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Hughie my ever faithful if somewhat irascible West Highland terrier has, over the years, managed some huge walks for such a small dog, he's a bit of a plodder but the amount of times I've been tiredly trudging down the last hill of the day only to have Hugh bouncing down ahead of me as if it was just a walk around the block is countless.
There will always be a moment when time starts to catch up with you however, human or dog and once or twice leading up to this walk the little fellow hadn't seamed quite his usual self. Nothing major, he can be very thrawn at times, but I chose to put this down to his nature rather than him getting old. Given he was 12(64 in small dog years) in October, hindsight suggests this was foolish.
Right from the off Hughie seemed to decide he wasn't up for it on this day. Had he seemed injured or distressed I'd have turned back but no, he was just a right grumpy so and so. The main factor was the heat, given he had decided he no longer wants to go to the dog groomers, his last visit did not go well
, he is getting home haircuts which, given the lack of expertise on show
, are not quite as short.
So it transpired that grumpy dog in tow, I set off from Grasmere on a scorching morning up the well trodden way to Easedale Tarn.
Summer at GrasmereEasedale reflectionsOn the way upEasedale BeckTop of Easedale ForceFollowing a bit of cow dodging we made the steady climb up to Easedale Tarn on what was a very warm but quite blissful morning. The Dragon Flies were out in force and a quite magnificent Golden Ringed specimen posed very nicely for me on a rock. There wer several wild campers about but all seemed to be keeping a tidy campsite so hopefully no residue was left.
Golden Ringed DragonflyTarn Crag comes into viewTarn Crag reflected in Easedale TarnTarn Crag and Easedale TarnAhead lay the Easedale Matterhorn, AKA Bells Knott. it certainly looks the part on approach but as you climb it's true nature, which is far less dramatic becomes increasingly clear. It was very warm going without any breeze so I allowed a very hot panty Hughie a nice rest at the top of the falls, before continuing the climb upwards.
Belles KnottBelles Knott again...and againA very hot and grumpy HughieIt was slow and steady progress, aided by a light breeze now and then, up to the fine little summit of Sergeant Man. Both Hughie and I got another well earned rest to take in the magnificent panorama improved still further by some dramatic cloudage to the west.
Belles Knott from behindStickle Tarn...and againSergeant Man against a dramatic skyPanorama from Sergeant Man (click for bigger view)Great GableBow FellFrom Sergeant Man to Tarn Crag is largely pathless, that said I suspect a trod probably exists but I failed to find it/sick to it as we made our way above Coldale Tarn and onto the ridge which terminates with out final top of the day. It was very warm but at least it was down hill which Hughie preferred greatly over the earlier climb. Once the top was bagged we ambled over to the well made cairn to the South to take in a full aerial view of Easdale Tarn.
Sergeant Man from Codale HeadCodale Head SummitNameless Tarn backed by the Eastern FellsReflectionsGlorious dayCodale tarnTarn Crag SummitHot HoundLooking down on Easedale tarnIt was while having another rest up here that I figured it was still probably about three and a half miles back to the car, ordinarily not much of an issue but with it being roasting hot up here, and no doubt even hotter down in the valley it was set to be slow going with Hughie felling the heat. The initial drop down was OK but once things levelled out my canine companion required plenty of encouragement to make it back to the refuge of an air conditioned car.
Tarn CragLooking back...and againVale of GrasmereFar EasedaleWe were close to the car when a request from HQ was recived for Gingerbread
which meant another very slow plod back into the village to purchase this most delicious of confections but also came with the reward of some Gingerbread ice cream for me a Hughie
This walk was a reality check in terms of Hughie's age and current abilities, he completed the walk and seemed fine the next day but it was too much to ask of him on such a hot day. The distance of almost 10 miles would have probably been pushing it in cooler conditions, let alone in such heat.
The good news is Hughie has returned to the hills an managed fine on shorter walks in cooler conditions so he's not quite done yet but sadly a lovely big day out in the hills together is now a thing of the past.