( Previous trip report is Great End, via Seathwaite Fell )

It was Thursday 29th September 2011, unseasonably warm, and happily I was able to swap a day off from the following week to get out in the fresh air, instead of boiling to death in a Middlesbrough office-block with broken air conditioning units! I had a route planned, but had to make some last minute modifications due to a late start. The original route, which was still fairly short, would have descended Great Gable to the north-west, climbing Kirk Fell, and returning to Seathwaite via Brandreth and Grey Knotts. Sadly, me and early starts are not natural bedfellows! So instead, I came off Great Gable to Styhead Tarn, and followed the path down Styhead Gill, back to Seathwaite Farm.

View from Great Gable summit

Refer to Wainwright Book 7: The Western Fells. This route added three more Wainwrights to the count, bringing the total up to 70, and tantalizingly close to 1/3 of the way there!

Route Summary:

Park along the Seathwaite road, which leads from the B5289 a couple of hundred metres south-east of Seatoller. Take the track that leads under an arch at Seathwaite Farm, and follow the track up Sourmilk Gill. (I assumed the path went around the side of the building, which is also a path, but takes a longer detour round a field, before rejoining the actually path - so look for the archway opening to the path.) Follow Sourmilk Gill until you come to a plateau; great views of Raven Crag - so pencil that in for a future bit of climbing! Leave the main path and head south-east for Hanging Stone. After a huge boulder, you pick up a proper path again, and follow it around the southern side of the Hanging Stone and to the summit of Base Brown. From here, you quickly meet up with the main Green Gable path, and follow this across Windy Gap to Great Gable. The route here is easy, but takes you across some loose rocks and scree, so be aware of anyone above or below you.

Take care with your direction off Great Gable, there are some sides you probably don't want to casually walk off. The path to Styhead Tarn leaves the summit due east, then turns south-east after about 200 metres. Paths are unclear at the summit as it's predominantly covered in rocks, but I presume this path to Sty Head is one of the most popular routes, and it's well maintained and unmissable once you get to it. From the tarn, follow Styhead Gill back to Stockley Bridge and then turn north on the farm track back to Seathwaite.

View towards Seathwaite from the ascent of Base Brown

"Great Gable is a favourite of all fell walkers, and first favourite with many."

Map:

Click here to view OS Map on Social Hiking

Car-park to Base Brown:

Leave the B2589 from Keswick at the Seatoller Bridge and follow the road down to Seathwaite Farm; there is ample free parking along the roadside.

View of Raven Crag from Sourmilk Gill

A good tip if following this route is to note the path to Sourmilk Gill starts in the middle of the farm buildings, under a small arch. The more obvious assumption, that the path goes around the outside, does get you back onto the same path eventually, but forms a bit of a pointless detour around a field.

There is less than 1km of steep ascent before you arrive at Gillercomb, a level area, which from O-Level geography I guess would probably be termed a hanging valley. Appropriately enough, leave the main path here and head for Hanging Stone, on the ascent to Base Brown via its north-east ridge. There is no clear path at first, just grass initially, and then a rocky area to cross.

"Base Brown marks the end of roads and farmsteads, of woods and green pastures, as one proceeds into the upper recesses of Borrowdale. It marks the beginning of wilderness and desolation."

The "Hanging Stone" on ascent to Base Brown

There's a huge boulder below the crags, which is a good landmark, as I found there's a clear path shortly after; seen in photo below-left. It's a good path, but remember there are steep crags to your left, so stay on the path and follow it around. Standing on the aforementioned boulder is also a good viewpoint back towards Seathwaite.

    
Approaching summit of Base Brown (left) and path to Green Gable (right)

Once you're at the summit of Base Brown, the path becomes considerably easier across the col known as Blackmoor Pols and it's an easy walk up to the summit of Green Gable.

Green Gable and Great Gable:

"It might be thought that the summit [of Green Gable] had been expressly constructed for observing the northern crags of Great Gable, so convenient s platform it is for this purpose."

I don't think I was seeing Green Gable on one of it's better days. The photo below shows a brief glimpse through the cloud, but for most of the time there was nothing to be seen in any direction, and I'm sure it would normally command some superb views.

Great Gable, with cloud lifting, seen from Green Gable

Windy Gap is appropriately named, being both a gap, and windy. It's fairly steep on both sides, and seemed particularly loose underfoot on the Great Gable side, so care should be taken not to dislodge rocks onto anyone who might be below. The gaps in the cloud appeared to be getting more frequent as I began the climb up from Windy Gap, and it was definitely feeling brighter.

