Duddon Valley

Duddon Valley

Autumn  2012 and it’s the back end of September, and its been 12 months since the last Lakeland mission. First stop off was the RSPB nature reserve of Leighton Moss,  in fact, we were just in time for a guided walk of the reserve a great way to spend the morning, we even got to see some otters.

After that, it was back on the road to the Lake District National Park and the Duddon Valley and Turner Hall Farm campsite.

Caw

697 m (2,287 ft)

29/9/2012
Sunshine and showers on the campsite, we could see the summit of Caw and the dot of the Ordnance survey column from the campsite, so the summit was cloud free so we packed up for a day’s walk first down into Seathwaite village and the first stop was the church yard.

Caw is an abrupt pyramid on the  long undulating ridge from Dow Crag and as we climbed out of the valley along a track known as Park Head Road passing through a mixture of trees hazel, birch and oak and sycamore, as the views started to open up of the valley we looked for the Caw quarry track.

Looking up the Duddon Valley

We found the quarry track what took us to the slate quarry and the minor workings. when seeing these placers and looking at the landscape its good to have an understanding of its geology'

The initial period of volcanic activity in the Lake District was characterised by high-temperature molten lava-typically producing dark flows of ‘andesite’. There was also the occasional violent interlude when fine ash and debris were spewed into the air to settle and consolidate as ‘tuffs’. This produced rocks of the Lower Borrowdale Volcanic Series.

Slate

The volcanic ash was laid down 450 million years ago. The parallel beds of dark and light-coloured ash seen in the slate show geological folds and faults.

In the Duddon Valley, however, we would be walking through the upper Borrowdale Volcanic Series – rock that was formed later, when the volcanoes had cooled down.The silica content had increased leaving a magma that had become stickier. Now the eruptions were suddenly violent, throwing out successive clouds of ash and debris in huge quantities; falling in layer upon layer, some in dry conditions where the heat welded it back together, some on wet surfaces where it flowed down slopes, and some being reworked and jumbled together forming layers of tuffs, sandstones and breccias. The weight of all this material compressed and folded the underlying rock and realigned its crystal structure to follow the line of pressure. This produced a line along which the rock would split, known as the cleavage plane. This is why the rock was quarried for the slate.

We found the quarry track to the slate mine, there is some nice specimens of junipers to see along this section to the slate piles scattered about we stopped for a break at the quarry building and the quarry adit. We took in the fine views of the valley and went to look at an adit a long tunnel dug into the hillside, tall enough to walk into if the floor was not ankle deep in water, we shone are torches down into the tunnel.

Harter Fell

After the break, we set off up to the summit on a thin winding path up and around rocky outcrops to reach the summit trig point. The view was good with many fells in view, first across to Harter Fell and the head of Eskdale with all major fells in view all way around to Bowfell and Crinkle Crags, with the Coniston Fells, Duddon Estuary and Black Combe.  And finally to the Irish Sea and Devoke Water.

Caw summit

From the summit, we made our way to the Pikes by dropping down going around bogs to reach the rocky knolls of the Pikes and another climb to the summit.

From the Pikes, the path was not easy to find but we found our way to the Walna Scar Quarry and then onto the Walna Scar track to start heading back down into the valley and the end of the walk.

Great Worm Crag

427 m (1400) ft

30/09/2012
A grey damp morning on the campsite as we packed up for days walking.  Everything into the car, then a short drive to the Birker Fell Road and Woodend junction.

First objective was Great Worm Crag, as usual with these walks from Wainwrights Outer Fells book, they get little usage these lesser fells, as most fell walkers go for the bigger fells, so they are usually pathless as this one was, as we set off on a compass bearing through grassland and bog with the aim of aiming for Little Crag. As far as the eye could see the area was a grassland landscape, devoid of trees.   

We made it to Little and Great Crag with views now opening up now of Green Crag has we aimed for the top of Worm Crag, with a strong breeze hitting us on the summit, we had good views.

