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Months and months of interminable dreary
skies; I hate it. So what joy when the sun finally re-appears,
and what a good reason to vacate the city and return to
the Lakes. I missed the first warm sunny day because of
a few things I had to do, and I was disinclined to phone
my favoured B & B at no notice, and risk likely disappointment.
But the following day I did – and there was a free
bed. I arrived at Cockley Beck at nearly 1pm, but that
doesn’t concern me too much when it’s light
until 8, 8.30 or even 9pm. I first did the trek up Moasdale,
to Bowfell and then across Crinkle Crags thinking it was
a convenient stop-off walk, but nothing terribly special.
In fact it has several delightful features, equaling any
other walk in the Lake District. First, the valley approach
is a joy: not for the first time, a happy smile warmed
my face after too long in the grey-clad city. It’s
a lovely area where after just 10 minutes or so you feel
as if you are in wild isolation. And after 30 minutes
or so you see the Scafells peeping up from the horizon,
adding excitement to the gentle ascent. Then you are there
on the hilltop, looking across to the Lakeland giants
from possibly the best viewpoint there is. Cockley Beck-Bowfell-Crinkle
Crags is not a stopover walk at all, but a worthwhile
part of any itinerary.
Next is the section taking you up to
High Gait Crags, looking down to Great Moss on your left
and over to Bowfell on your right. I lingered here for
good photographs, enjoying the fact that even at 3 or
4 o’clock there was plenty of daylight remaining.
Then descend slightly and begin the long, rough trek up
to Bowfell and across Crinkle Crags. Someone once told
me the latter area – part of the Langdale Valley
– is his favourite walk. I’ve done it 3 or
4 times now and have decided, unusually, that it’s
a section I do not especially like. I don’t mind
arduous walking if it’s rewarding, but this ridge
is too rough for my liking. I’m not exactly a Sunday
afternoon stroller, but I don’t like boulder areas
or – for that matter – half walk half scrambles
like Crib Goch in Wales. Nope, I enjoy vigorous exertion
in wild terrain, but not prolonged bouts of foot-punishing
battle. Which sums up this walk for me: the first half,
maybe two thirds are delightful, but the remainder is
not on my favourite list. The latter doesn’t detract
from the overall fun because you don’t normally
have a walk of 100% satisfaction, but it’s a noteworthy
observation. There are some scenic enjoyments, like the
view across to the Scafells, but from this viewpoint they
are generally a dark silhouette and although it’s
nice, the earlier aspects are better. The walk finishes
with a steep descent which I have never mastered: it’s
one of those areas where the path is vague and insubstantial,
and half the time you are merely improvising. At a certain
point the path you see veers in the wrong direction, appearing
to add a further and completely uninteresting section
when you want to aim directly for Cockley Beck. That path
may curve back across the hillside to where you want to
go but so far every time I’ve seen it, I’ve
decided to cut across down a steep hillside where there
definitely is no path, but which is a straight line back
to your parked car.
Day 2
The forecast was that the sunshine would
not last, but it was very promising i.e. settled, and
the following day was indeed warm and sunny again. Just
right for going over to Wasdale and going up to Pillar.
