Today my group was made up of Dan and Becky (From Mondays Scafell Pike Walk) Matthew a.k.a 'Trippy"  (from yesterdays Skiddaw Walk) and Tracey. We set off at 10 towards Birkhouse Moor. The group made great time and was quickly at 720m. Matt ran off and continued his bagging and got Birkhouse Moor. We all enjoyed the flat walk in to High Spying How and everyone was excited about starting the ridge. The group all made great progress along the ridge, especially as none of them had really done anything like it before. The group was gaining confidence by the metre, and quickly dominated 'the chimney'. We scuttled up the final scramble, got ourselves a spot in the shelter on the summit, and enjoyed our lunch. After lunch we headed down Swirral Edge with Matt displaying some great route finding skills. Matt and Dan bagged Catstycam and then we continued down the path towards Greenside Mine. Another great day up Helvellyn, Cheers guys! Written by Matt Burt

 

Today I was meeting Matt at the The Old Sawmill Tea Rooms at 10am, to embark on tackling Skiddaw via the Osprey Viewpoint. After a quick chat, and finding out that this was one of Matt's few days in the mountains on his yearly holiday to the Lakes, and with him being quite keen to bag as many tops as possible, we jumped into my car and drove to High Side. From here we set off for Ullock Pike. We gained plenty of height fast, but were quickly engulfed by the mist at abou 600m. As we came off the ridge we bagged Carl Side and then headed for the main objective, Skiddaw. We followed the broken path towards the summit, and as we rounded onto the summit ridge we were met by some very strong winds. We quickly walked the few hundred metres along to the summit trig point, and huddled down for some lunch. The lunch stop was shortlived as we began to get cold so we headed for Little Man. This was a quick 'there and back' simply to bag it. Coming off Little Man we decided to contour back around to Carl Side to save the needed of going up to come back down, however the slippery skiddaw slate caused a few issues, and after a couple of tumbles we reverted back to the up and over. We headed back over Carl Side and down towards Dodd. Back down to about 600m we emerged out of the cloud to get some great views over Keswick and Derwent Water. On the way down Matt kept slipping on the path, and at some point along the way his watch came off. It was on the track up Dodd when Matt realised his watch was missing, so we re-traced our steps, and after giving up on the search a man coming down the hill whistled, and was waving Matt's watch at him, result! We bagged Dodd and made our way down to the Tearooms. We had managed to do this long walk and a very fast pace, and were up, around and down in just 5 hours. Written By Matt Burt.

We started our walk today from Seathwaite farm and headed towards the Stockley Bridge. We followed the path around Seathwaite Fell to join Styhead Gill. As we got to Styhead Tarn we were greeted by a marquee, filled with tea coffee and cakes! (Yum!!!) Running the marquee was a group raising money for Mountain Rescue, and had raised over £1000 in the last day (What a great job, keep up the good work!) We pressed on after a quick refuel and walked up the corridor route. Just as we came to Lingmell Col the cloud level started to drop and the summit of Scafell Pike was lost to the mist. On the way up to the summit the cloud kept clearing and offered us snapshot views out over the Borrowdale Valley, and Great Gable. The wind was howling across the summit, and with very limited views on offer we quickly moved to the nearby shelter for a spot of lunch.

After lunch we continued back over the tops (Broad Crag, Ill Crag) back to the top of Grains Gill. It was only here that it really started to rain. About an hour later we were back at Seathwaite Farm. The Group had done very well and completed the walk in 6 hours.

What a great day! To say it was windy would be a major understatement! I met the group (Phil, Matthew, Rosemary and Jenny) at the usual spot in Glenridding at 10am, and we immedietly got on our way. We followed the track up towards Birkhouse Moor at a stunning pace, of which my legs from having done 10 miles yesterday (And Rosemary's of course) were not too happy about! As we got over the brow of Birkhouse Moor the wind hit us in the face, and it was quite bracing to say the least. It was at this point we discovered Matthew was a bit of a peak bagger, and he quickly ran off and bagged Birkhouse Moor. Half an hour later we were huddled down by High Spying How at the start of the ridge; I briefed the group on the ridge and we were soon on our way. It was only a matter of meters of being on the ridge that we decided it was too windy to be walking the exposed ridge line so we dropped onto the path beside. Matthew tackled parts of the ridgeline, and the rest of the group peered over the edge at one point to see the steep drop that they were not risking to be blown into. The entire group tackled the Chimney and done very well, and had soon scuttled up the last scramble and on to the summit. We swiftly grabbed a few photos and headed for the summit, and here we felt the full force of the wind. This would be our usual spot for lunch and being half one already we were all getting quite peckish. The Shelter was full  and we couldn't stay out in the open, especially as I was not risking losing my Jam sandwich to a 100m drop down to Red Tarn! We continued on moving, leaning into the wind and thinking heavy thoughts, and headed half way down Swirral Edge and picked our lunch spot in a nice windless hollow.