The panorama was far-reaching with the skyline of the Scafells towering above Green Crag. We made our way over the summit going downhill with aim was a decent back to the road, but first, on our way down we went to look for the ancient cairn trying to read the landscape for its archaeology we found many more cairns what looked like Clarence cairns and a large cairn. The uplands in the Bronze Age were farmed intensively, as seen from the number of clearance cairns, the people must have lived close by as there is a settlement site close by, but few of the sites in this area have been excavated or dated accurately. We finished the walk and had a long break before our next walk. 

Hesk Fell

477 m (1565) ft

30/09/2012

Quoting Alfred Wainwright, ‘ Hesk Fell its appearance promises nothing at all of interest and the trudge to its featureless summit confirms first impressions’.

Hesk Fell a massive grassy mound between the Duddon and Esk valleys, but I was not deterred by Wainwright as we set out on another grassy pathless walk, the sun was now breaking out behind clouds as we climbed the steady trudge up the fell.

Open views to the Scafells

Big wide open views opened up as aimed for the summit, this was worth the climb just to get this view.  The summit was featureless as we made are way over the top enjoying the views now searching for a way down to finish off this walk, the rest of the walk was pathless and uninteresting, but glad to have done it just for the views.  

1/10/2012

The next morning and it was still raining from the night and did not stop till about 11am so when we got the chance we opened the tent up to air out and started packing up for the day mission, a repeat mission of Stickle Pike from the same starting place as last time, in the Duddon Valley, not going to go into detail about the walk, has I be repeating myself, but it was a good walk, the weather stayed dry but cloudy with the odd sunny spell.  why repeat these walks, because my friend wanted to do these last two missions. 

2/10/2012

The last mission of the holiday was another repeat mission to Sunkenkirk from Duddon Bridge a seven mile walk, so another I will not repeat the walk, but mention that I got better views, than the last time I did it. As again on these walks a quiet empty landscape away from most of the poplar routes, we have not met any other walkers on any of our missions.

The tranquil and peaceful place of Sunkenkirk with its fifty five stones was good to see again but this time without the snow.

                                                     

Sunkenkirk Stone Circle 

The rest of the walk went well no showers on this cloudy day and a nice finish to a holiday in autumn and a good week of camping in the Lake District National Park. 

Puffball 

Eskdale and the Duddon Valley

Eskdale and the Duddon Valley

Nine days off work and six of them was going to be used for my mission in the Lake District. From 23/9/2011. I took the car up the motorway and back into the lakes and back to the Youth Hostel at Boot, where I have a friend working.  Only to find out the Youth Hostel was going to be full all weekend. So I had an hour with my friend, then it was off to the campsite. 

The next morning after a night of rain I went back to the Y.H.A, I had a slow relaxing morning with no rush to start a walk, because there were still rain showers happening, so I had breakfast and made my food up for the day, then sat around waiting for the weather to improve.

Boat How and Eskdale Moor walk.

7-mile circular. 24/9/2011

The weather seems to be improving so I phoned my daughter to say I was starting a walk at 12pm, so I took the car down to Boot village and parked up in a car park., from there it was a small walk into the village. The walk I had planned was both a Wainwright walk (Boat How) and a walk from the book Ancient Lakeland (Eskdale Moor).

I left the village for a steady climb up onto the moor, the views around was one of low cloud covering every fell top. I passed the peat huts and made my way to Brat’s Hill. 

I had a spot of lunch at Acre How, the view from here was the Brat’s Hill circle. where I am sat I can imagine other people also sitting here on this spot, back in the Bronze Age, they probably would have seen more of wooded landscape, as they have found ancient trees found in the peat, and the climate was also much drier. Pollen analysis at Burnmoor Tarn suggests a date of around 2000 BC the early Bronze Age.
The Brat's Hill Circle is a ring of small stones, inside the circle, there are five burial mounds. Brat's Hill has forty-two stones forming an irregular circle with a diameter of 30.4m. There are five funerary cairns within the circle together with two further stones.