Wasdale was a relatively late discovery for me; I’d
been to Eskdale 2 or 3 times and quite liked it but found
it maybe a little bleak and featureless, and felt that
Wasdale, even further West, was unappealing: especially
after seeing photographs of the famous Wastwater screes,
which I found bleak and depressing. All this changed in
2003 when I got to know Eskdale very well (in wonderful
sunny weather) and also ventured over to Wasdale. My first
impression was rather ambivalent but that was based on
seeing the screes. It’s funny – they are a
dramatic and dominating feature, but actually are only
a small part of the Wasdale valley and the rest is both
exciting and delightful. When people think ‘Wasdale’
they think of the valley head, which is the most impressive
and formidable in Lakeland. But actually before and after
you are ‘subjected’ to the screes, Wasdale
valley is extremely pretty. It’s remote, lacking
obvious walking, but if I’m ever based in Wasdale
for an extended period it would be nice to explore. And
the valley head? Well for anyone who knows this area,
it needs no praise. And the walk up to Pillar is, at the
moment, my favourite Lakeland walk. As with the previous
day, after 10 minutes you feel completely immersed in
a wild area, and as with the previous day the initial
Moasdale Valley is delightful. Then you reach Black Sail
Pass and the ridge up to Pillar which is one of the finest
there is, if not the finest. You have the Ennerdale valley
on your right, looking beyond to Grasmoor and the faint
suggestion of Scotland. And on your left you have the
Wasdale valley, looking beyond to Burnmoor Tarn and the
Irish Sea. I don’t know any other ridge with this
kind of interest – and when you look backwards,
and back and down from the summit of Pillar once reached,
you have the impressive outline of Great Gable and the
Scafells. Marvelous.
The second half of the day offers you
changing views across to the Scafells and Gable which
with the right light can be dramatic and beautiful. The
day was becoming rather hazy at this point so it wasn’t
at its best – but then again, I realized that I
actually liked these more subdued colours; that the vivid
greens and brilliant blues of the very best day are, photographically
speaking, rather clichéd in the Lake District.
I wasn’t looking forward to the
descent off the ridge, down the steep and nasty scree.
But this time I decided to search for a more pleasant
route down some grass – and discovered that there’s
actually a scratched out little track where others have
thought the same thing: ack, not that scree again. Even
without the track you would find a steep but entirely
tolerable descent down grass rather than slippery-slidey
rubble. My guidebook never referred to this, and it’s
not obvious unless you look for it.
Technically only the first half of the
day was completely satisfactory because of the deteriorating
weather but it didn’t become bad, only not good,
and I wasn’t bothered about that. I considered dinner
at the Wasdale Inn but was tired, ideally would have enjoyed
an outside repast, and like the Burnmoor Inn at Eskdale:
reasons to drive back over to Eskdale. It was actually
too chilly to be outside, but the other reasons were good
ones.
Day 3
The morning looked nice with cloudy
but bright blue sky; but you could sense that the weather
had changed - not least, the drop in temperature. Within
an hour it clouded over quite considerably which meant
two things to consider. First, did I want to continue
with my plan to walk up to Scafell Pike with threatening
rain clouds? I decided no, because although I would have
enjoyed it to some extent, it would not be anything near
the fun it can be, and I have had, with good weather.
Also I realized I was very tired; I’d woken early
and not got back to sleep. Two substantial walks and maybe
this was a day for something more leisurely. Second, should
I consider staying another night? I found I was still
enjoying Eskdale despite the leaden skies, because it
is so beautifully tranquil. It’s just nice being
in Eskdale. And yes, my room was vacant for a further
night, so I wouldn’t have to hunt around for an
alternative.
What to do then? I decided to drive
over to Devoke Water, and then walked around the entire
lake which suited me very well: nice to be out walking,
but requiring no uphill exertion at all, and a modest
1-2 hour trek suitable for quite an uninspiring day. No
it wasn’t joyously bright and colourful, but I liked
meandering around while my heart rate and respiration
was untaxed. I recently heard ornithologist Bill Oddie
describe the origins of his love for nature, and it was
simply ‘messing about’ in the country by rivers,
in his early boyhood. It’s nice to do that: just
mess about, as you did in boyhood, for the simple fun
of being outdoors. I also got to see the whole circuit
of Devoke Water which I’d never done; last time
I came close I decided to lie down and sunbathe instead.
When I got back to Eskdale I decided
– holiday-like – to have an afternoon nap
because I really was tired. I also had my lap-top with
me and it was time to write this report, and examine my
digital photographs. On Day 1 and 2 I’d taken about
350 pictures, enjoying the digital freedoms of my Canon
10D. This day I’d taken considerably less, but I
enjoyed the somber, graphic greys of my Devoke Water walk.
Fisherman: Allright!
