.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased that you've decided to 'do' the Outlying Fells Conrad so I'm looking forward to reading about your exploits over the coming months (and years?). I'd want to complete them too if only I lived closer, although I've still a dozen Corbetts left to visit so must get a move on with those this year.(I've been saying that for a number of years now). I agree with gimmer's comment about the Pikes photograph - very fine indeed.
ReplyDeleteViews to the snow covered Lakeland hills were Himalyan. Is that the same as Himalayan? Ha. I like that phrase all the same. I like photo’s 3 and 6, especially 6. I don’t think i have been up to Williamsons Monument. I must go and do it sometime. Will i need oxygen?
ReplyDeleteafoot - Thanks for your comment. I recently had the pre-op appointment for my second knee replacement so activity may be curtailed shortly. I'm trying to get as much in as possible beforehand.
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Alan R - Yes. I always say it was a typo not a spelling mistake - will rectify. A pair of barbed wire cutters or a stp-ladder may be more appropriate.
no 6 - it's the wide sweep that makes it so splendid
ReplyDeletei like the foreground - makes the peaks 'float' - in the same way as those from the hills above Kathmandu looking towards Annapurna - so yes, Himalayan indeed !
gimmer - yes, I meant number 6 also.
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