Monday 15 June 2026 - A Bowfell Circuit

A call from Kate and Fiona, who we met last year in Ehrwald, triggered this round of Bowfell, Esk Pike, Allen Crags and Rossett Pike on a fine day with just a few spots of rain as we entered the pub at the end. Sadly Fiona had hurt her knee the previous day, so it was just Kate and one of their dogs, Bengie, that we joined for this walk over four Wainwright summits that Kate hadn't been on before.

The fields in the Langdale valley are full of buttercups just now.

Our ascent route today was The Band, on which we soon had a coffee break to refresh Sue and me after our two hour drive from Timperley.

There were great views back down the valley.

It cooled a little as we rose gently to the summit of Bowfell, but conditions were generally benign for the few people who had ventured out today.

We duly reached the 902 metre summit of Bowfell, with Bengie grinning at his achievement.

Lunch with Bowfell's northern summit and Esk Pike ahead.

Good views across to the Scafells.

Then it was an easy walk, missing out the northrn top of Bowfell, to Esk Pike.

Our route led down to cross a major path and head up to the summit of Allen Crags.

Good views towards the Langdale Pikes from Allen Crags. Becoming hazy.

Back down at the main path, we soon got good views to Angle Tarn and the easy summit, just to the left, of Rossett Pike. Here we started to encounter a 'DofE Gold' group of children who were enjoying day 2 out of a four day expedition before descending to camp in the Langdale valley.

Here, I'm on Rossett Pike with the Lagdale Pikes behind me.

A final tea break before the long descent to Mickleden.

It clouded over, with just a few drops of rain before we reached the pub next to the NT car park, where Fiona and friends and their dogs lay in wait. Bengie's mate Teddy was particularly annoyed at having been overlooked for today's walk.

Here's the route - 17km with 1080 metres ascent.

A great day out and thanks to Kate and Fiona for triggering it and to Kate and Bengie for their excellent company.

Thursday 23 April 2026 - Knott and Great Calva

                           Ascending to Little Calva, with Knott in the background

Believe it or not, I've been writiing this diary since September 2007, initially in preparation for keeping in touch during a visit to New Zealand in early 2008. This is posting number 5000, which I've engineered to be a return to its roots, namely descriptions of walks, where possible in the mountains of Europe and elsewhere.

During my time in the Stockport tunnels I pondered over the brilliant spring weather. Driving to the Lakes and back makes Wainwright bagging a tiring occupation, but the weather seemed very obliging. A decision was made, I would tick off a couple of Wainwright summits that I'd not been up before.

The driving proved to be fine, with little traffic on the road and adaptive cruise control offering relaxing journeys.

I had a half hour rest in the middle of both 120 mile journeys, a large latte at Tebay coming first.

Parking beyond Swineside was easy, with a five minute walk up to the Cumbria Way footpath where you could also park at a push. There were some deep potholes to avoid.

First view of Knott

I'm using Graham Uney's Wainwright book, in which he bags all 214 summits in 64 walks. He suggests walking along the track for ten minutes then heading directly and steeply upwards opposite a sheepfold. On my way back to the car I couldn't see either the path or the sheepfold, so I was glad to have spotted a sheep track path immediately after the bridge that the Cumbria Way uses. It was narrow and steep, but a good path all the way to the minor summit of Coomb Height.

There were soon good views back down to the Cumbria Way path, where a group of cyclists coming from the direction of Skiddaw House were nearing the bridge that I'd come over.

Coomb Height, with Knott up to the right

A very gently rising path led from here up to the main summit of Knott, at 710 metres (I had started at 280 metres) the highest point on today's walk, and a Marilyn summit as well as a Wainwright and a Birkett (and more). A Wheatear was positioned on the summit, and Skylarks twittered above.

The view north from Knott.

The view south from Knott, with many Lakeland summits beyond Skiddaw and Blencathra

Descending from Knott, after enjoying half my lunch, more great views. I saw them twice, having accidentally left my walking poles on the summit.

As I descended to the col between Hause Gill and Wiley Gill, the summit of Great Calva blocked the more distant views.

