Great Langdale Part 2

Great Langdale Part 2

Elterwater waterfalls walk 5.6 miles.

28/8/13

My first day of wet weather, as plans go I was doing ok, I had one last big walk to do  when the weather improves , but when planning missions like this its always good to have a wet weather walk planned for just for a day like this.

Also today I was moving campsite to another site down the valley to be nearer to the other walks I had planned so after a lazy morning I decided to load the car up and move.

I arrived in Chapel Stile village found a nice campsite and pitched up at least the rain now had stopped. So leaving my tent to air out I set off to Elterwater Village just down the road and found a car park to start my afternoon circular walk.

I walked back into the village and found Great Langdale Beck and the river path I took this, a popular route with many people out on this grey day This was a lovely riverside walk of lush vegetation and a tree lined river I came to Elterwater the smallest of the big lakes of the national park and it was once much bigger now made up of three areas of bodies of water now only joined by narrow connections of water and the surround areas are of marsh wetlands and Carr woodland. Elterwater sits at the end of two valleys that feed Elterwater the Great Langdale Beck and the River Brathay from Little Langdale.

Floodplain

This where the walk slows down on the shores of Elterwater, to be down amongst the wetland plants inspecting the plant life for a good hour.
The valley floor is thickly plastered with glacial till and alluvium and a good depth of organic sediments on the floor with irregular wetlands on its margins. The alluvial infill is still very active from both valleys giving some classic fen and Carr vegetation, particularly around the upper and middle basins. Emergent vegetation extends into the shallow water for some great distances.


These three flowers out of a few what I looked at stood out the most in the boggy wet grassland, now it was time to move on back along the footpath and the river its been a fine river walk since I started this walk first along fields with the river always on my right and then Elterwater and now into woodland towards Skelwith Bridge and Skelwith Force I could hear the waterfall before seeing it.
The waters of the River Brathay were narrowed  to about a meter and then sent tumbling over a two-meter rock ledge after last night's rains the waterfall was looking good I had a good ten minutes sat there watching the waterfall.

Skelwith Force

This short walk was taking time to do, but so what I had all afternoon to do it and now the weather was improving with sunny spells it just got better.

I skirted Skelwith Bridge for a footpath to Low Colwith with open fields and a bit of sunshine made it nice after coming out of the woods but was not long before going back into the woods, I came across a National Trust information board telling me about these sessile oak woodlands, these oaks are covered in mosses and lichens.

Lovely woods to walk through I soon came to my next waterfall Colwith Force a series waterfalls with a double spout into the river a beautiful place just to site ponder here in the woodlands, only with the occasional walkers passing by and the sounds of water and birdsong made it perfect.

Colwith Force

It was time again to push on with the walk and leave the woods behind and cross the River Brathay and skirt pass the village of Little Langdale, it was here has I was skirting Little Langdale I met a young couple lost trying to get back to Elterwater, I soon put them right and walked with them for a good twenty minutes, but it does make me mad  how some people come out into the countryside ill-prepared with no map and only a book guide, but I kept my opinions to myself and said my goodbyes.

Little Langdale

The last section of the walk took me through a slate quarry, as I extended the walk for an extra mile to take in Chapel Stile and then return along the river path of Great Langdale Beck. It has been an interesting walk and it looks like the rain clouds have returned as I finish my walk off, and back to the car and return to the campsite it was 7.30pm and I had been out all afternoon.

Black Fell  

29/8/13

I got up to another wet grey damp day, so as I come near to the end of my holiday and with one big mission to do if the weather improves, but for today will be the last of the smaller walks, I just hope tomorrow is going to be a better day for the weather.So I left Great Langdale and headed for Tarn Hows, a short drive.

Tarn Hows is a beautiful man-made site and very popular with the tourist, I made my way around the shores of the tarn and through woodland to the main track to find a footpath through woodland again, the path was there but the trees had been cleared now.

Having made my way up the hill to Black Fell, the area had been cleared trees of spruce and pine, I moved now to more open ground, the view was one of low cloud, with a misty grey view.

I made my way to the summit and the large National Trust triangulation column and time for a break and a spot of food.

