TGO Challenge - Wild Camps (No 3: 13 May 2007)

 

This was my third night on my first Challenge. I'd planned to camp at Loch Meall a Mhadaidh, just below Sgorr na Diollaid, but it was early and boggy. So I continued towards Carn Gorm, a nearby Graham, and found this good spot in the vicinity of NH 323 351, at around 540 metres, near a lochan.

 

The spring water took a while to collect, using a 'V' shaped tent peg to create a tap, but it was delicious.

 

I enjoyed fine evening views from this fairly remote spot, looking towards tomorrow's route.

 

'Ian's Indulgence' - 11 to 13 October 1985

 

Memories of a fine weekend in beautiful weather. Sadly, neither Dafydd nor John is able to share these reminiscences with the rest of us. We remember them fondly.

 

11 to 13 October 1985

Ian's Indulgence

 

Inch Events Inc, in association with D Wynn, organise a trip for JM as they haven't seen him for a while.

Accordingly, Inch and JM pitch up at Glenridding and adjourn to pub by 9:30. Inchsport is a new Alfa as the old one got crushed by an articulated lorry on the A1. Why didn't he send postcards from Peterborough Hospital?

Wynn, Scruby and Banfield leave Manchester 7:15 pm, Wynn's ancient charabanc being left at South Drive. Fish and chips in Penrith, then on to the campsite, and reach pub by 10:15 after leisurely pitching of tents.

Clear night, cool, but all have winter gear. 

Saturday (MB)

Still no cloud (all day).

Dafydd's sausages pervade the atmosphere and everyone lazily gets up. Only two or three other campers on the site, which is well equipped with new fittings and lots of hot water.

 

 

9:45 departure up Helvellyn via Mires Beck (Martin) Nab Crag (the rest) and Striding Edge (all). Martin finds a contouring path to the right at the end of Striding Edge, with a good view of Red Tarn and an exit to the summit.

Brew up / flask / water bottle / lunch stop, then on to Nethermost Pike then Dollywagon Pike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antics with delayed action photos. Dafydd and John were particularly perplexed.

Down to Grisedale Tarn for a lengthy break and observation of:

1. dogs which wouldn't cross the stream and had to be carried;

2. knackered noisy Geordies.

Martin tried to take an aquatic delayed action shot.

 

 

 

Looking back, from near Grisedale Tarn

 

 

On along a contouring path to the ridge north of Cofa Pike.

Martin lost the rest. On up Deepdale Hause to the summit of St Sunday Crag. Lots of people here, as everywhere, all day, due to superb weather.

Another variation: everyone except Dafydd and Martin also went up Fairfield.

II and JM recommend the pub grub in the Gloucester Arms in Penrith. Everyone ate sausages and beef risotto and stumbled down the track to the Glenridding Hotel for fizzy Websters.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday (II) 

The Knott to Racecourse Hill the hard way

Dafydd gets the weak bladder award (04:00 hrs). Everyone else slept soundly until the sound of primuses and osmotic pressure forces everyone to get up. Decamped and loaded cars. In trying to extricate Martin's motor from the mire. Dafydd says "what gear is it in" trying to be clever. "Reverse" came the reply.

Anyhow, we parked at Hartsop and flogged up to Hayeswater.

 

 

 

Having warmed up, there was then a severe grind up to The Knott, followed by a discourse from JM on blue wardrobes (IBM - it's being mended) on top of the hill. It transpired that it was a stretcher case and not a mainframe computer.

 

 

Sensible people would have walked along High Street to Racecourse Hill from here. Nothing that logical would do. Haweswater looked attractive, so we made a traverse of Kidsty Pike to look for the reclusive Golden Eagles. They were hiding very well. We did spot four deer (Roe Deer we think), but no Goldies.

 

 

Down to Haweswater. It was delightful to sit in the sun watching Martin trying to take photos of a dilapidated bridge. A delightful spot.

 

(MB) Continued from the bridge over Riggindale Beck across The Rigg, and headed directly up Heron Crag / Rough Crag and eventually up Long Stile to the summit of High Street (828m). Hazy but fine and warm but not too hot.
 

