Walkhighlands

If our holiday was coming to an end as we drove back from Wales, Graces was just midway. She was catching the bus from school at 6:15AM on Sunday morning for a trip to Belgium. For me and Nicola it was a stressful time waving our (11 year old) baby off for a trip to another country. An outward bounds course in the Lakes is one thing but leaving the UK? Far too stressful!
There was of course only one thing for it and that was a bit of Therapy on the High Street. You’ll be glad to know this wasn't the seventh level of hell known as the Metro Center but the large flat topped hill in the Lake District.
It was nice to be at Mardale Head so early and actually get parked in the car park for once and apart from a few fell runners zooming past we were alone as we set off for the Long Stile ridge.


Mardale from the start of the walk by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr

The other excuse (if any were needed) for this walk was to help Hughie catch up his Wainwright tally so we might all complete on the same day a few years in the future. Nicola and yours truly had already bagged these fells but being forbidden by Grace to do anything new it seemed the natural location to head for as we both love Mardale. It was certainly good to return after more than a year away.


The Rigg by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Hawswater over the wall by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Harter Fell by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Rough Crag by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Rough Crag by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr

A welcome by-product of setting off far earlier than usual was the rare treat of a deserted High Street Summit. In fact over the whole walk we encountered far fewer walkers than usual, if only we could get Grace out of bed earlier.


Blea Water by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Blea Water Mono by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


High Street Summit by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr

We continued over Mardale Ill Bell (taking Hughie up to number 88), across the Nan Bield Pass and onto Harter Fell for a second break sheltering from the cool breeze behind Wainwrights space age cairns.


Along the wall to Windermere by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Hughie on Mardale Ill Bell by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Small water and Hawswater by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Mardale Ill Bell and Small Water by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Ill Bell Ridge by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Ill Bell Mono by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr

We made our way down to the Gatesgarth Pass via the Birkett tops of Little Harter Fell and Adam Seat before descending on the wide path back to Mardale Head. It was on this path that we came across the surreal sight of a broken down landrover with another similar vehicle behind. Attempted repairs were obviously not going well as a third subsequently turned up to help. I stifled a smirk at their motorized adventure going badly as we walked past and had to try even harder to keep a straight face when further down three trails bikes were having all sorts of problems getting started again following a stop. Perhaps they all should try walking or mountain biking on their next Lakeland adventure.


Classic view of Hawswater by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Hughie on Adam Seat by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr


Mardale on the way down by johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr

Today turned out to be a great day out and a fine way of taking our minds off Grace going away for a few days. A text confirming the Children’s safe arrival further helped our mood before going back to work on the Monday.

johnkaysleftleg wrote:You’ll be glad to know this wasn't the seventh level of hell known as the Metro Center but the large flat topped hill in the Lake District.

Thank goodness for that

johnkaysleftleg wrote:For me and Nicola it was a stressful time waving our (11 year old) baby off for a trip to another country.

I know what you mean Bad enough when our two daughters go on school trips abroad and they're the teachers in charge

What a beautiful day and that's a great walk Some fantastic views and I really enjoyed another trip down memory lane

Many years ago, when the golden eagles used to nest there, we were fortunate to meet one of the volunteer wardens and, as we were talking to him, the female eagle rose above us Later, when having our lunch on High Street, we saw the eagle again. Back at the carpark there were lots of people with binoculars and we asked if they'd seen the eagles; the answer was 'no'. We kept quiet about the views we'd had, didn't want to brag about it

Its wierd seeing one of your reports without Grace. I always expect to see the classic photo of Grace holding Hughie next to a summit cairn.

More lovely photo's, as usual. You should do it for a living. I think you'd make money out of it!
I'm still massively jelous of all the walking you get to do. I was watching one of the Wainwrights walks DVD's the other day and it featured Mardale. Quite a sad story for the little village now underneath the resevoir!

I do love seeing Hughie on the hills. He always looks so happy. Although he is way ahead of me on the Wainwrights count. 55 ahead, even with those tiny legs, bless him.

Hoping I can convince my wife to let me sod off to the Lakes for a few days next week. Could do with the time away and some silence.

Well done Hughie

At last I can read the names of the hills

SusieThePensioner wrote: I know what you mean Bad enough when our two daughters go on school trips abroad and they're the teachers in charge

You mean it gets no better

SusieThePensioner wrote:Many years ago, when the golden eagles used to nest there, we were fortunate to meet one of the volunteer wardens and, as we were talking to him, the female eagle rose above us Later, when having our lunch on High Street, we saw the eagle again. Back at the carpark there were lots of people with binoculars and we asked if they'd seen the eagles; the answer was 'no'. We kept quiet about the views we'd had, didn't want to brag about it

Now that must have been awesome I once had a close encounter with a Golden Eagle in the Quiraing on Skye. A close look is something you never forget.

