Wainwrights Coast to Coast

Mr Wainwright has certainly encouraged a lot of people to take to the Lakeland Fells with his set of excellent guide books. His version of an English Coast to Coast Walk (St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay) is also gaining interest which I guess has been considerably heightened by the recent BBC programmes. I was inspired... and being in need of a good long walk, a few weeks ago Skye and I set off on the train to St Bees...

Looking out over St Bees on a damp Saturday morning.

The low cloud cleared by midday and eventually we had three hot sunny days walking and wildcamping in the Lakes.

A idylic camp alongside Ennerdale Water.

I've always had my eye on a camp at Grisedale Tarn and at last the opportunity. The sun on the tent in the morning made for a 7am start! The appeal of walking the Coast to Coast for me was that it visited areas I had not really discovered before. Nine Standards Rigg (above) was fascinating and I ended up camping just below the strange stone structures (below) looking out over Kirkby Stephen. The flowers and hay meadows of Shap and Orton were a real delight. I have never seen so may birdseye primroses (Primula farinosa).Swaledale proved to be a real wet crossing but the all day rain and gloom created a real remote feeling to the landscape.

Most people warn about the tedious roadwalking and crossing of the Vale of Mowbray. The seemingly endless fields of 'scary cattle', gates, stiles and crops. I was thankful to complete this section and get up onto the Cleveland Hills and North Yorkshire Moors.
After 9 days of walking we eventually reached the east coast on a glorious sunny afternoon.

In conclusion, the walk was an epic, real good fun and well worth the effort. The Lake District sections were of course the most enjoyable but Swaledale inspired me to return. Opportunities for wild camping were limited after the Lakes and getting clean water sometimes a real challenge. It certainly wasn't a 'wilderness experience' or 'get away from it all' trip. I met many people all doing the same, but then I never expected to be a lone walker! It was very well signed all along the way and I never consulted my compass once! Most people I met had day packs, their luggage being sent on day by day. Although this is not for me, I can see the appeal as their are numerous hostelries/B&Bs located all along the route and very limited places worthy of wildcamping. A great trip, but I think I'll try something a little more remote next time ?!?

It does not get better than this?

With a few days holidays to take and a good forecast, Skye and I headed out for a few days walking and camping. Buttermere being a destination I have not visited in too long a time, I decided to start from Gatesgarth Farm and see where I ended up. A spectacularly steep and ridge like ascent up Fleetwith Pike, across the top onto Grey Knotts, Brandreth and an idyllic camp below Green Gable.

The view from the camp down Ennerdale was magnificent. Such beauty, but also such peace and quiet!
The second day was like a balmy summer day. A real taste of the forthcoming summer? Over Great Gable, Kirk Fell and up onto Pillar. A sort descent down to Pillar Rock led onto a elevated terrace above Ennerdale for an amazingly remote feeling camp, considering the high numbers of people on the fells. What a stunning sunset!!

The heat from the morning sun woke me in the tent early (I had not experienced this since last May!). Breakfast outside the tent at 600m in the sun, with an azure blue sky and a backdrop of Pillar Rock and Crags; it really could not get any better than this!! Across Ennerdale, up onto Red Pike, High Stile and Haystacks, with a short stop off at Warnscale Head bothy. A relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable few days.

What a winter mountainscape in the Lakes

After spending all week looking longingly to the snow covered mountains, Saturday finally arrived. The snow still on the ground, the sun shining and real winter conditions on the fells. What more can you ask for?

Packing lots of warm clothes and various bits of pointy metal equipment, a friend and I set off for Langdale. Our goal...to get some great winter walking in. Our route...Langdale, Bow fell, Esk Pike and Scafell Pike.

What a fantastic day stored in the memory banks.

Of course the summit still had lots of people on, even in such cold icy conditions, and someone even turned up in trainers with no crampons or ice axe. I was truely amazed how they did it. I could not stand up without slipping if it were not for the pointy things on the bottom of my boots!

It really is worthwhile geting into the hills during the winter. The views of Gable were astounding from Scafell Pike.

I am just hoping the snow stays a few more days until the weekend.

Walk Images - Part III - Skye to Ben Hope

I have so many fantastic images from the walk. These below are the final ones of three parts. See previous blogs for earlier images from the walk. I hope you enjoy them.

From Skye we had a series of idyllic high camp sites to the north of Glen Shiel. This one was just past An Socach.

A snooze on Mullach na Dheiragain

This image taken early one August morning after a period of wind, rain and gloom. The sun shone, the birds were singing and everything was well with the world. Skye looks north over Loch Monar.

This is a wonderful bothy near to Achnashellach called Bearneas Bothy. A real wilderness feel. A front came in so we spent the day holed up in this bothy listening to rain batter down on the roof.

This was taken on what felt like a rooftop - on the summit of Maoile Lunndaidh.

A real hoolie of a day! We battled across Beinn Liath Mhor in very strong winds to get down into Torridon.

Skye on top of the world and on top of Liathach in Torridon.

The path along Liathach is very dramatic running along the edge of a precipitous drop.

From Liathach it was Beinn Alligin and then onto Beinn Eighe as shown above. We were so lucky with the weather in Torridon. Clear, calm and sunny!