Me: Morning!
Fisherman: Nice day for it!
Me: Yeah, at least the rain’s staying away.
Fisherman: Aye it’s forecast
Me: Yeah it is
Thus exemplifying my observation that
in Britain we are inordinately grateful for small things
like a cup of tea or a second helping of pie because of
the character-moulding effect of the weather – “nice
day for it”, when it’s completely grey and
leaden, mild but by city standards slightly chilly, but
at least it’s not raining, or severely cold. The
sunbathing on a winter’s beach syndrome.
Day 4
The morning was uncertain looking, as
if the weather could go either way. But it was reasonably
mild, with a cloud-filled but blue sky. Scafell it was
then, although when I arrived at the departure point along
the valley I was disappointed to see Upper Eskdale was
covered with cloud, along the tops. But I decided to continue
anyway, thinking I could just go up Moasedale, maybe to
Great Moss, and could return at any point. Having a good
camera, as I now do, adds another dimension to Lakeland
wanderings. Like a fisherman ostensibly looking for a
catch but enjoying meditative peace in natural surroundings,
so the desire to create pictures means you are no longer
only tied, psychologically speaking, to the walk in question.
If it doesn’t work out but you get a few good pictures,
it doesn’t matter. You get your ‘catch’,
and feel satisfied.
As it turned out, when I reached the
upper end of Moasdale the sun started to shine –
sporadically, but brightly. I was encouraged, and enjoyed
getting some pictures of the waterfall area which in summer
is possibly the best swim, dive and laze place there is
in Lakeland. Onward to Great Moss then, the tops still
covered in thick cloud but below that it was clear. It
took me 5 hours to reach the bottom of Cam Spout, taking
photographs; simple walking would take me 2 hours or less.
And once there it’s only about 1 ¼ hours
up to Scafell which, although it was in thick cloud, would
provide me with a different return route, down Slight
Side. It was white-out at the top with visibility of 2
hundred feet or so, but after 30-45 minutes descent the
cloud started to dissolve again, giving you views over
to Burnmoor Tarn, the Irish Sea and the Isle of Man. Everything
was hazy and overcast though, even at the lower levels
of descent. Finally, I discovered the best way of finishing
the descent from Slight Side if you want to return to
your starting point at Brotherilkeld Farm. If you wish
to avoid walking down the valley which requires returning
along the road – not desirable – you have
to cut across an open area to a return path. I’ve
done it 3 times, all of which were not completely satisfactory.
If you had 2 hours to wander around you could work it
out but after my trial and error attempts, this third
time was successful: the most direct route across confusing
and hilly terrain where you cannot see the lie of the
land. A small but satisfying triumph.
Day 5
A grey day then, likely to be my last.
I left my trusty B & B with the advice that they might
hear from me later, weather permitting, but I doubted
it. I decided to drive over towards Wastwater and then
went up to Irton Pike. I’d seen some photos taken
at the later viewpoint, and they were quite impressive.
It turned about to be a grand half day’s walking
although with not much breakfast fuelling me, no lunch
as the hours passed, and no extra clothing, I was not
prepared for reasonable exertion. Not for the first time
in my walking career, I kept seeing nice looking places
and continually going that much further, despite feeling
hungry and weak. Not only did I get up Irton Pike, I also
went along to the hills above Wastwater and made a new
discovery: how lovely this area is, with magnificent views.
It’s rare for me to experience this now, so it was
a bit of a treat. Note to self, as I ignored my fatigue
and battled severe winds coming down from Pillar and Gable
with rain showers: come back here and do it again, probably
taking the walk from Eskdale via Burnmoor Tarn. It had
always looked uninteresting up there, lacking the drama
of ridges or steep ascents. But this would be the culmination
of such a walk, along the top of Wastwater.
Leaving Eskdale is a poignant experience,
as I drive up the Hardknott Pass and look back down, remembering
not only this latest trip but others before it, some of
them distant memories it’s fun to reconnect with.
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