After my break, it was a saunter back down retracing my steps to the main track then going the opposite way I came along the track.

This way took me to another footpath back to Tarn Hows and I walked on the opposite shore this time back to the car and the end of this walk.

Now what to do it had only just become the afternoon and the day was still grey with low cloud. I headed for Coniston Village to have a look around the shops and to do a bit of shopping.

Two hours later I was in a car park at Fellgate just outside Coniston with the idea of doing an another short walk.

Walna Scar

The only walk I had planned was from Wainwright's Outer fells book called Walna Scar a six-mile circular walk. So I set out on the walk along the Walna Scar track on this rather dull afternoon to Cove Bridge and up to the Walna Scar summit this where I met a lost family who had missed there turn off, I put them right, and again none of them had a proper  map.

Shelter on  the Walna Scar track

For me it was map and compass work to the summit of White Maden, then out of the cloud going back down on pathless direction, but I do not know where I went wrong but I was deep in a boggy area what took some getting out and around to find myself back on the Walna Scar track retracing my steps back to the car, an appalling walk because of the weather and its one walk I will do again, but for now it was back to the campsite.

Scafell Pike, Esk Pike, Rossett Pike.

30/8/13

On the campsite the decision was made this morning, the weather was on my side I was going to do a big fell walk to finish off this area. So all packed up I took the car back up the valley found a parking spot and it was only a short walk to the start of the walk at Dungeon Ghyll old hotel a good 13-mile walk was planned.

I set out along the valley of the Mickleden Beck an easy level walk there was also many fell walkers out today. And then the first climb started up to Rossett Pass on the zig-zag path with the views opening up.

At Rossett Pass the view was good back down the Langdale Valley and I get my first view of Esk Pike has I descend to Angle Tarn where I had my first break with fellow fell walkers who were on the direct route to Scafell Pike, not like myself I was to turn away from the main path and to take another path to Ore Gap and onto Esk Pike.

It was a steady climb up to Ore Gap and then onto Esk Pike and this is one rough boulder summit. I found a spot for my lunch break in the shelter of some rocks with good views over to Borrowdale.  

Esk Pike is a great summit for its appearance of being very rugged and a great viewpoint, pity about the cloud cover over the Scafells, stunning views down Eskdale. Esk Pike sits centrally in the semi-circle of great peaks around the head of Eskdale. A view I have seen many times in my exploration of Eskdale, Esk Pike seems to be sitting back in the view from Eskdale, it’s only because it’s the furthest away.    

Eskdale view

After looking at the Scafells, and the cloud coming and going from the summits I made my mind up to head for the summit of Scafell Pike but on the way to take in the satellite of the Ill Crag.

So I left Esk Pike for Esk Hause, Esk Hause is a meeting of many paths and is one of highest in Lakeland of foot-passes, it was not hard to see why with many fell walkers passing through the area stopping at Esk Hause checking direction then moving to their desired path.

My path took me through Esk Hause for the path to Calf Cove and bypassing Great End to  Ill Crag and from the main Scafell path it was boulder hopping on this bizarre landscape of boulders made it to the rocky summit and had a break.

Ill Crag with Scafell Pike.

From Ill Crag it was onto the summit of Scafell Pike so I joined the rest of the walkers on the path to the summit, it was busy, this was my third visit to the summit and I have had better views before from here, so I was not disappointed that I had a misty view, I sat away from the summit and the crowds and had a break. 

So far I have done well on this walk and so now the return journey, coming off Scafell Pike I got my first shower, I went off the main path and scrambled my way up to the top of Broad Crag another  of Scafell Pike satellites, you get good views over to Great Gable from Board Crag.

Lingmell and Great Gable

I left Broad Crag to join the main path to Calf Cove, feeling tired I missed out Great End the last of the Scafell Pikes satellites and onto to Esk Hause, the weather had improved greatly by the time I got to Angle Tarn with the sun coming back out I climbed up to Rossett Pass and up to my final fell summit of Rossett Pike, the  final push to the summit and a nice long break and I was feeling tired, has it had been such a long walk, but for now lets enjoy the view of Langdale valley.

