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All journeys must have an end. Although the main joy is often in the route traveled, without a final destination the whole exercise would seem just a little pointless. Our final objective, on our odyssey around the Lakeland fells, was to be Great End, picked largely for its name but also because it's a suitably impressive fell, and one our gaze has been repeatedly drawn to, all the more often as the day we would climb it moved ever closer.
If all journeys must have an end, then they must also have a beginning. The simple answer to where our pilgrimage in the footsteps of Alfred Wainwright began was on Cat Bells on the 11th of August 2007, a largely fine day spent among the hordes climbing this ever popular fell. The view of Derwent Water from the summit was gobsmacking, if only for the minimal effort required to get there. This was not, however a life changing moment, we had already caught the hill bug in Scotland and our early visits to the Lakes were purely seen as a way to gain experience and fitness for Scottish holidays.
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- Grace, age five on Catbells
The
real moment our journey began was on a far more modest eminence than even Cat Bells. In the summer of 2006 with Grace all but four years old we were staying in a lodge in the grounds of Armadale Castle on Skye. On a beautiful day we were walking around the castle grounds when we came to the gate at the very back. A sign post suggested that this way lay Armadale Hill. We left the safety of the grounds, or so it seemed at the time, and followed the track and then grassy trods up to the modest summit of the hill. The view of the mainland mountains was breathtaking and we could even see the tops of the Cuillin to the West poking above the skyline. I remember as clear as day that something changed that day, by going through that gate we went from being car bound tourists who stopped at parking areas to take snapshots to people who got out and walked into the landscape itself. John Muir put it best; for going out, we found, was really going in.
We climbed our first real hill on the 1st of April the next year in the shape of Ben Vrackie on a glorious blue sky day (Grace got a round of applause from the other present at the top
). If that didn't cement our new found love for the outdoors then a trip to the top of Ben More on Mull with the five year old Grace making her way all the way to the top and back under her own steam certainly did. It even vied for best moment of the holiday along with getting her photo taken outside the houses of the Balamory characters.
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- Our first mountain, pure magic on Ben Vrackie, 2007
By the time we climbed Scafell Pike for a first time on the 18th of August 2010 we had decided to try and complete a full round of Wainwright Fells. This was only our 13th top as a family and the first for a small white bouncy ball of fluff we had come to know as Hughie. With 201 fells yet to bag, the end seemed a very long way off, unobtainable to be honest. Even more so given old ground would have to be recovered so Hughie could catch up.
I did think at the time we would grow tired of the Lake District fells, perhaps familiarity would breed contempt, but far from it. It's a place that gets into your blood, bones and soul. I still love The Isle of Skye most of all but if I had to spend the rest of my hill walking days in Lakeland then I'd be a very content man indeed. That's enough misty eyed reminiscences for now however, and on to the final leg of our adventure.
Great End can be climbed from several valleys, but as Borrowdale is the most convenient for us, Borrowdale it was to be. There are a few options for summiting Great End from here but the plan was to reach to Styhead via the scramble above Taylor Gill Force and then go up The Band to the summit. A good day would be required for this route so although we had this weekend in mind, nothing could be set in stone till the forecast was known. By the Wednesday things were looking decidedly promising so we hit the net and managed to get a room in Keswick so we could stay over afterwards to celebrate.
Seathwaite is a fine place to walk from, so many options, and on a beautiful day there are few places I'd rather be. We set off and crossed the bridge over the river and headed along the rough path towards Taylor Gill Force. The going along here required a bit of concentration as the path was wet and rocky with large boulders every so often but by in large things were easy enough given the gentle gradient. The fun started shortly after the impressive falls came into view. The scrambling was simple but enjoyable with very little hint of exposure. The view down from the top of the scramble looked far more dramatic than it was as is so often the case.
Seathwaite by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Taylor Gill Force by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Looking back down the scramble by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Close up of the falls by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
We followed the now decent path up Styhead Gill and after a short rest next to the waterslides, Great End came into view. I must admit my emotions at this point were conflicted, put simply I didn't want our pursuit of the Wainwrights to be over, I privately entertained thoughts of turning around or even leading Grace and Nicola up the wrong hill
but a mans got to do what a mans got to do, so as with the past eight years onwards we marched.
Crags of Base Brown by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Styhead Gill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Scafells come into view by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great End by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
We headed past Styhead tarn and took up the path to Sprinkling tarn till it crossed the beck. A thin trod marked by tiny cairns headed up the grassy banks and onto the band so we followed it. AWs instructions on the Band are a little vague but the trod and cairns saw that route finding was easy. Soon enough the rocky dome of the mountain (certainly looks like a mountain from here!) comes into view looking impregnable and intimidating. I'm not 100% sure we followed the Wainwright route up, but the way was obviously well used so it felt right. Hands were needed often, as was care as the rocks were at times very slippy and wet but the involving nature of the route took my mind of the daft thoughts I'd had earlier.
Styhead Tarn by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Lingmell Crag and Piers Gill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great Gable catching some clag by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Wasdale Head by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Sprinkling Tarn by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Cust's Gully? by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
The gradient eased as we reached the boulder field and we picked our way upwards to the West Cairn, from where, few hundred yards away, stood our final Wainright top. At this point a bit of cloud had settled on Great Gable and the Scafells but our top was clear and we held hands, with Hughie under Graces arm, for the last few yards and bagged it together as a family (for the record Grace touched the cairn first
). There were no fireworks, no marching band, no welcoming committee, no ghost of Wainwright resting behind a boulder in fact nobody else but us.
All Done! by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Celebrations! by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Summit view by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
It felt a bit of an anticlimax at the time if I'm honest, but now as I relive it I'm feeling very emotional, in many ways it was perfect that it was just us, if anybody else had been there it's wouldn't have felt right, we did this as a family, together every step of the way. We cracked the little bottle of Champagne we had brought, Grace had J2O, and sat in a sheltered spot taking in the views as the clouds formed shapes on the landscape and the sun came and went.
We sat for around 30 minutes at the summit which we spent alone before reluctantly heading off. We returned to the West cairn as Great Gable had now cleared, before making our way via the southern cairn to the Esk Hause path.
Towards Langdale by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great End, number 214 by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Ill Crag and Broad Crag from Great End by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Looking towards the Western Cairn by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Crags of Great End by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great Gable from Great End by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Clag clearing on Scafell Pike by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Lingmell from Great End by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
As beautiful as the path down Grains Gill is it seemed to take forever to get down, perhaps we all just wanted to get to our hotel and relax and reflect on the day. This was a great route and a fitting way to complete the Wainrights, in many ways the way every thing came together it seemed it was meant to be. And so our journey came to an end and yes, in answer to my own question it was indeed a Great End
Great End from Esk Hause by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Top of Grains Gill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
A fall in Grains Gill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