Brat's Hill Circle

Brat's Hill Circle 

Excavation of two cairns, by Wright in the 1820's revealed cists of five stones containing fragments of burnt bone and antlers. These burial cairns were placers were the dead were buried. At first, most people were buried lying on their sides with their knees drawn up to their chest. later on, cremation became more popular and people's ashes were placed in a pottery urn within the grave. Placing grave goods with burials was common. These include bronze, flint and stone tools, but also a jet, bone and amber jewellery.

A short walk from this circle took me to the White Moss Circles, both with a central cairn and both only slightly smaller than Brat’s Hill. To the north-west of Brat's Hill stone circle lie White Moss Northeast and White Moss Southwest stone circles, the former measures 16.2m in diameter and has eleven stones forming the circle and a funerary cairn at the centre, the latter measures 16.6m in diameter and has fourteen stones forming the circle and a funerary cairn at the centre.

White Moss circles

Another short walk took me to where Longrigg Stone Circles should be the cairns were easy to find but the stones what made the circles was harder because of the bracken growing around them. Low Longrigg Northeast and Low Longrigg Southwest The former measures 21.7m by 20.4m, has 15 stones forming an irregular circle, and contained two funerary cairns. The latter measures 15.2m in diameter, has nine stones forming the circle, and contained a funerary cairn at the centre.
From these circles I made my way to Boat Howe and the summit for another break, only to find I left my sandwich box back on Acre How, so I had to double back 45 minutes later I was back on Boat How.

The weather was still the same low cloud no views of Scafell or Great Gable, the ground everywhere was soaked through and boggy, but none of this dampened my spirits so from Boat Howe I headed downhill with good views of Burnmoor Tarn, pollen analysis from this tarn date the circles on the moor from around 2000 BC-the early Bronze Age.

Burnmoor Tarn

From the tarn I took a path back to Boot, this path took me into the Whillan Beck Valley a nice valley and the sun was making an appearance with good views over to Green Crag and Harter Fell.It’s been a good interesting walk as I finish off in Boot shame about the long distance views, it’s been a walk of solitude only met two other walks while exploring. 

Green Crag

7-mile circular
Sunday the 25^th of September, from the campsite I made my way this morning back to Y.H.A, and had my breakfast and made my pack up for the day, the weather today dry and cloudy today. The start of this walk was the youth hostel, so I phoned in to say what time I was setting off and what walk I was on today. 

The headwaters of Eskdale and the Duddon are separated by a ridge falling south-west, this line of high ground continues for 15 miles, finally meeting the sea on the slopes of Black Combe. The first fells on this ridge are Hard Knot, Harter Fell and Green Crag.

From the Youth Hostel I headed for Penny Hill on the same path I last used when descending Harter Fell on my last holiday, I found one of the grassy peat tracks, so I followed the zigzag path passing ruined peat huts, these peat huts are so characteristic of Eskdale, as seen on my last walk these peat huts was once used for storing peat for fuel, today it’s the Sellafield Power Station providing the power, how times have changed.

I reached the boggy plateau making my way for Crook Crag, there were no public paths up here just faint tracks, I started the climb of Crook Crag, up and over down the dip and up to the rocky top of Green Crag, with good views around only the Scafell range covered in cloud.

Summit of Green Crag

From the summit I made my way down heading for Lower Birker Tarn, trying to find a decent path and to stay out of the bogs, it was not till I was back on level ground I picked up a good path passing the tarn now heading for Birker Force, looking for a path to take me close to Birker Force, not much luck but some nice views of the woodlands of Eskdale has I descended back down into the valley.

Near the valley bottom, I decided to extend the walk by following a track to the next bridge on the river then returning on the opposite side of the river back to Doctors Bridge, last used on my Esk Valley walk in the summer, and this took me to the end of the walk. It’s been a lovely walk on this hot sunny afternoon.

River Esk

Irton Pike  

5 ¼ miles circular.

26/9/2011
A lovely sunny morning in Eskdale Green, the walk was starting from Irton road railway station.Irton Pike is a low summit standing out above woodland. Irton Pike is the end of the long ridge starting with Illgill Head and finishing at Irton Pike.