 

 

Good view back down the ridge. Lots of cars at the Mardale Beck end of Haweswater - out of proportion with the number of people seen.

 

 

Here's the last photo from the trip - Dafydd in typical pose on the top of High Street.

 

 

A race against mist on Racecourse Hill was followed by a swift descent to Threshthwaite Mouth and thence down Pasture Beck and back to Hartsop.

Pleasant weather again.

Took the Windermere route home and found lots of traffic jams, the longest one caused by a farmer taking several cows for a long hike.

Concluded with an Indian meal at the Asia before Martin went to High Wycombe.

 

 

Above is an approximation of both days' routes. The statistics are pretty much identical - 21 km, with about 1300 metres ascent. Click on the image for a better version.

TGO Challenge - Wild Camps (No 2: 12 May 2007)

 

Above, the small patch of grass at the edge of a bog, beside Loch Monar, where I made my home on the second day of my first Challenge. That was after having gone over Maoile Lunndaidh and An Sidhean, before which I had descended from Bealach Bhearnais to cross Allt a' Chonais via the bridge below, which consists/consisted? of just two offset wires. The person crossing is a Munro bagger I encountered.

 

 

The small patch of 'less bog' afforded a great view down Loch Monar.

 

 

Here, I'm about to strike camp on Day 3, having plonked all my possessions on some nearby rocks.

 

 

The rough location was NH 190 410.

'Wet Muker' - 22 and 23 March 1986

 

This wet weekend with John and Dave  now seems remarkable to me by virtue of the number of pictures taken. Mercifully, my diary entry was not as verbose as usual.

22/23 March 1986

 

Wet Muker

 

Saturday

8 am start almost on time to pick up Dave. Trundle up motorway and across to Muker via Sedbergh to meet JM at 10:10. He was cold after a 6:30 am start and arrival at Muker at 9:30.

The rain stopped and we had a pleasant walk to Gunnerside by the river.

 

 

We passed the Farmers Arms in Muker.

 

Wind very strong and whipped up spray. John reminisced about his Munros and told us he had had to transfer his records to a hard disk (haha)*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got to the Kings Head soon after 12, but it didn't open for a while. Had lunch on a wet bench then went into the pub to dry out. Structural changes have not enhanced it. (We regularly visited this pub in those days.)

 

 

Up Gunnerside Gill. Lots of disused lead mine workings. Pleasant woodland path at the start, but something has stripped the bark from many of the trees, making sad ugly scars. The rain came down. Hard.

 

 

 

We headed across the Gill (interesting) to North Hush, then west into the gale towards Keld.

 

 

 

Then down to Muker by the Swale. Welcome tent refuge from the very unpleasant wet. Good meal except that I mislaid my caviar, then down to the Farmer's Arms for more Theakstons and an Austrian planning session.

 

Sunday

Lots of sleet and rain and wind made the outside world uninviting. Lay in until 10:30 and then up and away by 11:15.

 

 

Drove to Healaugh then walked to the pub at Low Row, via footpaths and by the river. Unpleasantly wet. Spent a long time in the pub and after debate laid out on steak and kidney pie.

 

 

 

 

This path along a wall near Low Row will be familiar to those who have walked Wainwright's Coast to Coast route.

 

 

 

Back via Barney Beck. Lots more damaged trees and lots of dead rabbits. Hungry rabbits eat bark? (It had been an exceptionally hard winter.)

 

 

 

Surrender Bridge.

 

 

Good old Dartmouth Performance Clothing waterproof. I had that for many years.

 

Cold and uneventful, but at least a day out. Return via Darlington. (To drop off JM at his flat.)

The following day heavy snow in the Dales would have blocked our way back. The following weekend, a cold wet Easter was celebrated by the commencement of decorating of our house at 27 South Drive. (Not so much a start of decorating, more a start of stripping.)

* transcribed verbatim - how times change!

Here are our routes. 18 km with 600 metres ascent on Saturday; 11 km with 250 metres ascent on Sunday. Click on the image.