After a well deserved break we headed on. Matthew detoured off and bagged Catstycam as the rest of the group followed the gentle path back to Red Tarn. Before we knew it we were all sitting in the Cafe back in Glenridding drinking Tea and Beer. Smashing day, another smashing group, smashing Jam Sandwich and a smashing cup 'o tea!

Whilst eating my bowl of chocolate Shreddies this morning I had my first look at the today's weather report, and it didnt look good. The report put a lot of emphasis on showers in the West, exactly where we were heading for the day. Well once again the report has been proven wrong, as today we have had glorious sunshine for the duration of the day. We started in Braithwaite and had the long slog up Grisedale Pike to contend with first, but the great thing about this is that once you have summited this peak, you have already completed most of the days ascent. After about and hour and forty five minutes we were standing on the summit feasting on excellent views out towards Scotland to the north, and the rest of the Lake District to the East, South and West, Stunning! The beauty of the Coledale Horseshoe is there are many route options, and you can do as much or as little as you like, but today we were going for it all! Myself and Rosemary set our sights on Hopegill head, and after a short while we were on the summit, and had gained views down to Melbreak alongside Crummock Water. After a spot of lunch we set off for the highest Peak of the day Eel Crag (Crag Hill), and taking in Sand Hill on the way. Shortly after 2pm we were on the summit of Eel Crag, and had broken the back of the horseshoe, now at our highest point we could see through to Buttermere, the Scafells, Langdale and even across to the Helvellyn Range. We continued on and took in the undulating peaks of Sail, Scar Crags and Causey Pike, which really marked the end of the horseshoe. After a slight backtrack we descended off the side of Causey Pike, walked over the summit of Slight Side and headed for our track back to Braithwaite, and then back to the car.

The Coledale Horseshoe has always been my favorite walk in the Lakes, and today reafirmed my love for this great walk. Thank you weather and thank you for the great company Rosemary!

A great shorter day today climbing Grange Fell from Grange.

The weather was warm and sunny as we set off from Grange and climbed through the Troutdale Valley and climbed to the summit of Kings How.

The views from the summit of Kings How were great, especially north over Derwentwater to Skiddaw.

We continued, crossing to the summit of Brund Fell, the highest point of Grange Fell and a good spot for lunch. After lunch we continued down to meet the track descending towards Rosthwaite and walked through the village to the stepping stones across the River Derwent following the river back by Gowder Dub to Grange.

A fantabulous day walking today, taking in Scafell Pike and Great End. Terry and Chris Lockwood, Les and Alan all met me at Seathwaite Farm at 10am. The weather report I had seen the previous night hinted showers mixed in with sunny patches, but this was far from the case at the start, the sun was already beating down and it was obvious the group was raring to get high and see some views. We took the path up to Stockley Bridge, and then cut across and up towards Styhead Ghyll. Our path ahead of us, the Corridor route up to Lingmell Col, was laid before us. By half twelve we had completed the corridor
route and were about to start our last slog up to the summit of the Pike. On
the way up we cut off the path to our special Wastwater viewpoint. Shortly after half one we were on the summit of the Pike. Alan had now got his ‘big three’ sealed up (Ben Nevis, Snowdon and SFP), and we all sat and enjoyed the fantastic
views over much needed lunch break. The group was doing great for time so we decided to bag Great End on the way past. This was another great opportunity for Les and Terry to put their photography skills to the test as Borrowdale was
laid out before them. We worked our way round to the top of Grains Gill, where we filled up our water bottles from the stream, and then started our long descent path down. About an hour and half later we were back at our starting
point, and all felt sufficiently tired. A fantastic walk, with a great group,but most surprisingly amazing weather all day! Ill take another serving of that please.

A good day today on Lingmoor Fell running the second day of a 2 day navigation course, we spent the day picking out plenty of small features across the fellside

A good day on Silver How today with an Navigation Training Course.

From Elterwater we climbed above High Close and followed the ridge over Dow Bank to the summit of Silver How running several navigation exercise on the way to Silver How.

On and off drizzle persisted for much of the morning, although after lunch this got a little heavier for a while it was much better than expected! After a short lunch stop on the summit of Silver How we continued west along the ridge exploring the area around Swinscar Pike.

We descended to Chapel Stile by Thrang Quarry and followed the river back to Elterwater.

If you were to introduce someone to a fell in the Lake District, in order to introduce them to the experience and the views, I think most of us would say Catbells. Today myself, my fiancee Naomi and my holidaying and fellwalking novices parents went for a quick ramble up this popular fell. The weather started clear but humid, offering us great views back towards Keswick. This clear weather was short lived, however the light showers cast multiple rainbows all across the sky. On the way up I also bumped into TLDW regular Lin Atril with her puppy Scruffy (Great to see you Lin!) After just over an hour we summited and quickly hunkered down in a little col to chew on some liquorice twists, Yum! Mum and Dad had just summited their first fell, objective complete, now time to get them back in one piece. We moved South off the summit and soon we turned West to find the track that runs alongside Catbells. By this time much of the polished rock on the fell was slippery and just as I turned to my mum to say 'dont put your foot...' 'Ouch!' 'Are you ok!?'. Mum managed to take a small slip and slightly jar her arm, so in kicked my first First Aid scenario as an ML. After a few minutes of rest she was back on her feet. After enjoying a slow walk back to the car the walk was over. Dad had anjoyed himself, and I think he will come back for more, Mum has said she's 'sticking to the Lakeside!'