From the railway station I made my up the road to the minor road into Miterdale Valley, where I followed this till I came across the footpath to cross the River Mite and then the steady climb up through the woodlands passing through native woodland and into a pine plantation and the occasional woodland clearance, what gave me the chance to see views across the valleys. I passed through a gate onto level ground with views now across the Wasdale valley.

In the book I was using the Outlying Fells of Lakeland by AW he mentions 'what is its purpose, if any? These piles of stones', what I now have come across, the answer is in fact a tumulus excavated in 1958, and dates from the Bronze Age; the tumulus was probably a grave of chief or elder.The finds from the tumulus was nine pieces of ‘food vessel’ pottery which indicate a date of around 1700 BC, two flint scrapers, a blade and a knife and a 100 piece jet necklace beads (which are thought to have come from the east coast) and a remarkable ‘cobble’ roughly carved in the form of a human head.

Irton Pike tumulus

From the tumulus I made my way to the summit of Irton Pike for the grand view, on this beautiful sunny day, I sat there soaking it all in.From the summit I made way down to the road for the walk back along the road back to the railway station, it was not a busy road, just the odd car, and another walk of solitude not meeting any one on the walk.

View from Irton Pike to Wasdale

Devoke Water part 1

5 mile circular.
The second walk of today: on this stunning sunny afternoon. I took the car up onto Birker Fell Road which  links Eskdale to Duddon Valley.

When researching for this walk, I came across a natural history walk and an archaeological walk, and of course an AW walk. I decided to mix an AW walk with the archaeological walk, as I have done on previous walks, and save the natural history walk for tomorrow.

  

Devoke Water is sited up on Birker Moor and sites in a valley surrounded by low fells, its these low fells that I wanted go and explore, so from the road junction where I left my car, I set off along the track heading for Devoke Water, then took a faint path of to my right heading for Rough Crag, on the way up you pass through an area of Bronze Age clearance cairns, but there was no obvious piles of stones amongst the boggy ground of deer grass , but there was small humps around covered in Matt grass, looking closer you could see the odd stone poking out, so these must be the clearance cairns of Bronze Age farmers who use to use this area.

Devoke Water

I carried on up to the summit of Rough Crag for the wide open views, keeping a course parallel with the shore of the tarn I made my way to Water Crag passing more ancient cairns, from the summit of Water Crag it was a decent to Devoke Water and the outlet of the tarn crossing boggy ground to a great burial cairn, it is visible for miles about, sadly, much of the cairn has been turned into a windbreak, but this doesn't seem to detract from the magnificence of its position in the landscape. 

Great cairn

Pollen cores taken from Devoke Water have shown the changing vegetational history of this area over the last 5000 years and show episodes of forest clearance and a  development of grassland through the Bronze Age.
This place as a feeling of remoteness, it is a place to sit and rest and imagine what it would have been like thousands of years ago.
From the cairn I crossed the stream of Linbeck Gill and started my climb up the pathless grass slope to White Pike, with wider views opening  up, from White Pike it levelled out as head for the summit of Yoadcastle, it was a small scramble to the summit and the view was excellent, it was then a short walk to the summit of Woodend Heights.
From Woodend Heights, I took a route straight down heading for Devoke Water and the boathouse, from the boathouse it was the main track back to the finish. I must again say it’s another walk where I never come across anybody it’s been an all-around good weather and a good walk.

Wild camp 

Devoke Water walk part two 

4-mile circular
27/09/2011
I had a beautiful evening and night wild camping at the crossroads and now on this sunny morning, I was going back to Devoke Water for my second walk a natural history walk. 

Back on the main track to Devoke Water, passing areas of peat cuttings, made me start to think about prehistory clearance of the original woodlands for pasture on these moorlands, they must start the soils on the downward trend towards acid infertility, now only heather and grass can grow, due to overgrazing by sheep.

One type of grass the nardus grasslands has been by colonisation of poor ground, it is a form of vegetation typical of sites which were cleared of woodland at an early stage which has been grazed and leached to a moorland state such as the area around Devoke Water.

Matt grass

The area around Devoke Water is rich in Bronze Age cairns and settlements, the settlers would have cleared the trees and stones.