    
From Green Gable into Windy Gap (left) and from path to Great Gable (right)

Gable Crag, shown in the photo above-right is a popular climbing area. Saw some jackets and gear at the base of the cliff, although couldn't actually see where they were climbing. Didn't venture around to have a look - but the route Wainwright describes as the "Gable Girdle" sounds like something well worth returning to.

Cloudy views from the summit of Great Gable

It would have been easy to be disappointed by the cloudy conditions, but sitting on the summit, watching the clouds swirling around the Scafells, Lingmell and Great End, it was a remarkable sight - glimpses here and there, before another curtain of white descended to hide the view. Another good reason not to be discouraged by English weather!

"Erected in 1876 by two brothers of the name Westmoreland, [Westmoreland Cairn] marks what they considered to be the finest mountain viewpoint in the district."

Descent via Styhead Tarn:

The path I took down Great Gable I presume must be the most popular route, although it might also be the least interesting. However, it's a good quality path and leads conveniently down to the top of the pass at Sty Head.

Great End, seen from descent of Great Gable

From there, I rejoined the path I'd descended on my previous trip: Great End, via Seathwaite Fell. From Styhead Tarn it follows the path of Styhead Gill, passing Taylorgill Force and rejoining the Seathwaite track near Stockley Bridge. It's a pleasant descent in the shadow of the surrounding fells, with Base Brown to the west, Glaramara to the East, and Seathwaite Fell looking down from the head of the valley.

Summary:

I'd be happy to recommend this route. The ascent of Base Brown via Sourmilk Gill is steep, but rewarded with some excellent views, and within those first 3km you're already up at about 650m. The short ascent between Green Gable and Great Gable probably doesn't really do justice to either - and both deserve more exploration in future. In particular, I'd like to return to the Gable Girdle, described on pages 9 and 10 of Wainwrights western fells. This link to Pace the Peaks features some photos of that route.

In summary, a very enjoyable day out, and a short but worthwhile route.

"to those who travel alone, the solitary wanderers on the fells,
who find contentment in the companionship of the mountains"
A. Wainwright

With everything else that has been going on recently (namely see photo below left) I'd failed to notice I'm now just over one year into my project to walk all 214 "Wainwrights" in the Lake District. So I thought I'd put together this brief summary of routes to date. The count stands at 67, spread over 13 day walks, and 1 wildcamp. I'd probably hoped to be a bit further forward at this stage, but aside from the arrival of Jack, we've also gutted and virtually rebuilt our house from the inside out. So I think progress is pretty good, and in any case, I'm not setting any kind of time limit on it.

   
A slight shift in priority was required, but still averaging more than one route per month!

The table below lists the routes so far. The titles are linked to my trip reports, giving full details of the walk and terrain, and where possible I have uploaded the GPX track-log. All the photos from each walk are available on my Picasa Web albums page, or via bit.ly/jc-214.

I see from Google Analytics that visitors arrive on my website in fairly modest numbers, but most of the trip reports are getting a few hits each week - some more than others, so I hope they are proving to be useful and interesting to someone! Summit bagging is not without it's critics, but I have to say it has suited me very nicely, getting me to areas of Lakeland that I probably wouldn't have got around to visiting otherwise.

If I can match this progress in the next 12 months I'll be more than happy, and by that time should be well over half-way towards the full 214. Next update on my blog here will be the Great End trip report, including a somewhat frustrating #fail up Cust's Gully. On the subject of scrambling and climbing, if you feel so inclined, check out my other blog over at lifeontheledge.com.

Footnotes:

(*¹) GPS battery ran out on Haystacks and at the time I wasn't geo-tagging photos, etc, so I didn't bother to change the battery to get the rest of the track-log saved. I descended to the west of Little Round How, crossed Warnscale Beck and then headed back to the carpark via Warnscale Bottom.

(*²) On this route, I lost my GPS. Reported it to the police, but it's either still up there somewhere, or whoever found it failed to hand it in - thieves!!! So for this walk the GPX is a route plan - I think fairly accurate.

(*3) No track-log was saved for this walk, so again, GPX file is a route plan. It's pretty accurate to the route I walked, but I'd suggest finding a different path up Souther Fell. This ascent was just a long slog through deep bracken, and it ought to be possible to follow a more natural line along the top of the ridge.

