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October

 

Route

Route

Walk Leader

Michelle

Route

High Barrow Bridge – anticlockwise circuit of Borrowdale via Whinfell Ridge

Weather

Not as good as forecast - clear until lunch, then low cloud came in and it remained overcast with occasional sunny spells, not very warm.

Walkers

Michelle, Michael, Ashley, Carol, George B and Evelyn

Excuses

Ron and Sandy - at a church 'do'

Bernie - catching up on paperwork

Comments

New area (eastern edge of the Lakes) for one of our walks. A remote walk within sight of the M6. Unremittingly wet underfoot but not muddy. Distance : 9.22 miles, Max Height 480m (1598ft), Height ascended 738m (2457ft).

Very steep ascent at the start followed by a difficult descent over some wet rocks towards the lunch spot.

Pleasant sheltered lunch spot among the rocks with cover available in the event of rain. We thought it would be an ideal spot for animals to have a party. Carol reckoned they could readily get hold of a rock band.

Nobody, to his or her credit opted for the shortcut. Competent navigation after lunch by Michelle as the cloud came in – missed out Whinfell Beacon and Castle Crag as we could not see them.

Passed two mobile phone masts close to each other before descending to a barren river at the side of which we returned to the cars along a track with a lot of deep puddles. Passed a deserted farm being restored. There was a wooden plaque above the door with the inscription TMT 685 on it. Circular knife sharpening stone in the yard.

One field gate had a risk assessment on it detailing the action to be taken if cows, bulls and calves obstructed the track.

Spectacular for lack of wildlife.

En route to the pub, we saw the new Peppercorn A1 Pacific locomotive “Tornado” at Shap hauling a rake of 1950’s coaches from Carlisle to Preston. Michelle claims that she organised this for our benefit.

Wildlife / Flora / Animals:

Birds : Buzzard, and small unidentified tweety birds.

Insects: Hairy caterpillars, slug.

Mammals: Wild horses, ponies, cowardly bullocks.


Meal

Queens Head, Tirrel. Nice good food. Staff rushed off their feet.

Photo Gallery

View

View from Ashtead Fell

Cairn

Ashtead Fell Cairn

On Ashtead Fell

On Ashtead Fell

Borrowdale

Fleeting glimpse of Borrowdale

 

Descending

Descending the gully

 

Mabbin Fell

Heading for Mabbin Fell

Descending Mabbin Fell

Descending Mabbin Fell

Lunch

Lunch

 

Low cloud

Low cloud

Emerging

Emerging from the fog

Descent to Borrowdale

Long walk to Repeater Station

 

 

 

Through Heather

Descent to Borrowdale

 

Afternoon tea

Footsore afternoon tea

 

The end is nigh

The end is nigh

 

Tornado

Tornado passing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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