Back on the walk, I passed some large boulders each with a yellow top, looking closer at these rocks you could see different colours; these are lichen growing on the rocks.  Known as Lasallia pustulata (Rock tripe)The track I was following came to the boathouse on the shore of Devoke Water and there on the horizon was the great cairn, so I followed the shoreline aiming for the cairn, passing the shrub-covered island and to the cairn and time for a rest using the cairn as windbreak.

Back on the walk, I passed some large boulders each with a yellow top, looking closer at these rocks you could see different colours; these are lichen growing on the rocks.  Known as Lasallia pustulata (Rock tripe)The track I was following came to the boathouse on the shore of Devoke Water and there on the horizon was the great cairn, so I followed the shoreline aiming for the cairn, passing the shrub-covered island and to the cairn and time for a rest using the cairn as windbreak.

From the cairn, there was a climb up to the summit of Water Crag, and then down the opposite side of a small valley, crossing a boggy area to Brantrake Crag, the boggy area was covered in Red Deer grass Trichophorm cespitosum.It was so quiet and peaceful to sit here and enjoy the solitude.

Red Deer grass

The next object of my walk was to climb my way to Pike How and then back to the start.  Boggy in sections and no sign of a path through bracken and over rocks, I made a line for the road, it’s been a nice walk, but hard going, time to rest and enjoy the weather as I made it back to the car.

The next hour was used up by relaxing sat about enjoying the views trying to name the fells from crossroads on this sunny afternoon. I then took the car into the Duddon Valley and passed the village of Ulpha and found somewhere to park up, and had another hour of relaxing, because I have completed Eskdale and now onto Birker Fell and the exploration of the Duddon Valley. I will leave the rest of Birker Fell till I come another time. 

I wanted to do one mission in the Duddon Valley and that was going to be Stickley Pike. 

Crossroads view 

Stickle Pike

6-mile circular 
It was late afternoon time I started on the walk, I went going up through the bracken what covered the hillside, with views of the Duddon valley opening up.Once up top, it levelled out with my object in view for the first time Great Stickle rearing up in front of me, but no sign of Stickle Pike.Through the heather and bilberry I made my way to Great Stickle and started to climb up and I got my first view of Stickle Pike and its pyramid shape came into view, what a nice shapely fell.

From the summit, you could see and follow the river Duddon out into the estuary a nice viewpoint. My next objective was the walk and climb of Stickle Pike.The path to Stickle Pike was straightforward with a few ups and downs; I left my rucksack at the bottom of Stickle Pike and made my way to the summit about a 10-minute scramble up to the summit.

Duddon Estuary from Great Stickle 

In the words of Wainwright 'mountain summits are especially attractive when they are rocky, abrupt on all sides, small in extent and exciting. These are attributes in which Stickle Pike’s top scores over those of much higher and better-known fells'.

Stickle Pike

From the summit, I made my way back to the main track and picked up my rucksack and went on my way passing Stickle Tarn and down to the road to cross over to the other side. At this time in the day the sun was getting low in the sky so I had the choice to be made the higher track to Ravens Crag or to use the track that runs below it then meets up with higher track to head for the knot, I decided on the lower track to make up on time.

This small valley between the stickles and the Knot is known as Dunnerdale Beck. I arrived at the knot and stopped for a rest looking down to Broughton Mills where Wainwright started this walk in his book.I made my way down to the valley bottom and onto the road for a short section before crossing and making my way up to Green Bank Farm using green lanes, slowly climbing back up going pass Hovel Knot with the setting sun in view, the last section was a repeat of the start of the walk back into the Duddon Valley with the last of the light, another good walk done.

The Knot

I had already had decided that I was going to wild camp for the night in the Duddon valley, next to the sign that said no camping so I did not have to move the car.

It’s the last day of my exploration of the lakes and I wanted to do something different than walking, as I was already in the Duddon Valley, I decided on a bit of car exploration of this valley. So after breakfast, I packed up for the day and took the car just up the road to Ulpha village and parked up the car. 

