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This is the first of three reports for the weekend just gone, a weekend of good weather, great walking and mysterious finds.
So this was plan A. Saturday, drive the endless road to the Western Lakes; two and a half hours plus from Bury to an interesting spot on a narrow road near the start of a footpath.
Here’s the planned route, which turned out to be about right, a change from recent escapades.
The attachment our_route.gpx is no longer available
I arrived about 11ish and once kitted out followed a route which takes you along a clearly signed footpath through the fallen remnants of a forest.
- Parking Spot
Taking the wrong fork, well, you might have guessed!
Across some recently felled ground to an obvious stile in a fence with a path towards Grike.
- Grike in distance
- The fence
A nice gentle start and this being a solo trip, much muttering to self about ‘navigation practice’ and ‘keep an eye on the weather’.
Grike had a surprisingly large cairn, and the view was ok but the weather was beginning to close in. This isn’t quite true, as the temperature and wind stayed constant (high pressure) but the mist played all the usual tricks as you will see later.
- The stile
For some reason Grike didn’t invite a stay, so I took a compass bearing, just in case and followed the clearly marked path past a large radio mast and upwards towards the summit of Crag Fell.
- The Summit
As I approached I met a guy closely followed by whom I assumed was his Dad and Grandad, they’d come up from Ennerdale with Dad muttering ‘I’ve got him here anyway’. Grandad seemed happy enough and Dad and Grandson assured me there was a path through the forest towards Lank Rigg.
- Crag Fell with the big ones in the distance
- The way through the forest 1
So it proved, the minute I got in the forest there was a deathly quiet, no birdsong, no wind, a strange sterile environment, before I could drift off into Narnia or Middle Earth, a clearing opened and some very nice person had put a large arrow pointing the way.
- The way through the forest 2
The arrow pointed true and after a squelchy 100 or so yards I emerged at the edge of the forest.
- Arrow
I took another bearing and consulted both the GPS and Map and set off up hill for the ridge line which on turning right would take me to the imaginatively named Whoap.
- Edge of forest looking back towards Crag Fell
After a couple of minutes the utter peace was disturbed by the baying of hounds, close I thought, wonder where they are? I turned to see them just coming round the front of Crag Fell and a minute or so later disappear into the forest. I spent a few minutes trying to work out a) what speed they could make and could I outrun them? b) developing strategy to fend them off with my walking poles and c) resigning myself to the fact that they probably didn’t eat humans and if I pretended to be dead they’d leave me alone! Not sure it’s the hounds who were barking!!
The summit of Whoap was small and surprisingly, still the same as when AW sketched it forty plus years ago.(see ‘Western Fells’)
- The path to Whoap
The rock provided a good back rest and lunch seemed a good idea. So there I was munching on a butty and enjoying the peace and sending Jim a text to gloat, when I heard a radio (walkie-talkie variety). I initially checked the phone and my rucksack as there was no one around, thought I must definitely be going over the edge. I’d be hallucinating a tropical island next, must have been something in the butties. Suddenly I was joined by two dogs, a Springer Spaniel and a coal black tiny Jack Russell type thing, followed by their master a tall, weather beaten man past retirement age “ seen any hounds, lad” he said. I told him the only ones I’d seen were on Crag Fell and he explained that they’d lost some, last seen heading in this direction and with that disappeared himself back towards Caw Fell and the Ennerdale wall.
Lank Rigg is a lonely old spot.
- Summit of Whoap
After a shortish pull up to the trig point (someone loves it), I took the obligatory summit photos of my poles and the amazing view, unfortunately the mist won that one!
- Lank Rigg
- The wilds of Lank Rigg 1
- The wilds of Lank Rigg 2
As you can see I was well away from the summit of Lank Rigg and feeling smug about my navigating, as I was about to hit the ford mentioned on the map, I saw this!
- A long way from the Summit looking back
- ???
Someone must have had a really uncomfortably journey home, but just in case they are wondering where it was, here’s the grid ref to a few hundred feet. (NY 076129)
From then on it was over the ford and off down a clear bridleway to the road and a short hike along the road to the car.
- NY 076129
I met another huntsman at his car who said that four of the hounds had taken off towards Wasdale and they were still missing, but while we chatted he received a call to say they were returning. A fox was seen the following day near to Haycock looking somewhat knackered and glancing over its shoulder! Another three done, five more planned for Sunday!