( Previous trip report is Angletarn Pikes via Place Fell )

The weather was perfect for a day's hiking on 13th July 2011, and my intention was to make a circuit starting at Seathwaite, with Great End at the southernmost point, and then returning via Glaramara and Bessyboot. A good plan I think, but I spent too long in Cust's Gully and eventually had to cut the route short. More about that in the detail of the trip report below!

Great End seen from Styhead Tarn

The negative aspect of all this, is that I climbed two - instead of the five Wainwrights I had planned for the route, but the path I eventually took up Great End is definitely a worthwhile bit of exploration, and almost infinitely preferable to the main 'tourist' path that is shown on the OS map, approaching the summit from the south.

Refer to Wainwright Book 4: The Southern Fells. This route added two more Wainwrights to the count, bringing the total up to 67.

Route Summary:

Park along the Seathwaite road, which leads from the B5289 a couple of hundred metres south-east of Seatoller. I accidentally took the Stonethwaite road initially, and had to turn around - which is slightly irksome - so remember SEAthwaite. Conveniently, there is a convenience next to Seathwaite Farm, so hold your breath and use it if required. Follow the rocky path to Stockley Bridge. You need to cross the bridge, over Grains Gill, and take the path west, towards Greenhow Knott; it's the path you'd take as if you were heading for Scafell via the Corridor Route. Go through the gate and look for the three prominent streams that cross the path. After the second stream, turn south onto a vague and grassy path. Head for Aaron Crags, climbing what Wainwright termed "route A", up a steep grass gully. It's actually "very" steep towards the top, probably slippery when wet, and I'd say not a good route for descent.

From the top of Aaron Crags, the going is considerably easier. Just follow the ridge to Seathwaite Fell, enjoying some superb views of Great Gable before Great End starts to come into view. The path is indistinct, but head for Sprinkling Tarn through undulating ground. Climbing Great End from the south was not a prospect that appealed to me, and so my plan was to follow the line known as The Band, then head into the north-west end of the crag, climbing Cust's Gully to the summit. As it turned out, for a solo walker, I could see no safe route over the short pitch below the hanging stone of Cust's. Discretion is the better part of valour, so I backed out of it and climbed a short rake to the west of Branch Gully. (The final pitch on Branch is harder and looked less safe than Cust's.)

Sitting on the summit cairn of Great End, I cut short my original plan - which had been to descend via Allan Crags, Glaramara and Rosthwaite Fell - AKA Bessyboot. I think it would have been a good route, but it would have meant a late finish, so I descended to Esk Hause, and rather than follow Ruddy Gill back to the valley, I doubled back and took the path towards the foot of Great Gable, and sat in the sun beside Styhead Tarn. The path back to the car is easy, passing Taylorgill Force and rejoining the earlier path back to Stockley Bridge.

Map:

Click here to view OS map on Social Hiking

Car-park to Seathwaite Fell:

For anyone travelling into the Lakes from the north, Seathwaite is a great starting point for many routes. I imagine probably busy at weekends, but ample free parking along the roadside on the midweek days when I've visited. The WC next to the farm is also a welcome sight after a long drive!

Seathwaite Fell seen from below Stockley Bridge

The path, heading south between the collection of farm buildings, is more like a dirt-track as far as Stockley Bridge, whereupon it splits into more typical, smaller paths. Take the path towards Styhead Tarn, but after crossing the wall below Black Waugh, look to your left and at the second stream, leave the main path and cross the gentle grassy slope directly towards Aaron Crags. I followed the route Wainwright termed Gully A. The illustration on "Seathwaite Fell pg 3" marks the boulder/shelter, which is a distinctive landmark along the route, but regardless of this, there's no mistaking the gully.

"...the shapelier pyramid at the north end of the plateau, [with] a cairn at 1970', buttressed by blistered rocks, is generally regarded as the summit of the fell although obviously it isn't."

Ascent of Seathwaite Fell, via "Route A"

At a modest 601 metres, it's overshadowed by higher fells on all sides, but still well worth a visit for the views and I think it's a good approach route towards Sprinkling Tarn and Great End and affords excellent views back into the Seathwaite valley and back to Derwent Water.