The post office was open and I asked the lady in the shop if she put my phone on charge, it only needs an hour, she said yes, so this gave me an hour to explore the area around me. It was a nice sunny day so off  I went to look at the deciduous woodlands, mostly oak and did a bit of bird watching, nothing of great interest. 

I picked my phone up and thanked the lady and got back to my car drove up the valley passing through Seathwaite village, this village is going to be a base for walks for future missions in 2012.

I went through a wooded area with rocky outcrops and came to a car park below Harter Fell, so far the valley has been very wooded with lots of broad-leaved species of trees, but the last section of the wooded valley is known as the Dunnerdale Forest is a conifer plantation.

Back in the car, I carried on up the valley passing through Cockley Beck, where the valley area becomes open fields within u sided glacial valley; the road starts to climb to reach the summit of Wrynose Pass where I found a parking space and got out of the car to enjoy the views.

It's here on top of Wrynose Pass summit while having lunch that I decided what to do for the afternoon, the decision was to leave the national park and pay a visit to the R.S.P.B National Nature Reserve Leighton Moss, the reserve is just over the border in Lancashire near the M5 motorway.

Leighton Moss

Leighton Moss occupies a shallow valley between low ridges of Carboniferous limestone, and now forms the most extensive area of reedbeds in northern England.Leighton Moss was former a raised bog a great dome of peat, till it was slowly cut out bit by bit for the use of fuel in a blast furnace at Leighton in the eighteenth century. Then when all the peat was gone, the land was used as farm land with pumps draining the land till 1918 when it was abandoned and land became boggy once more with areas of open water and succession started with tree growth and the area was used for wild-fowling.It was because of one certain bird the Bitten that in 1964 Leighton Moss became a reserve of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

I had arrived at Leighton Moss and visited the visitor centre and cafe, and went to explore the reserve, moving  from hide to hide, seeing different species of ducks moving in out the reed beds into open water and then disappear again into the reeds, and in the background I got see a Marsh harrier hunting and while all of this was going on a Red deer came wading through the water, I got great views of a male stag resting on a island. 

Red Deer

What a great afternoon  I had, this is one nature reserve I shall be visiting again. it was late afternoon now so I headed off to find someone that sells fish and chips and I ended up in Arnside. while on the seafront eating fish and chips I was reading that this area  has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and that just up the road from where I was sat was Arnside Knott an important area for wildlife and it was on a hill top, So off I went to explore.

Bar-tailed godwit

I found the car park at Arnside Knott, and now it was evening, no time to explore, but I found a great place to sit with views to the north the mountains of the Lake District and a great view west over Morecambe Bay. I sat there relaxing thinking about my  holiday and every thing I had achieved through the week.  It  was getting late in the day  now the evening was soon drawing in on this hot sunny day, I found a good advantage point to see the sun setting, this site is stunning a limestone area of woodland and grassland, must come back to explore this place.

Sunset

And that was it to my holiday after watching a great sunset I got in the car and headed for the motorway and home.  

   

Eskdale and Wasdale Summer Mission Part 2

Eskdale and Wasdale Summer Mission Part 2

Wasdale

The drive over to Wasdale was a bit of  a surprise when I reached Wastwater I just had to find a parking place and stop just to soak this evening view up, the beauty of this valley was fantastic and I was going to spend a couple days exploring this valley.
I got back into the car and carried on to Wasdale Head Inn and the campsite, the inn boasts that its the birthplace of rock climbing. 

Wastwater view

Scafell Pike part 1 and Lingmell 

7 miles, 27/7/2011

Scafell Pike elevation 978 meters (3,209) ft.
Lingmell elevation 807 meters (2649) ft

I was up early this morning after my early night so when I got out of the tent this morning to see clear blue skies this made my decision to do Scafell Pike if I can make it to the summit before the weather changes as it usually does in the lakes.

So with breakfast on and then sorting my stuff out for a day’s mission in the mountains to climb the highest mountain in England.

Scafell Pike is the only mountain that I will devote three missions to, the first being from Wasdale the second from Great Langdale and third from Borrowdale. 