Great Langdale valley from Rossett Pike

The rest of the walk was a repeat of the walk back down to Mickleden Beck and back to the car in the evening sun and the end of a classic day of fell walking and the last mission in the Lakes and with one day left of my holiday, I was going to head to  Arnside tomorrow.

Arnside and Silverdale 13 mile circular.

31/8/13

I parked up on the promenade at Arnside and started my walk by following the promenade to the end and then using a footpath along the shoreline of the River Kent with woodland on one side and glimmering sand flats on the other it was such a joy to walk, and with only the occasional walker it seemed I had the place to myself.

I passed Blackstone Point and the view of Morecambe Bay opened up. I had woodland and outcrops of limestone on the shoreline, then the path took me inland and across fields passing a group of swallows resting on a telephone wire as they head back to Africa.  a short  road section next and then a short trip to the beach where I found a cave, so went to have a look in it only went in about three meters, so I had my first break here.

Grubbins Wood

 After my break in the cave I moved back inland and into the village of Silverdale with another short road section and I was onto Jack Scout Nature Reserve and another turning point in my walk at Jenny Brown’s Point where I said goodbye to the sea front and moved inland passing creeks and my first view of Warton Crag before going into woodlands full of yews and outcrops of limestone.

Warton Crag

And then it was more road walking I passed RSPB Leighton Moss National Nature Reserve  and took an unmarked path I found, this took me into an interesting area within a small gorge I followed this to the Trowbarrow Quarry Nature Reserve where I stopped for lunch.

The name Trowbarrow gets its name from the gorge I have just walked along, this formed by the erosion of a bed of soft substance. The Trough as it is known is about 10 meters wide and is bounded by 3 to 4-meter cliffs. 

Trowbarrow

While having  my lunch I watched rock climbers at work on the quarry face and then I went to explore the quarry, must research this site more when I get back home. It was time to move on again now I was about half way through the walk.

And now I was heading for Gait Barrows NNR, using the back roads I entered the woods and along Haweswater, I knew I was entering a special place, just by its appearance and seeing how it's been managed told me this was going to be one of them places I will visit again and again to discover its riches, but for now I was only passing the site, I came around to the other side of Haweswater and came out onto a road.  

My next place I was heading for is Eves Wood, so after the road and then another footpath I entered Eaves Wood and while trying to decide which path to take I met a lovely couple who told me about this special wood and told me to take the path to the Pepper Pot, so with a steady climb I made my way up through the woodland to the high point which was the Pepper Pot and what a great view I was rewarded with, there my whole walk so far laid out in front of me.

Pepper Pot

On my way down from the Pepper Pot I passed lots of yew trees at this time of the year there fruit of red berries are to be seen and picked,  I picked a handful and then on with the walk.

Yew berries are very sweet to eat but do not eat the seed they are poisons, so as I walked I spat out the seeds and enjoyed the fruit.

I was in the last section of the  walk feeling tired after such a long walk but also full of joy because of the places I visited on my way, I will be looking into these sites in more detail when I am back home doing my research.I passed the ruined site of Arnside Tower and crossed the road and into Arnside Knott Wood to head for the summit.  

Arnside Knott is another interesting site to explore further I found the trig point and the headed down through the site to finish of the walk in Arnside, and what a great walk it’s been.

The End

The end to my holiday just a few words about my holiday so far I have nearly done the Wainwright Southern Fells and this last mission was one of best so far, to visit some of the highest mountains in the national park and a wild camp on these fells was a joy, I want to repeat again, to have a night on the fells to see the stars without light pollution that was a surprise to me.

Bowfell is now in my top ten of fells so far and to have it on a summers evening all to myself.I also like a more leisurely time around the Scafells to look at the mountain flora. 

One my best views in this holiday were off Bowfell and another was when coming off Lingmoor Fell.I like to spend some time to look at the oak woodlands, I got to see a small example of them in my Elterwater walk, I hear it there are good examples of these woods in Borrowdale and that valley is where I  should be on my next visit. 

And finally, there will be more visits to Arnside and Silverdale area through next spring and summer.