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After a pleasant drive up from Lancashire (made all the better by the knowledge that a lot of other people were working and I was not), I found myself in the village of Braithwaite, contemplating the options for the day, which just happened to be my forty-fifth birthday.
I had originally planned to climb up to Sail via Barrow and Outerside, then loop round over Scar Crags and Causey Pike; but the clouds were low and threatening, and there was snow in the air (glimpsed during the drive over Shap on the M6), so although I had packed the ice-axe and the crampons, I decided to play things by ear and see what the conditions were like higher up (both weather-wise and underfoot).
In the end, with the constant threat of snowfall, heavy cloud smothering the higher peaks and the image of my wife warning me (in no uncertain terms) that I was to 'take care and not do anything stupid', I decided to stick to the two lower fells of Barrow and Outerside, both of which I had neglected to climb a few years ago (and in better conditions) when descending from the higher peaks back to Braithwaite after completing the Coledale Horseshoe.
In the end, it proved a good choice.
- Approaching Braithwaite Lodge
There was no snow on the approach to Braithwaite Lodge or on the lower slopes of Barrow itself, but eventually the snow line was reached.
- Reaching the snow line on Barrow
It was about here that I met a couple from the village who were out for their 'morning constiutional' - a walk up Stile End, returning by Barrow. We talked a little about the weather and the snow (as is the rule on such encounters) whereupon I was asked if I had come far. When I said that I had travelled from just north of Bolton, the woman gave a knowing smile, commented on recognising the accent, and then proceeded to state that she herself was from Bolton. Then, as if to emphasise the 'it's a small world' maxim, she then confirmed that her father used to teach at Darwen's Technical College in my home town.
As we parted company, I began to wonder if I would ever undertake a walk in the mountains of England, Wales or Scotland without running into someone of is, or is related to, a current or former resident of my local parish.
- Looking into the hills from the summit of Barrow
With the remainder of Barrow ascended on paths made icy by yesterday's thawing snow and the previous night's freezing temperatures, I watched the clouds roll over the distant summit of Sail and decided that, with leaden clouds encroaching from the East, a quick visit to the summit of Outerside would suffice.
- The path alongside Stonycroft Gill
With pressures of time removed, I ambled down from the summit of Barrow and picked up the path that runs alongside Stonycroft Gill and which, if descended, reaches the fantastically named Uzzicar Farm (fantastic Scrabble score, methinks).
From there, and with only two distant souls far up the path visible for a short while before they were lost in the clouds, I continued up the gentle slope until finally turning right and doubling back on myself up towards the summit of Outerside, taking a minor detour to look out over the splendour of Coledale itself, made two-tone by the snowline on the slopes of Grisedale Pike.
- Grisedale Pike across Coledale from Outerside
It was at the summit of Outerside, amidst the prickling spindrift that was whipped off the ground by the fierce Easterly wind, that I decided to partake of my birthday feast - no cake to speak of, just two egg mayonnaise sandwiches (on brown), a sausage roll, a packet of McCoys Salt & Vinegar crisps and a few pieces of the fruit and nut Toblerone which were left over from Christmas and which I kept as an 'energy food' excuse for walks in the hills. All of this was washed down with a couple of cups of hot Vimto from the flask whilst sat on my folding mat in a comfortable little hollow in a snowdrift within spitting distance of the summit cairn.
Luxury.
- The summit of Outerside
With birthday feast consumed, and having admired the view and enjoyed the solitude for as long as my soul required, I packed up and began the slow, tricky descent from Outerside to Stile End.
- Causey Pike and Scar Crags from Stile End
Near the summit of Stile End, I turned for one last look at the snowy panorama of the upper fells, and in particular at Causey Pike and Scar Crags, the two unconquered fells which would provide me with ample excuse to head this way again in a few months time.
Once back in the village, I contemplated the fact that I'd been out for barely two and half hours, hadn't ascended higher than 570m and didn't feel in the least bit tired, a stark contrast to my usual trips to the Lakes where I try to squeeze every last ounce out of the day. And yet, it had been a terrifically enjoyable few hours...made all the better by the fact that my parents were staying in their caravan in Keswick and, as such, a hot cup of tea and some cheese on toast were now only a few minutes drive away.