It was only 730am in the morning as I set off on the path to Lingmell Gill and it was a beautiful sunny morning has I started my assent of the gill,  I was so busy with looking at the flora that I missed my path for Brown Tongue, and found a beautiful flower Starry Saxifrage saxifrage stellaris, this flower is one of the most familiar of the mountain plants, for its grows in a wide range of habitats.

I found my way back onto to the path on Brown Tongue and made my way up to Hollow Stones 

Starry Saxifrage

From Hollow Stones

From  Hollow stones, it was up to Lingmell col and my first view of Sprinkling Tarn and Borrowdale, such a great view, and now I was heading up Lingmell to the summit and this when I notice the cloud building up and rising up from the valley.

Will I make it to Scafell Pike before the cloud; I had good views from the summit of Lingmell. The view of Great Gable from in Lingmell is incredible.It was time to push on before the clouds had got the better of me, so back down to Lingmell col and the path to Scafell Pike, I remembered walking this route the first time I came to the lakes and climbed Scafell Pike from Borrowdale, and its one route I want to do again, I reached the boulder field of Scafell Pike.

Great Gable from Lingmell

The  summit was free of cloud and people, that’s the  advantage of being up early, but not for long as I sat there taking in the view I was joined by another solo walker and we sat there watching the clouds gather around the summit looking over to the summit of Scafell it was great and I was happy to achieve my goal for the day I can take a steady walk back down but not the way I came up, so I took the Mickledore route down and onto Hollow Stones to retrace my route back, on the way down I met many walkers on there way up, but I knew I had the best of the weather today and it has been a great walk.   

The summit

Scafell Pike's original name 'The Pikes of Sca Fell' , and this term was used to describe Broad Crag and Ill Crag as well as Scafell Pike itself. The change was caused by an error on an Ordnance Survey map and stuck.

Illgill Head and Whin Rigg

8 miles, 27/8/2011

Illgill Head elevation 609 meters (1998) ft

Whin Rigg elevation 53m meters (1755) ft

Illgill Head

The fifth day of my mission and the last day in Wasdale, it was a lovely sunny morning and I had planned a long walk of about 8 miles circular a ridge and valley walk.So as I set off from the valley bottom to start my climb of Illgill Head a four-mile climb to the summit, and what a beautiful climb out of the valley with the views opening up the side of Illgill Head. 

On the way up I got to see several Small Heath butterflies Coenonympha pamphilus, they were on the wing in and out of the grasslands and I also got see a bird known as the Wheatear a summer visitor to upland grasslands, this Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe was a male  And as I  was nearing the summit I noticed another butterfly, I spent some time trying to photograph this species, it was not till I got home that I could identify it properly.

The only British alpine butterfly, the Mountain ringlet Erebia epiphron is found in the Lake District mountains (its only English locality) above 1,800 feet, it flies abundantly in restricted areas stragglers range widely over the neighbourhood. Such colonies tend to shift their quarters every few years. http://www.cumbria-wildlife.org.uk/mringlet.html

Mountain ringlet

From the summit of Illgill Head I started the mile-long walk to Whin Rigg, grassy walk along the ridge, enjoying the views along this easy section of the walk I found a spot for my dinner and sat there enjoying myself wondering why on such beautiful day there were not more people out walking. After my dinner it was on along the ridge and I passed my first walkers of the day, I found a path close the edge so I could see down into the valley, but I started to get vertigo.  

Cliff edge view

I got back to the main path and carried on to the summit of Whin Rigg and then it was downhill, the rest of this ridge of high ground carries on to terminates at Irton Pike, but I was not going that far. I found the path I wanted and what a joy it was on this path back into the valley, with great views of Wast Water as I descended, I was in no rush to reach the valley bottom, each section of descent was for me a photographer's dream on such a beautiful day as this, I reached the valley bottom and it was hot and sweltering so I had a short break sat there staring up the valley with a sandwich one hand. 