Ibex wrote:Its wierd seeing one of your reports without Grace. I always expect to see the classic photo of Grace holding Hughie next to a summit cairn.

It was weird not having her there. Had to make do with telling Nicola to hurry up I jest of course

Ibex wrote:More lovely photo's, as usual. You should do it for a living. I think you'd make money out of it!
I'm still massively jelous of all the walking you get to do. I was watching one of the Wainwrights walks DVD's the other day and it featured Mardale. Quite a sad story for the little village now underneath the resevoir!

I'd love to make a living out of photography but at the moment it's not something that could realistically happen, perhaps once Grace is grown up. The story of Mardale is indeed very sad, can't imagine how hard it would have been to be evicted from a place as beautiful as that According to AW it was even more beautiful previously with the two smaller lakes rather than the one big reservoir.[/quote]

Ibex wrote:Hoping I can convince my wife to let me sod off to the Lakes for a few days next week. Could do with the time away and some silence.

Tell her I said it was alright.

L-Hiking wrote:Well done Hughie

At last I can read the names of the hills

I'll pass on your congratulations Geoff

I feel like i'm beginning to stalk you now. You write a report, with the usual stunning photo's & I immediately set my sights on walking there. Well this time I had already made my mind up for next weekends destination but it's always good to see reports like this that remind me of why i'm going there

What sort of set up have you got on your camera? I'm definitely going back to the heavy DSLR as despite spending a small fortune on it my lightweight point & shoot it just doesn't cut it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

You mean it gets no better

SusieThePensioner wrote:
Many years ago, when the golden eagles used to nest there, we were fortunate to meet one of the volunteer wardens and, as we were talking to him, the female eagle rose above us Later, when having our lunch on High Street, we saw the eagle again. Back at the carpark there were lots of people with binoculars and we asked if they'd seen the eagles; the answer was 'no'. We kept quiet about the views we'd had, didn't want to brag about it

Now that must have been awesome I once had a close encounter with a Golden Eagle in the Quiraing on Skye. A close look is something you never forget.

There's nothing more special than a Golden Eagle in my eyes, sadly these have only happened to me in Scotland. I've had some fabulous walks but will always remember my first sighting of a Golden Eagle over Loch Affric & then seeing a pair at Talisker Bay on Skye.It always adds that something extra to a walk. . . . So to see them further south must've been something special.

charliebloke1 wrote:I feel like i'm beginning to stalk you now. You write a report, with the usual stunning photo's & I immediately set my sights on walking there. Well this time I had already made my mind up for next weekends destination but it's always good to see reports like this that remind me of why i'm going there
What sort of set up have you got on your camera? I'm definitely going back to the heavy DSLR as despite spending a small fortune on it my lightweight point & shoot it just doesn't cut it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Charlie, I've got a Canon 400d with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens. I've found the upgrade to be more than worth it from the kit lens. If your lugging a DSLR up into the hills you've got to make it worth your while and shoot RAW to get maximum detail from you efforts. I use Photoshop to process my images but the free software that comes with Canon DSLRs is also very good. My way of looking at it is there is no way I'm spending £750 + on a camera set up and letting a daft little microchip in the camera process my images. I hope my shots still look fairly natural, it's certainly what I aim for.
One really important thing is to learn to understand histograms and use the highlight warning, if you want detail in your skies you need to under expose sometimes. If you shoot RAW you can them sort out your dark foreground without it looking unrealistic when you process the files. You can use graduated filters but in all honesty I often can't be bothered with the faffing when I'm walking. Hope this helps and feel free to ask anything else

Cheers for that. I only have a Nikon D3000. Nothing special I know but I've just upgarded to a similar 17-70mm lens.The lightweight point & shoot just isn't in the same league as even my entry level Nikon DSLR when shooting in RAW (something my point & shoot doesn't allow.) I'll be glad to try it out in earnest on a high walk next week I just need to learn more about it's capabalities in manual modes.

Glad you said that about filters. I've tried with countless graduated filters & i just find it all too fiddly. At the end of the day I want to enjoy the walk but also take pictures that remind me exactly of what I saw on the walk without the faffing around. I don't feel my point & shoot in anyway captures that & a little post production often brings it closer to what I saw with my own eyes, others may disagree.

Now my walking experience is growing i'm learning what I don't need to take which means more room for the camera. Having said that i'm still getting to grips with just Photoshop Lightroom (budget wouldn't stretch to full package.) so it will all still end up as proper tripe. Still tanks for the inspiration . . although i'm sure it's still down to the talent of the user... right lens or not !!!

charliebloke1 wrote:Cheers for that. I only have a Nikon D3000. Nothing special I know but I've just upgarded to a similar 17-70mm lens.The lightweight point & shoot just isn't in the same league as even my entry level Nikon DSLR when shooting in RAW (something my point & shoot doesn't allow.) I'll be glad to try it out in earnest on a high walk next week I just need to learn more about it's capabalities in manual modes.

