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Fairfield white out

Fairfield white out


Postby ChrisG » Mon Jan 30, 2012 12:50 pm

Wainwrights included on this walk: Dove Crag, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Hart Crag, Heron Pike, High Pike (Eastern Fells), Low Pike, Nab Scar

Hewitts included on this walk: Dove Crag, Fairfield, Great Rigg, Hart Crag

Date walked: 30/01/2012

Time taken: 8

Distance: 16.7 km

Ascent: 1163m

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My day out started from the pay and display car park (£7 for 10 hours) in Ambleside in cold clear weather. The intention being to do the Fairfield horseshoe in an anti clockwise direction but couldn't find the path as my map only covered the top end of the walk. So I walked down the road then up the track and onto the route to Nab scar and a clockwise route which worked out fine in the end.


our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



Here are a few pictures of my (and Friends) accent to Fairfield as you can see the higher we got the less viz we had until on fairfield summit there was complete white out.

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As I said earlier fairfield was a complete white out and navigation was extremely difficult quite a few people were wondering around up there lost including a fell runner who we saw three times running in a different direction each time and a couple who were walking in the completely wrong direction in the end we all got together with five maps and two compasses and worked it out, took a while though. The walk round the top to hart crag was completely in cloud but as we got lower the weather started to improve.

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All in all a cracking day in the fells
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ChrisG
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 378
Munros:33   Corbetts:5
Fionas:2   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:2   Hewitts:141
Wainwrights:214   Islands:5
Joined: Jun 8, 2010
Location: Colne, Lancashire

Re: Fairfield white out

Postby bootsandpaddles » Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:46 pm

Parking charges in the Lake District are ridiculous. I suppose it is not too bad for a whole day out but if you are there for a week you can spend a fortune. I wonder what they spend their ill-gotten gains on.
Navigation on Fairfield can be very difficult - never been up there in clear conditions.
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Re: Fairfield white out

Postby simon-b » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:20 pm

It sounds like you knew where you were, Chris, when others were lost. Good job you were there to help.

Fairfield horseshoe was my first winter mountain walk, two years ago.
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simon-b
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Re: Fairfield white out

Postby SusieThePensioner » Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:04 pm

Good report and photos. Glad you managed to get off the top and head in the right direction :D

I've been up there before and had to use map and compass and, one August, there was a heavy snow shower :lol:

I've done that walk in both directions and think I prefer ending up at Nab Scar :D
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SusieThePensioner
 
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Re: Fairfield white out

Postby ChrisG » Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:06 am

simon-b wrote:It sounds like you knew where you were, Chris, when others were lost. Good job you were there to help.

Fairfield horseshoe was my first winter mountain walk, two years ago.


Thanks, but I think it was a team effort lol
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ChrisG
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 378
Munros:33   Corbetts:5
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Location: Colne, Lancashire

Re: Fairfield white out

Postby ChrisG » Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:08 am

SusieThePensioner wrote:Good report and photos. Glad you managed to get off the top and head in the right direction :D

I've been up there before and had to use map and compass and, one August, there was a heavy snow shower :lol:

I've done that walk in both directions and think I prefer ending up at Nab Scar :D


Thanks, I think the problem is the map makes it look like there is a good distance to the top off the path when actually the path takes you right onto the top. Snow in August seems a bit extreme
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ChrisG
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 378
Munros:33   Corbetts:5
Fionas:2   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:2   Hewitts:141
Wainwrights:214   Islands:5
Joined: Jun 8, 2010
Location: Colne, Lancashire

Re: Fairfield white out

Postby ChrisW » Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:48 am

Great stuff Chris, I laughed at the "5 maps 2 compasses" bit but the seriousness of it still hits home, so many people all struggling to find the correct route :shock: Anyway, all in all it looked like a great hike and you still got some nice shots, that parking is a rip off though £7 for 10 hours :wtf:
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ChrisW
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Re: Fairfield white out

Postby ChrisG » Tue Jan 31, 2012 12:15 pm

ChrisW wrote:Great stuff Chris, I laughed at the "5 maps 2 compasses" bit but the seriousness of it still hits home, so many people all struggling to find the correct route :shock: Anyway, all in all it looked like a great hike and you still got some nice shots, that parking is a rip off though £7 for 10 hours :wtf:


Cheers chris, yes it was a great day out the parking was a little expensive, there are places you can park for free round and about but we took the safe option and to be fair to them eight in the morning and the toilets were open and had just been cleaned so they do use the money wisely. It was funny on the top everybody wondering round lost, hope the fell runner was ok
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ChrisG
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 378
Munros:33   Corbetts:5
Fionas:2   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:2   Hewitts:141
Wainwrights:214   Islands:5
Joined: Jun 8, 2010
Location: Colne, Lancashire

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