On the way up to the outlying summit of Little Calva I came across a chap who confessed to be addicted to climbing Wainwright summits. He lives nearby and was on his fifth 'round' and had done seven summits today. Fresh as a daisy, he kindly took the picture that appears at the top of this posting.

Great Calva from Little Calva

I spotted a green lizard, then met another chap on Little Calva. He had come from Warrington. There was also someone on the drafty summit of Great Calva, but he was too attentive to his map to have any meaningful conversation. There's a small shelter here, but a cool breeze from the south rendered that pretty useless today.

The summit of Calva is littered with old metal fence posts, but the views are great. I think that's Derwent Water in the distance.

From the summit of Great Calva, a steep path by a fence leads down to a bridge over Wiley Beck, with views down to the Cumbria Way path and the southern flank of Knott. I enjoyed the second half of my cheese sandwich and a banana and Kitkat in a sheltered spot on the way down.

A couple down at Wiley Beck may have been looking for a camping spot.

Looking back from Wiley Beck to the summit of Great Calva

After that, it was a straightforward (the whole walk is straightforward) walk along the Cumbria Way and back to the car, failing on the way to spot the route up Knott that Graham Uney describes in his book.

What a beautiful, cloudless day - a great decision to make the effort at very short notice.

Here's my route - 13km with 600 metres ascent, taking nearly 5 hours.

Then an easy journey home - back at 6:45, having left earlier at 8:15 or so.

Thursday 2 April 2026 - Carrock Fell

Sue and I had originally planned a day in the Lake District during our stay at Whinfell, but the weather forecast when we left home had obliterated any such idea, so very little walking gear was taken. However, given the opportunity for a walk on an unexpectedly fine day, we donned trail shoes and t-shirts and headed off to Carrock Beck, where half a dozen or so cars meant that we were not alone on the hill.

Carrock Fell, pictured above from near the start of the walk, is one of 214 'Wainwrights' - the hills described in Alfred Wainwright's pictorial walking guides. I'd never ticked these off in the past, but during last year I scoured my old diaries and entered details on a spreadsheet, to discover that there were about 60 'Wainwrights' that I'd not been up. Thus the germ of a project that would be easier than the 100+ Munro summits that I need to climb to achieve a second round of those summits.

The slow plod up to the main path was a bit squelchy, but my feet stayed dry in the sturdy Keen Targhee 3 shoes. Sue's Saloman shoes leaked, and she soon sped far ahead, for a long wait on the summit.

Looking south to Bannerdale Crags and Blencathra

This is the site of an Iron Age hillfort (see details at the foot of this posting), and the 663 metre summit of Carrock Fell is certainly a fine viewpoint.

It was a lovely sunny day, but a cool breeze provided encouragement to keep going. We left a large group on the summit of Carrock Fell and headed off over slightly boggy ground (not as bad as expected) to reach the minor summits of Round Knott and Miton Hill.

Round Knott

Looking back to Carrock Fell from Round Knott

Above and below: by the cairn that marks the summit of Miton Hill

After continuing over the rocky ramparts of Round Knott, and then to the small cairn at the top of Miton Hill, we headed down to the col at Red Gate and a turn right onto a good track to Carrock Beck.

The gentle descent to Carrock Beck

On reaching Carrock Beck, a spring in our steps saw us easily across the torrent.

The path turned into a track and led all the way down to the minor road where the car was parked. There were welcome warnings of dire consequences for anyone bold enough to try driving up the Caldbeck Common road on which we had just descended.

Any concerns about re-crossing the beck to reach the car were soon dismissed, though without the footbridge we would certainly have got wet feet in the ford.

Looking down, the river has certainly picked up pace from where we crossed easily higher up the valley.

Back at the car, with our route up to the summit of Carrock Fell in clear view

Here's our route - 7.3km with 400 metres ascent, taking around 3 hours, described in part below.

We could have continued over High Pike, another 'Wainwright', but we'd been there before and we were needed back at base to help cook a meal for 10 people. (That went well.)