One Monday morning about nine, we found ourselves alongside Loch Fannich (looking like a mirror) in marvelous conditions. Thinking about what I may have been doing on a such a morning, it made me really aware about how lucky I was to be doing this walk.
Glen Beg Bothy - outside...
...and inside! All my wet clothes drying over this fantastic potbellied stove.

Red deer were rutting and roaring by the time I reached the Beinn Dearg hills. They also were not phased by people and dogs. This one was most untroubled by how close were came.
The run up to the end. Ben Hope in distance.

And then reunited with the support pack spending a week on Raasay 1 stone in weight lighter!

Walk Images - Part II - Cairngorms to Skye

The weather becomes a focus point for such a trip and your eye is always on the sky. Eventually confidence grows and whatever the weather you know you'll be OK.The next few weeks were unsettled but then.. the Cairngorms were stunning. Ten whole days of scorching sunshine!!! Skye doingng her best Sphinx impression on LochnagarAnother pose beside Loch Avon in the heart of the Cairngorms. It was so hot we nearly got a suntan!

An idyllic wildcamp at Loch nan Cnapan around 850 metres.
These really were days in the mountains that were spectacular. Here was a view from Braeriach on a very hot calm day. Skye scrubbed a paw on descent into Aviemore so it was an unscheduled rest for a couple of days and a trip to the vets to make sure all our six feet were OK.
The weather broke after Aviemore so it was into the Monadhliath in low cloud and rain. Here was a wonderful wildcamp under Creag Meagaidh at around 900metres.
Onwards and westwards into Knoydart. This was taking as we were ascending Gairich.

Knoydart... one of my favourite areas of Scotland.

Also one of my most memorable walks was along the ridgeline towards Sgurr na Ciche (the ice cream cone shaped mountain in the background).

A very hot sweaty walk along the south Glen Shiel ridge ending with the saddle shown here in the distance. Nine Munros on that day- a long one!
Then we headed west towards Skye. This was taken as we were approaching Blaven. Impressive looking mountain and the start of that gabbro rock. Goodbye fingertips!

The Skye Cuillin could have been a big sticking point of the walk. At my limits I managed to complete them all, and then the Inn pin with the help of Simon Webb and Paul Glading in awful weather. Thanks guys !
The view from An Dorus on the ridge. Stunning...no explanation needed.

An unexpected visitor on the summit cairn of Sgurr Alasdair.

The Great Stone Shoot and a completion of the Skye Munros. A releif to have finished but not all was over yet. Still another many miles to go.

Walk Images - Part I - Starting Off

Below is my first set of photos showing Kendal to Ben Alder...

May was so hot to start such a walk. We needed to stop and cool off regularly as we moved north to Scotland!

Many a tea stop was needed in such hot weather. Brattleburn Bothy and tea stop on the Southern Upland Way.

Walking day after day in such hot conditions, is it a dream or a nightmare? Skye sleeps in the tent corner after a long day on the road.

Skye, the natural poser on Beinn a Chochuill with Cruachan in the background.

A wildcamp just under Ben Lui - little did I know how much use those Pacerpoles would get. Absolutely irreplacable !

One of the more brighter, clearer views we had while in Glen Etive. This was taken ascending Ben Starav in wind, rain and low cloud. Conditions that continued for many days.

The Aonach Eagach was always a worry for us. Was it as difficult as we had imagined it to be...? Not really, and the rain stopped, the cloud parted and it was sunny for th event of crossing the ridge.

As the rain returned and the cloud closed back in, this was a typical view from the Mamores (and the Grey Corries and all the Ben Alder Munros etc etc...).

This is one of my favourite bothies - Meananach in Glen Nevis. It kept us dry during a particulalry nasty storm...Thanks Mountain Bothies Association.

The Grey Corries. What more can I say?

Culra Bothy with Ben Alder in the background. What a stunning setting for a bothy.

We're back and it's still raining !

Well after months of walking we arrived back in Kendal a week or so ago. How is Skye adjusting...? Say no more!

As for me? I am enjoying catching up with family and friends and appreciating the simply things in life again such as warm water, a loo to sit on in the morning and a real bed.

I would of course wish to thank everyone for their support over the last five months, without which the trip would not have been possible. Especially to Heather and Alan at Pacerpoles for all their help, to Simon W and Paul G for getting me up the Inn Pin, to Mike K and Glen for their fish and veggie dishes, to Steve P and Lorraine M for their wisdom and encouragement, to everyone who put a roof over my head (particularly the wonderful peaple at the Crask Inn) but most of all to Corrie, Maisie and Charlie (the Support Pack) who worked hard over the summer keeping me going when times were... lets say 'trying'! Many thanks to you all...

I now hope to eventually post pictures and anecdotes which I hope capture some of my experiences during the walk. I have thousands of memories; rain soaked days in Glen Etive, scorching days in the Cairngorms, shared bothies in Knoydart, the Cuillin ridge in cloud (say no more), Fisherfield in gales and rain and the joys and releif of standing on Ben Hope the 284th Munro. Seeing the seasons change, eagles, otters, starry saxifrage and pine martins. A whole array of captured images... Overlaying all these, I recall a feeling of a deep contentment, of completness, a heightened awarness, of being in the 'moment' day after day having to deal only with simple tasks of survival. What a trip it was, many magical moments of sheer bliss and a good number of shear struggle. All character building.