Over Great Slack to The Band:

It's an easy walk from the summit of Seathwaite Fell to Sprinkling Tarn over undulating terrain. Not much of a path, but no difficulty in route finding. Just after Sprinkling Tarn you'll cross the main path from Esk Hause to Styhead Tarn. This is a very distinct path, well maintained, but on this route you simply cross over it, heading up the grassy slope below Great End and into a wide gully that appears to be known as The Band on the OS map. You cross a few rocks but it's very easy going.

Great End seen from Seathwaite Fell

If you don't want to attempt Cust's Gully (or the alternative to the west) then simply follow this route to the western shoulder, near the top of Skew Gill, and head directly for the summit. Again, this is somewhat rocky, but very easy going in these conditions.

"...the fringe of boulders below the west summit call for slow and careful placing of the feet..."

Cust's Gully, and alternative route to Great End:

It was a bit of a disappointment to have to back out of this route, as for me, Cust's Gully seemed like the perfect approach to the summit of Great End. The approach takes you into a dramatic spot that feels like it's right up to the main crags, but with no real difficulty, and Cust's itself would take you almost directly to the summit - again, without any difficulty, if it were not for a large chockstone, wedged halfway up the gully, creating a bit of an impasse.

"...written references to it are confined to rock-climbing literature, which dismiss the place as of little consequence although grudgingly conceding that there is one small and insignificant pitch..."

Looking back, on approach to Cust's Gully

Wainwright concluded that Cust's Gully was "no way for walkers". But, rated as a grade 2 scramble, I thought it was worth a closer look. If anything, I think the grade might be slightly optimistic. At this point in July, I'd been climbing indoors for about 7 months, and had done some outdoor bouldering, but as a solo hiker I could see no safe route up the rock step below Cust's hanging boulder. It's a short pitch, a little over 3 metres probably, but the left side overhangs slightly and lower down the gully a couple of holds had already broken away in my hand from this wall. The right side looked more favourable, but even in these bone dry conditions it was covered in thick moss and running with water.

There are rocky ledges either side, which you could attempt to traverse up, but they looked insecure, and realistically you can't risk a fall onto the debris and boulders that fill the gully below. The safest approach might have been to treat the obstacle as a short chimney and bridge up it, but again, any slip could have resulted in an awkward landing. Perhaps this is overcautious, but my view is that if walking solo, you need a more secure route than this gully can offer.

   
View into, and out of, Cust's Gully

Having said all this, if you have time, it's definitely a good bit of exploration. The first half of the gully is easy, just a couple of minor obstacles to navigate, and outside the gully it's a simple grassy traverse, close into the crags. The views and sense of being close to the mountain make it a very worthwhile detour.

Great Gable seen from summit cairn of Great End

The pedestrian route (described on Great End pg 12 in the Wainwright Guide) is easily found slightly west of the Branch Gully, although I found it more grassy than the guide seemed to imply. It rejoins the main route of The Band and passes the exit of Cust's on route to the summit.

Descent of Great End via Esk Hause:

I took what I suppose is the most popular path from the summit of Great End, down to Esk Hause, and my original plan had been to return to Seathwaite via Allen Crags, Glaramara and Bessyboot. Unfortunately I was running behind schedule at this point and took a shorter route down via Styhead Tarn. Following Grains Gill would have been quicker, but I wanted to get a closer look at Great Gable, which I had planned for my next outing.

Styhead Tarn with Great Gable above-left, Green Gable to the right

"...Sty Head became known as a convenient springboard for excursions into the surrounding mountains..."

Styhead Tarn is a very pleasant spot. There was a single tent pitched on the southern side. I sat for a while on the northern side, chilling out with a granola bar before the easy walk back to the car!

Summary:

In summary, I'd say this was an interesting route - tinged with some minor disappointment, but also benefits from getting well off the usual, well-trodden paths. Even a successful approach via Cust's Gully would still have added significantly to the time, compared to taking the much easier route via The Band, so worth bearing that in mind when planning the day's route. The ascent of Seathwaite Fell via "route A" is definitely worth trying, and I think probably its best approach to this summit from the Seathwaite side.

Other than that, I'm definitely of the opinion I need to wear lightweight cotton shorts in summer! I was walking in Montane Terra trousers, which I love in cooler conditions, but they are definitely not for me in this weather!