A good day above the Vale of Wythop climbing Sale Fell and Ling Fell.

From Brumston Bridge we followed the track towards Kelswick climbing below Dodd Crag and up to the summit of Sale Fell.

Ther were good views over the Solway Coast to Scotland and across to Skiddaw and Helvellyn.

From the summit of Sale Fell we followed the ridge east over Rivings to Lothwaite, from Lothwaite the views over Bassenthwaite Lake were stunning and we stopped a short while on a new bench which has been built near the path.

We descended back to the Wythop Valley and followed the path through Chapel Wood to the ruined Church near Kelswick and crossed the fields to Old Scales climbing the old Corpse Road and up by the grouse butts to the summit of Ling Fell.

We descended a short distance south from the summit to find a spot out of the breeze to eat our lunches and found a good spot on the heathery slope above Wythop Moss and after lunch descending to the track below and back to the Wythop Valley.

A good short day and although a little overcast we had some good views.

Starting at 10am from Glenridding we set off up towards Birkhouse Moor with our sights set on Helvellyn

. We were soon admiring the views out towards Ullswater and High Street. Shortly after midday the group was on top of High Spying How ready to
tackle Striding Edge. Everyone done tremendously well on the ridge, sticking to the most exciting route as much as possible. After making easy work of ‘The Chimney’, and scrambling up the last section of rock towards the summit we were soon eating our sarnies on the summit admiring views of the central fells.

After our short lunch stop the group made short work of Swirral Edge. We then descended past Greenside Mine to make it back to the car park in a little over 6 hours.

Today we had a group of 11 adults and children raring to
tackle Helvellyn, of which consisted of Amelia aged 7, Barney aged 10, and Abi
who had been ill the night before. We started off on the walk and the weather
seemed to be improving by the minute. Amelia was quick to tell me that this
time last year she made it two thirds of the way up Scafell Pike but could not
quite make it to the top, so today was her day to conquer a mountain. The group
set a brisk pace as we ascended towards Birkhouse Moor, and in order to keep
Amelia’s attention off her tiring legs Josh kept her amused with one of his
fascinating stories. By midday the group was at the hole-in-the wall and really
ready to have some fun on Striding Edge, also at this point we were fortunate
enough to have a fly past by a Eurofighter Typhoon (here at LDW we like to
provided added value sights you see!) This was the point where Amelia decided
to tell us one of her own stories about King Jamie (Jamie) and Jiggly Wiggly
the Ugly Troll (Ben), although the story was somewhat altered upon Jamie’s
cues. The entire group done a great job of taking on Striding Edge and Barney
showed his natural ability as a Rock climber as he hopped across rocks and made
easy going of tough sections. After a quick spot of lunch on the summit
admiring the views of the central fells the group set off down Swirral Edge.
After making extra quick work of this shorter edge we headed down to Red Tarn
to watch Josh take a quick swim, and to see the full moon (his bottom!). After
not too long the group was back to the car park at the bottom having had a
great day out on the mountains. A great day out with a great group of people,
and what a fantastic day to have as my first for the company.

A great day climbing Helvellyn by Striding Edge today.

We set off from Glenridding at 10am and climbed by Lanty's Tarn following the wall up onto Birkhouse Moor.

From Birkhouse Moor we followed the ridge up over High Spying How and onto Striding Edge.

We crossed the edge easily, the weather was good with very little wind and we climbed the steep headwall to the summit of Helvellyn.

After stopping in the summit shelter to eat our sandwiches we crossed the summit plateau we descended Swirral Edge and dropped down to Red Tarn and after one brave member of the group took a short dip in the tarn we descended by Greenside Mines and back down to Glenridding.

A great day on the Kentmere Horseshoe today.

We set off from Kentmere just before 9.30 and climbed by the Garburn Pass to Yoke, the low cloud cleared as we neared the summit giving us good views of the surrounding fells.

We followed the ridge north over Ill Bell and Froswick before climbing to the summit of Thornthwaite Crag, stopping behind the wall to eat our lunches.

After lunch we crossed to Mardale Ill Bell, now in thick in cloud and starting to rain a little, this soon cleared as we descended to Nan Bield Pass and we reached the summit of Harter Fell in sunshine.

From Harter Fell we descended the southern ridge over Kentmere Pike and Shipman Knotts before descending back to Kentmere.

A great day!