Whin Rigg

The last section of the walk was  along the quiet road with views across to Wastwater screes, these screes was formed as a result of ice and weathering erosion on the rocks of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, they are approximately 2,000 feet, from top to bottom, the bottom being about 200 feet below the surface of the lake. Wast water Lake is a ribbon lake; it’s a deep lake with steep sides with an elongated trough and is the deepest lake at 76m in the Lake District.  

Wastwater Screes 

While I was enjoying my last section of the walk I spotted another flower of interest White Stonecrop sedum album, the stonecrop species are succulent plants, with fleshy leaves; there are six native species of this family.

White Stonecrop

.And that’s it for another interesting walk and the end of the Wasdale mission with only a day left to my holiday I took the car back to Eskdale and I stayed at the youth hostel for the rest of the evening relaxing around the grounds of the youth hostel.

Hardknott and Harter Fell

9 miles, 28/8/2011

Hardknott elevation 549 m (1,289) ft

Harter Fell elevation 649 m (2128) ft

My last day of my holidays and with my rucksack packed for days fell walking,I left the youth hostel behind and headed down to Doctor’s Bridge and picked up a footpath what  took me along the valley to Jubilee Bridge passing through fields and woodland on this nice sunny morning, at Jubilee Bridge I took to the road for the climb of Hard Knott Pass, visiting the Roman fort on my up to the summit of the pass. The views as I climb was just great, more I climbed more they opened up of the Esk Valley at the road summit I stopped for a break and got talking to a cyclist who had also just come up the pass on the bike without getting off once, he was on his way to Blackpool.

Now at the summit of the road, I got my first view of the Duddon Valley, this valley was the future missions to come. now where is that path up Hardknott fell, has usually there was no sign of one, but I made my way up using my map reading skills off in right direction working my around rocks it was easy going.

Once on the summit of many undulations it was difficult to find the summit cairn,  I thought I found it, but no but I could see from this vantage point a cairn, so I climbed back down and headed for the cairn, once there I knew I was in the right place the view of the Scafells was just wonderful.    

Scarfells

From the summit, I retraced my route back down to the road and now route to Harter Fell. To begin this next walk my way forward was not very clear, I went through an area of Forestry Commission's deforestation finding only faint paths here of sheep tracks. In AW day this area on the Duddon side was covered in conifer trees, but recent clear felling with the attempt to restore the area. I found a path up to a grassy shelf and on I went on towards the summit.

Harter Fell summit

I arrived at the summit and it was time for a long break and to take in the great view from the summit.this is my second visit to this Fell, the last time I was here I did not get a view,  but now I have 360 clear view, I must have spent a good 30 minutes at the summit as I sat there trying to name the fells, but over to a distant fell, Black Combe was covered in a rain cloud and it looks like it was heading this way so it was time to move on and take the path down into Eskdale. 

Hardknott Roman Fort

I stopped for a break once of the fell and on more level ground, I  looked up at Harter Fell now covered in cloud, but the rain never came,  I moved on and met a family on their way up to Harter Fell, shame they would not get the views I had. One last view of the head of Eskdale before I dropped down into the wooded valley of the Esk and the end of the walk.

Eskdale Head

The end of my holiday and seen so much and discovered a lot, this being my first time I have spent such a lengthy period in the Lake District and it's been well worth it on so many levels. Using AW books has the basics of discovery and then adding the natural and historic history to the walks has benefited to give the walks more richness to the walks. 

Wasdale is such a gem of a valley two memorable walks will be the Scafell walk and the Illgill Head and Whin Rigg walk, not just for the great views but for such things as Starry Saxifrage and the Mountain ringlet butterfly. 

 What I like to do is to come back and explore the Wasdale screes and Piers Gill to look at the flora of these sites. 

The prehistory sites of Barnscar, area has so much to give, this area is so rich in history, that there is a bigger story to tell about this area and lots more sites to visit that on this mission I have not used much of my time in exploration of these sites and are best left to when the vegetation has died back to see these sites better. 

 Eskdale has lots more to offer in walks yet, this beautiful valley is a walkers paradise and while I have the use of the youth hostel I will be back soon and now for my favourite view from this mission.

Wastwater