"to those who travel alone, the solitary wanderers on the fells,
who find contentment in the companionship of the mountains"
A. Wainwright

( Previous trip report is Northern Fells Wildcamp and Partial Circuit )

Looking at the dire weather reports on the Accuweather Mountain Forecast, the Mountain Weather Information Service, the BBC and the Met Office, I had almost come to the conclusion it wasn't worth setting off on the drive to the Lakes on this un-promising 15th June 2011. My mind was quickly changed by the Pooley Bridge Steamer Pier webcam. This showed the reality of the situation, damp but reasonably bright conditions, with summits just visible. I'm not overly concerned by rain - just so long as I'm still getting a decent view. In the words of Jerome K Jerome, "we told ourselves that nature was beautiful, even in her tears".

    
Views from the northern summit (left) and the southern summit (right) of Angletarn Pikes

It was a good decision, with a morning of rain, clearing to become a very pleasant afternoon; t-shirt weather by the time I got to The Nab. Living in a climate that's as unpredictable as ours, I think there's a good case to just go with your plans, carry appropriate kit so you'll be prepared for whatever the weather might throw at you, and if all else fails - then be prepared for a last minute change of plans if conditions dictate.

In spite of the damp start, I added another 6 Wainwrights from Book 2: The Far Eastern Fells. Bagging count now stands at 65.

Route Summary:

Park near the church at Martindale. I accidentally parked next to the church at Christy Bridge (half a mile down the road) and it's possible this was not appreciated as, by the time I returned, someone had ostentatiously parked a silage trailer in the middle of the road. Hard to say if this was a "statement", or just the perfectly normal parking attempts of a bewildered moron.

Wherever you eventually decide to park, leave your windows closed and cross the lower portion of Housteadbrow (below Winter Crag) and head up to High Dodd via Garth Heads. Follow the ridge to the summit of Place Fell (657m). This is a pretty gentle climb. It's then a steep descent to Chapel in the Hause, and any normal person would head straight to Angletarn Pikes. Therefore, I took a lengthy diversion to Beda Fell (509m) before climbing back up to Angletarn Pikes (567m). From here the route follows a natural progression to Brock Crags (561m) and Rest Dodd (696m) with another steep descent via The Nab (576m).

Map:

Click here to view OS Map on Social Hiking...

Carpark to Place Fell:

I think it's probably best to play it safe, and park in the area next to Martindale Church. There's not much other parking to be found, and the roads are very narrow, so probably worth arriving early at weekends and during holiday times. Beyond the Christy Bridge chapel, there's no parking opportunities so far as I could tell. However, on this wet Wednesday in mid-June, there was plenty of space. Cross over Howsteadbrow into the Boredale valley and follow the gently angled path to High Dodd.

Gentle climb to High Dodd

The rain started getting heavy as I reached the top of the ridge and I eventually donned my Paclite over-trousers. I was also struck by a long forgotten smell; wet ferns! It's funny, because it's a distinctive smell I seem to remember a lot from childhood, but hadn't noticed it in a long time. It made walking through the driving rain almost completely worthwhile!

"Place Fell rises steeply from the curve formed by the upper and middle reaches of Ullswater and its bulky mass dominates the head of the lake."

Once you're onto High Dodd, it's an easy walk up to Place Fell, via the ridge of Hart Crag.

Looking back to Place Fell from Beda Fell Knott

From Place Fell, you descend rocky paths to Round How, whereupon the path steepens considerably until you reach Chapel in the Hause. It would be a short walk from here to the northernmost summit of Angletarn Pikes (about 1km) but instead I took a 6km diversion around to Beda Fell and back. Had to be done, but took longer than I'd anticipated and it put me a bit behind schedule.

The elongated Beda Fell diversion:

For the summit bagger, Beda Fell is awkwardly placed. It's easy to fit into a couple of shortened horseshoe walks, either the combination of Place Fell & Beda Fell, or the Beda Fell, Angletarn, Brock, Rest Dodd, Nab side of the valley. Both would make for good routes, but just a tad too short at around 13-14km each, and hence my "W" shaped horseshoe approach!

From Chapel in the Hause, head to Beda Fell Knott, then along ridge to cairn at Beda Head. The clouds were lifting to some extent and I was able to switch from full waterproofs to a Lightspeed over my microfleece top.

St Sunday Crag, viewed over col at Chapel in the Hause

There are nice views throughout. In the photo above St Sunday Crag is almost visible in the cloud, although Fairfield (to the left) and the Helvellyn range (to the right) are a bit more clouded in.

"The fell is best climbed along its north ridge, over the serrated crest of Winter Crag."