Glad you said that about filters. I've tried with countless graduated filters & i just find it all too fiddly. At the end of the day I want to enjoy the walk but also take pictures that remind me exactly of what I saw on the walk without the faffing around. I don't feel my point & shoot in anyway captures that & a little post production often brings it closer to what I saw with my own eyes, others may disagree.

Now my walking experience is growing i'm learning what I don't need to take which means more room for the camera. Having said that i'm still getting to grips with just Photoshop Lightroom (budget wouldn't stretch to full package.) so it will all still end up as proper tripe. Still tanks for the inspiration . . although i'm sure it's still down to the talent of the user... right lens or not !!!

I have Elements 11(no way I could afford the full version) but one thing that got me up and running really quickly with Elements was the book by Scott Kelby. He has also done a book for Lightroom. Not the cheapest of books but believe me they are so easy to follow as they tell you exactly what you want to know i.e. how to make your pics look like you want to.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photoshop-Light ... cott+kelby

Download the Lightroom 5 Beta - I don't know if when the full version is released it'll self destruct, but having come from Elements 10 (and been very happy with that) I've been blown away by Lightroom. It's a different way of working but a much more logical one - it actually builds in your workflow in a sensible order.

It's radically changed and simplified my PP and the results I'm getting are so much better. I'll have to sit down with it and try and rework some of my older stuff when I get the time.

Thanks very much for the report & photos.

I'm heading down to Ullswater shortly, though my walks mightn't be so extensive !


Michael.

Hi Anthony

Nearly missed this one! Thanks for posting such a comprehensive (and well photographed) route description.

I've been meaning to do this group for a while when visiting the In-laws in Grange. You've definitely confirmed they are a worthwhile walk, especially on a day like that.

Hopefully when Monty is a bit older he'll enjoy it as much as Hughie obviously does!

craighall wrote:Thanks very much for the report & photos.

I'm heading down to Ullswater shortly, though my walks mightn't be so extensive !


Michael.

Thanks Michael

tenohfive wrote:Download the Lightroom 5 Beta - I don't know if when the full version is released it'll self destruct, but having come from Elements 10 (and been very happy with that) I've been blown away by Lightroom. It's a different way of working but a much more logical one - it actually builds in your workflow in a sensible order.

It's radically changed and simplified my PP and the results I'm getting are so much better. I'll have to sit down with it and try and rework some of my older stuff when I get the time.

Cheers I might check it out if I get a minute.

clivegrif wrote:Hi Anthony

Nearly missed this one! Thanks for posting such a comprehensive (and well photographed) route description.

I've been meaning to do this group for a while when visiting the In-laws in Grange. You've definitely confirmed they are a worthwhile walk, especially on a day like that.

Hopefully when Monty is a bit older he'll enjoy it as much as Hughie obviously does!

Don't worry about it Clive. I/we had 7 mountain days in 17 days so plenty of reports. The High street fells make for an excellent day out with plenty of variation possible. All I will say is the Long Stile Ridge is by far and away the best way up to these tops, it would be a shame not to start any Mardale Head walk without it.

johnkaysleftleg wrote:

charliebloke1 wrote:I feel like i'm beginning to stalk you now. You write a report, with the usual stunning photo's & I immediately set my sights on walking there. Well this time I had already made my mind up for next weekends destination but it's always good to see reports like this that remind me of why i'm going there
What sort of set up have you got on your camera? I'm definitely going back to the heavy DSLR as despite spending a small fortune on it my lightweight point & shoot it just doesn't cut it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Charlie, I've got a Canon 400d with a Sigma 17-70 mm lens. I've found the upgrade to be more than worth it from the kit lens. If your lugging a DSLR up into the hills you've got to make it worth your while and shoot RAW to get maximum detail from you efforts. I use Photoshop to process my images but the free software that comes with Canon DSLRs is also very good. My way of looking at it is there is no way I'm spending £750 + on a camera set up and letting a daft little microchip in the camera process my images. I hope my shots still look fairly natural, it's certainly what I aim for.
One really important thing is to learn to understand histograms and use the highlight warning, if you want detail in your skies you need to under expose sometimes. If you shoot RAW you can them sort out your dark foreground without it looking unrealistic when you process the files. You can use graduated filters but in all honesty I often can't be bothered with the faffing when I'm walking. Hope this helps and feel free to ask anything else

Well I can confirm they do look natural! I love your photos, especially for all their clarity. I love how you manage to get detail in the clouds.

Lenore wrote:Well I can confirm they do look natural! I love your photos, especially for all their clarity. I love how you manage to get detail in the clouds.

Thanks Lenore