Day One
To minimise time off, I drove up to the Sykeside campsite in Patterdale after work, meaning that I hit more traffic than I would with my usual early morning starts. All the same, I arrived around 6pm to find the shop still open for check-ins. The weather was bright but windy and I didn't make a great job of pitching my Alpkit Viso 2, but it would do, I reckoned. Dinner was booked for later, as I had wanted to give myself some contingency, but the pub was pretty quiet so I got my table and meal early. Very nice scampi and chips with a couple of pints of Brotherswater IPA, brewed for them by Tirril. The wind was still rattling the tent when I turned in but it became much more still after nightfall.
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| Alpkit Viso 2 at Sykeside |
Day Two
The wind was active again first thing and a few clouds covered the tops, especially further north along the valley. While having breakfast I watched rooks and wagtails pecking through the grass, and stared at the swirls of clouds generated from the airflow over Hartsop Dodd. My route was an extended Deepdale Horseshoe, starting with a climb up Caiston Glen (shirking the breakfast-loosening steep ascent of High Hartsop Dodd) to Scandale Pass. Inattention led me up the eastern side of the beck which was quite a sketchy path but not too bad. It was cool in the shade but warm enough. From the top of the pass I diverted up Little Hart Crag, just because it was there and because it gave great views up the now cloud-free Patterdale.
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| View up Patterdale from Little Hart Crag |
There was a fairly stiff climb up to Bakestones Moss before an easy stroll to Dove Crag, arriving rather quicker than I expected. The wind was properly fierce here and the wall offered little shelter for me to address my need for a snack. The views were a little hazy out to Langdale and Coniston.
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| Hazy views from Dove Crag |
Thankfully the summit of Dove Crag was bulky enough to give me somewhere sheltered to stop and eat before bumping my way over Hart Crag to Fairfield.
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| Path to Hart Crag |
The wind was howling over the bare top of Fairfield, so I wasn't hanging around. Up to this point, about 3 hours in, I had seen around 5 people. From here it was busier, if not exactly thronged with people.
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| St Sunday Crag from Fairfield |
Given the strong breeze I had been concerned about the exposure on the descent over Cofa Pike and had been weighing up my backup plans. As it happened, the wind wasn't too bad, though I did take the leeward bypass path around the very pinnacle of the Pike.
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| Helvellyn Range from Fairfield |
On my ascent of St Sunday Crag I found a spot where the wind suddenly vanished, and where there was a rock like a chair. I didn't need a second invitation to sit down for more food. The views over the Helvellyn range and beyond were superb and I took my time regarding it all.
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| Helvellyn Range from St Sunday Crag |
The summit of the hill was too windy for much pause so I carried on to Birks. My intention had been to descend via Arnison Crag but I was marching blithely down, not remembering I had to turn right. When I did look over and realise I was on the wrong ridge, I couldn't be bothered re-ascending - I was getting sick of the battering from the wind - so I just carried on down the rather unpleasantly steep Thornlow End.
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| Above Patterdale village |
A quick pint (or two) in the White Lion - pleasantly done out, good beer, pricey - then a stroll along the valley took me back to the campsite to grab a shower (good facilities) then go for beer and dinner. The steak and ale pie was excellent - only a pastry topper but plenty of meat and they were happy to swap the chips for crushed potatoes instead.
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| Extended Deepdale Horseshoe |
Day Three
It was another windy morning after a mostly calm night. This, combined with the lads in a nearby tent talking a little too loud, woke me at 5:30, though I dozed on until 7:15 before needing to get up.
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| High Hartsop Dodd in the morning sun |
I busied myself packing up until 8 when the shop opened and I could order a sausage bap for breakfast. This, picked up from the pub kitchen, was very good and well-filled. Set me up nicely. Given I wanted a short day and had had enough of the wind, I was going to do a low-level circuit round the base of Place Fell, rather like a Buddhist kora round a sacred mountain, say Mount Kailash. I drove up to Patterdale village, bagging a spot opposite the White Lion, and set out along the Ullswater shore.
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| Glenridding beyond Ullswater |
The bulk of the fell seemed to shelter me from the wind so I quickly dropped layers and enjoyed the calm. Clearly it wasn't windy enough to stop the steamers running.
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| Ullswater Steamer |
I followed the lovely path through woods - to a soundtrack of chiffchaffs, wrens and woodpeckers - along the shore as far as Sandwick before turning up Boredale. The idea was that I would have the easterly breeze mostly at my back, though valleys are tricky things and the wind was rather unruly.
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| Boredale |
I had never walked up this side of Boredale Hause and it proved a very peaceful, quiet place with very few people around. The path climbs steadily at first before getting steeper and steeper over rather loose terrain. The wind really tore through the narrow gap at the top, propelling me forward and out into the open, where I was rewarded with terrific views across the far fells. All that was left was a steep drop down to the car.
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| Eastern Fells from Boredale Hause |
I had had an excellent couple of days, taking my time and not exhausting myself, privileged to be able to spend some time in such a glorious place.
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| Place Fell Kora |