The view towards Beda Head

Beda Head turned out to be a very nice spot for a stop, with great views over Martindale and Ullswater. After the mandatory Granola bar, retrace footsteps, climbing along the line of Heckbeck Head towards Angletarn Pikes.

Angletarn Pikes to Brock Crags:

This was my first visit to Angletarn Pikes, but will be very happy to return. There would be plenty to explore, some decent scrambling to be had - or go the whole hog and bring your bouldering mat! Would also make a great spot for a wildcamp, but I get the feeling it might be a little too popular. There are two distinct summits to Angletarn Pikes, the northern one being a couple of metres higher.

"Twin upthrusts of rock, 200 yards apart, give individuality to this unusual summit; the northerly is the higher."

Angle Tarn seen from below the southern summit of Angletarn Pikes

It might be advisable to descend south-west from the southern summit as I ran into some very boggy ground on the north-east side, but either way, it's a short walk back to the main path that leads you around the Tarn below the ridge of Buck Crag. The natural line of this route would take you up Satura Crag to Rest Dodd, but I took a short diversion up to the summit of Brock Crags.

"It is as a viewpoint that the summit merits the most respect."

Summit cairn at Brock Crags, with Dove Crag and Hart Crag in the background

Brock Crags is perhaps not the most exciting summit in the world, but well worth a visit for its (potentially) superb views of the surrounding hills, not least St Sunday Crag and the Fairfield range, as well as some great views towards Stony Cove Pike and High Street.

Rest Dodd and descent via The Nab:

The climb to Rest Dodd, although only about 150m above the col leading to Satura Crag, is a bit of a pull at the end of the day, but once at the summit, it's pretty much all downhill from there! Notably, descending across the aptly named Deer Forest.

Rampsgill Head seen from summit of Rest Dodd

"Rest Dodd stands at an angle on the undulating grassy ridge coming down from the main watershed to the shores of Ullswater, and its south-west slope, which drains into Hayeswater Gill, is crossed by the track from Patterdale to High Street."

It's particularly worth noting the bogs between Rest Dodd and The Nab. In fact, you can't miss them, and it does tend to slow your progress somewhat. I caught a few glimpses of red deer, and noted a sign which asked walkers to keep a distance and avoid causing any disturbance to the herd. My plan had been to descend to Rampsgill Beck and follow the farm track back to the road, but that would have taken me through the middle of dozens of them. I decided to simply follow the line of the ridge, descending Nab End, and thus avoiding the deer entirely.

The Nab seen from the descent of Rest Dodd

There are a couple of points worth bearing in mind with this. Nab End is extremely steep and makes for a tricky descent. Dropping 150m in about 300m sounds ok, but short sections of it are steeper than this might suggest. Dig in your walking poles and take it steady! Also, I joined a farm track near Rampsgill Beck, had to climb a fence into an adjacent field to avoid an angry bull, and once back on the road I saw various signs saying private, and further on - an electric fence. It was only later that I realised the reasons for this, the area around The Nab being home to the oldest native herd of red deer in England. This is another good reason to read your Wainwright guide before the walk, rather than after you've finished your blog post! (And note the second edition contains much additional info on this point.)

Summary:

This is an enjoyable route, but I'd hesitate to recommend the fairly drastic diversion I took to Beda Fell. It's an inevitable consequence of trying to combine Beda Fell and Place Fell into a longer circular route. The ascent of Beda Fell from Housesteadbrow would have been nice, but then you either have to descend the same way, or carry on and undertake a pretty tiring ascent and descent of Place Fell from Chapel in the Hause. To anyone not concerned with Wainwright Bagging, I'd definitely suggest doing one or the other, but not both, then carrying on with the route to Angletarn Pikes. (Personally, I think I'd be quite tempted to climb Beda Fell from Housesteadbrow, via Winter Crag...) Also, as I now realise, The Nab should probably be avoided, particularly in the summer.

Perhaps surprisingly, this was only the third time I'd needed full waterproofs since August 2010. Oh the joys of the English summer! For me, this is a Rab Latok Alpine jacket, which I've been very pleased with - and love the hood, and some Berghaus GoreTex Paclite pants. Again, I've found them great, even in these warm and damp conditions.

Next posting on this blog will either be my ascent of Great End from Seathwaite, or some new baby photos... whichever comes first. But, with a due date of 8th August, personally I wouldn't bet on Great End!

"to those who travel alone, the solitary wanderers on the fells,
who find contentment in the companionship of the mountains"
A. Wainwright