The Nab

[richardkchapman]

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Plan today was to give the dogs a rest, and climb The Nab via Rest Dodd - we figured that it would be a less stressful walk without them since you are encouraged to keep dogs on leads when in the Red Deer reserve...

Parked at Dale Head

We made an earlyish start from Dale Head Farm, climbing up the valley route to Angle Tarn.

Setting off up the valley


Looking back


Heck Cove

Lorraine was convinced that the shadow in Heck Cove looked like a face. I couldn't see it myself.

Climbing through the Heather

Waiting on a rock

The path followed a wall along the valley floor for a while, then set off steeply up the hillside. At times the path was a little vertiginous as it crossed a fairly steep hillside below Heck Crag.

Narrow path

Bannerdale

We had our eyes peeled for deer - looks like they had their eyes peeled for us too.

Nosey Deer

Deer on the skyline


More deer on the skyline

The ravens were having great fun above us - it looked as if they turned upside down every so often just for fun.

Raven

Interesting to see a kestrel hovering from above - not the viewpoint I am used to!

Looking down on a Kestrel

Near the top of the path and Thomas was complaining of a headache. I persuaded him to hold out until just over the next rise as there was a good view promised.

Angle Tarn panorama

The view didn't disappoint. Wainwright recommends this path for ascent (to Angletarn Pikes) because of the delightful surprise when Angle Tarn appears, and I can certainly agree.

Rest Dodd

From Angle Tarn the path to Rest Dodd was well defined, though still quite a bit of climbing to be done.

Bannerdale

Nice views back down the valley.

Hayeswater

Views across to High Street and its satellites too.

Helvellyn and Catstycam

And great views of the Helvellyn area. Catstycam always looks impressive from this angle.

The Nab, from Rest Dodd

After a short climb we reached the summit of Rest Dodd. Views of The Nab, and of a few scattered deer in the distance.

Rest Dodd summit

Deer in the distance

The path down to The Nab's ridge was quite steep, but eventually we reached the wall that marks the boundary of the Red Deer reserve - a collapsed signpost announced it.

More Deer in the Distance

From the wall we could see deer in the valley below.

Deer in the sunlight


More Deer


Still more Deer

And as we descended we caught glimpses of deer rather closer to us on the slopes of The Nab.

Along the ridge to The Nab

The ridge to The Nab was rather boggy in places.

Giant Peat Hags

Trying to detour around the bogs proved to be a mistake - much easier to just follow the path and brave the black bits (which were a lot more solid than they looked)

Lost in the bog

Nice views of Helvellyn area throughout.

Helvellyn and Catstycam, from The Nab

At the top of The Nab, Lorraine and Thomas were disappointed to learn that there was no other way down from The Nab than to retrace our steps - but with no path listed in Wainwright or visible on the OS maps I was not confident trying to find any alternative way down, even if I had wanted to ignore the notices requesting that all access to the Nab was via Rest Dodd (which I did not). Probably the first occasion when they actually WANTED me to find a "Daddy shortcut" and I refused...

Time was getting on though - we had 4.5 miles to get home and only about 2.5 hours of daylight left.

The Nab - looking for a way down

We headed back the way we had come, cutting off the corner near the wall rather than going back to the top of Rest Dodd.

Looking back at The Nab


Place Fell

Lovely light on the fells, though that also served to remind me that we were running out of light, so we had to push on.

Satura Crag, Angletarn Pikes, and Helvellyn


Panorama from Rest Dodd shoulder


Brock Crags


Hayeswater


Wall with holes


Angletarn Pikes at sunset

Nearly missed the turning at Angle Tarn - GPS saved the day.

Angle Tarn at sunset

The narrow bits of the path down were just as unpleasant as they had been on the way up - if we had had more time I would have taken the alternative path down via the Beda Fell ridge. But at least we got past it before losing the light.

Last light on The Nab


Last light on Rest Dodd


Colourful Clouds


Last light in Martindale


The Nab - no way down

By the time we got back to the car it was officially 15 minutes past sunset and was starting to get dark.

Red Deer Reserve

The walk was rather longer and harder than I had expected - I think I underestimated the amount of ascent/descent required. But the weather was great, and the scenery most enjoyable, and we did get to see a few deer.

[trailmasher]

Good report and pics and what a great day to be out There is a good path on the west side of The Nab that can actually be seen from the way that you went up along Bannerdale but it doesn't start from the top, you have to walk down the fell for a few metres before finding it. It takes you down to Nab End from where there is a good path all the way down the ridge to the lane leading to The Bungalow.

[dav2930]

Nice report with some cracking photos - great shots of the deer and raven and kestrel! A lovely sunny day too.

Two of us went over Rest Dodd and The Nab a few days earlier (30th Oct) when it was much cloudier. After crossing The Nab's notorious peat hags (yes, it's better just forging straight across) we went straight down the north ridge which was very steep but had a path. We were aware of the deer 'conservation' area but because of our starting point and route hadn't seen any info about preferred routes etc. We could hear the stags roaring but couldn't see them. It's a fine viewpoint.

[ChrisW]

Good stuff RC, I too see the face in the shadow Love the pano of angle tarn first time around