"Withnail And I" Country - 17 September

A Rucksack Club Meet to tour "Withnail And I" country and bag a couple of Synges on the way round. Second Breakfast on Wasdale Pike having visited the Lunch House and Grey Bull before visiting the Saddle Crags, Widepot and Tongue Rigg, the first of the Synges.

From Tongue Rigg to Scam Mathew (the other Synge) and then down to Sleddale Hall or "Crow Crag" for a synopsis of the film and a tour of the partially restored ruin. To complete the day we bagged the pack-horse bridge below the hall.

Wet Sleddale Reservior

Wet Sleddale Reservior

By Grey Bull

Wasdale Pike

Sleddale Beck

Looking across upper Sleddale

Towards Wet Sleddale Reservior

Sleddale Hall (i)

Sleddale Hall (ii)

Sleddale Hall (iii)

David at Sleddale Hall

Leaving Sleddale Hall

Lake District Mountain Trial - 11 September

A night in Wasdale before the Mountain Trial on Sunday morning provided the opportunity to photograph Wasdale, Duddon Valley and Copper Mines Valley. This would have been my 8th "Trial" but for a foolish error when I failed to read the map properly and consequently failed to visit one of the mandatory check points. Nevertheless it was a good day out and thanks to all those who helped on the day and beforehand.

The Screes

Wasdale Head

Buck Barrow beyond the Bridge

Wasdale Head (ii)

Wasdale Head beyond the Bridge

Wasdale Road Junction

Last light in Wasdale

Photographer surveys Wasdale

50 Years after his first of 10 wins at the Mountain Trial, Joss gets ready for another one.

Copper Mines Valley

Chipping Show - 27th August

Chipping is always a great show - large enough to have plenty to see and small enough to be authentic. There are tourists here too but not many and some them, here with their children, have been coming here since they were children themselves. This way also my first race of 2016 but there are no photos; those days of racing with a camera are long gone, just racing is hard enough now. It is two years since I last raced here and I couldn't quite match my previous times but as a hard training run it was excellent.

Horse Judging

Old Friends

Horse Judging (ii)

There are more photos from the show here, on Flickr.

Around Boredale - 26th August

Back to the Far Eastern Fells to bag Beda Head for our Third Round and collect the nearby Birketts and Synges. There will always be more "nearby" than we can bag in a day so today we made sure we reached the summits closer to Howtown than anywhere else. The ones we looked at but didn't visit are easily reached, along with others, from Patterdale.

Looking into Martindale

Hallin Fell

Ullswater

Place Fell

Brothers Water

Boredale

Boredale (Mono)

Turner Landscape fell race - 13th August

On Dow Crag with Yiannis on a cold, windy, claggy morning. Visibility improved as the day went on but was very poor when the early runners came through.

Unless another Race Organiser steps up this will be the last of a short lived but greatly enjoyed race.

Dow Crag

Yewdale Fells - 12th August

Yewdale Fells

With our far more ambitious plans (climb Pillar Rock) shelved by a poor weather forecast we turned to a small group of small Birketts below the Coniston Fells.

Kitty Crag (1427ft), Long Crag, High Wythow, Low Wythow and Brackney Crag all sit above Yewdale and below the Furness Fells. Together they provide a delightful, if short, outing that could have been designed for poor weather. Kitty Crag is the highest of the group and the wind was so strong we were unable to stand on the summit. Occasional glimpses of sunshine on distant fells were punctuated by bursts of rain which we were happy to avoid. This has been a good year for the bracken which is higher than I can ever remember it being. These summits are above the "bracken line" but our initial ascent and final descent were made more difficult by the band of high, dense bracken. Seeking a little shelter from the wind we took the path down through a gully to Far End, at least, that is where we ended up by design. The start of the descent is completely obscured by bracken and more than once we found ourselves standing on top of a small crag with no option other than to retrace our steps.

High Pike Haw

High Pike Haw turns out to be an unexpectedly sharp pointed, very shapely hill in the lowlands below the high Coniston fells and an absolute delight.
Couple of pints in the Blacksmiths Arms at Broughton where they have a 'replica' Carlisle State Bitter. The last time I had a pint of this it was brewed by the still-nationalised State Brewery.

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Coppermines Valley

Windblown

Blacksmiths Arms

Ian Roberts' JNLC Leg 4 - 6th August

A benign morning with sunshine at Sty Head while we watched the Borrowdale FR field come though while we waited on Ian Roberts arriving from Dunmail Raise. Ahead of schedule and in good spirits he arrived ready to eat, drink and to tackle the last leg of his crossing to Greendale Bridge. The wind is already strengthening and will continue to do so for the rest of the day.


By Pillar, Ian is beginning to lose time for the first time since leaving Pooley Bridge and turning into a headwind isn't going to help. Around an hour ahead of a 21.5 hour schedule means he has plenty of time to spare so everything is still relaxed.

Steeple marks a significant stage in the day - it is the final rocky summit and it is also the final dry one. Torrential rain greets us on Haycock and it relents only a little over the final three fells. Progress is slowed a little by the gale force winds and heavy rain but they disappear as we make the final descent to Greendale Bridge where Joss and the support team are waiting to offer well deserved congratulations to Ian.


This turned into a tough day out but Ian was up to the challenges and finished comfortably within his allowed 24 hours - very well done!

Wast Water

Ian at Sty Head

Ian and Ian at Sty Head

Descending Great Gable

Descending Kirk fell

With Joss on Greendale Bridge