Sledging on Skiddaw

Near the summit of Skiddaw

A crisp, cold day with blue skies and sunshine beckoned with snow-capped fells surrounding Keswick. I had driven up from Sussex that morning and had Tilly for company who absolutely loves the snow so I wanted to head up to the snow line as quickly as possible. Skiddaw was my mountain of choice. It is one of my favourites in the northern Lakes as it dominates the skyline and I have fond childhood memories of it.

The summit was hidden underneath cloud initially, as though Skiddaw had its own cloud factory but it started to clear quickly. We headed from the car-park at the end of the no-through road up the zigzag path. It starts very steeply but the benefit of that is you get amazing views across Derwent Water, the north western fells and Blencathra very quickly. The dark clouds were broken by rays of sunshine striking through onto the surface of the lake and casting shadows across the fells. 

Derwent Water in the breaking cloud

Monument

There is a monument on the route dedicated to the shepherds of the Hawell family and the inscription is beautiful:

"Great shepherd of thy heavenly flock

These men have left our hill
Their feet were on the living rock
Oh guide and bless them still"

Before long, we were starting to reach tiny patches of snow. There was barely enough to make a snowball but Tilly didn’t care – she started “sledging” as soon as she saw it. This is where she rolls on the ground then sticks her back legs out and pulls herself forward with her front paws. I first saw her do this when climbing Helvellyn in November 2012 and it is a funny sight to behold. It was her first snow of the winter and she was clearly making the most of it!

First sledging of the walk

Another ten minutes or so saw us in proper snow. There was no holding Tilly back at this point. She rolled, sledged, jumped and generally had a wonderful time in the snow. Walkers passing by even stopped to watch. I had to keep reminding myself to look at the views as well as Tilly. As we took the path around the slopes of Skiddaw Little Man, the view to the valley and the Caldale fells opened up and the sunshine peeping through the clouds lit up the snow. The speckled snow on Latrigg looked like a satellite photo from space.

Blencathra in the sunlight

Looking to Little Man

It was time for microspikes here as the snow was compacted and frozen and I saw several people slip. Tilly has inbuilt microspikes so she was fine. 

The final part of the ascent to Skiddaw summit is steeper and with the snow being quite deep it was hard work at times. Tilly found another dog to play with and they went running around the slopes together. This was when I learnt a valuable lesson.

Tilly is very obedient and always comes back on command and she never really strays very far away from me. However, whilst playing with the other dog (a Collie with much more energy than her) she ended up quite a distance in front. When they stopped playing, she thought I was ahead of her (optimistic given how slowly I usually walk) so started running to catch up with me. I had been watching her carefully the whole time so I called her to let her know I was in fact behind her. Usually this would have been fine but with the wind having stepped up in speed and volume and blowing in the opposite direction it threw my voice right back at me so she couldn’t hear me. She was stopping at every person ahead trying to find me but going uphill so there was no way I could have caught up. Fortunately I can whistle for England so I gave my loudest and most shrill whistle to get her attention. She stopped in her tracks immediately and looked back (as did most of the other people and dogs on the slope). I then waved my arms around like a woman possessed so she could spot me. I was wearing bright pink so I must have been quite a sight! She then sprinted back to me, covering me with kisses and wagging her tail with enthusiasm as she was so pleased to find me. It was a lesson I will not forget in a hurry. I have added a dog whistle to the equipment I take with me now just in case.

Heading to the summit

The rest of the walk was uneventful. The view to Ullock Pike and Longside as we reached the south top, with the ridge covered in snow was beautiful. Tilly stayed beside me like a magnet and we soon reached the summit. The wind was bitter at that height though and the wind shelter was full of people trying to escape the cold so we didn’t stay long. The views were superb all around towards the coast, Bassenthwaite and down to the valley below but sadly my camera iPhone battery had died so I couldn’t take a photo! 

Ullock Pike & Longside

We headed back down the same route and Tilly made the most of the snow before it petered out and we got back to the car. A spectacular day for walking made all the more special sharing it with Tilly and her passion for “sledging”.

Tilly, Skiddaw & Sledging

Arriving at the car-park

Following the success of the last Twitter group walk (in terms of fun rather than navigation at least) we decided to set forth again, this time heading for Skiddaw Little Man, Skiddaw, Bakestall and back around the Cumbria Way on a 12 mile horseshoe route.  A horseshoe route?  What could possibly go wrong?

A rather misty Skiddaw

We all met in the car-park with the mist hanging low in the valleys and clinging onto the summits above but with the promise of “sunny intervals” at midday.  We carefully checked the route (nothing if not learning from our mistake on the previous walk, although we had Ray and Gary with us so the odds were definitely in our favour) and headed off to our first mountain.  Tilly the beautiful black Labrador was with me on another visit and she was particularly excited about the walk as for her, more people equals more treats!

Tilly in action in the mist

The path up the Jenkins Hill path to Skiddaw is very steep and before long I was a straggler at the back but as well as Tilly I had the company of Phil (chief photographer) and Ria, who appreciated all the “Tanya stops” (can’t really call them view stops as the mist meant there was nothing to see!)  Tilly was scampering around and having a great time.  After the others had waited for us to catch up, I started chatting to Gina (of legendary chocolate brownie fame) and found myself at the front of the group for a while.  After a few minutes I turned around to see where Tilly was and I had a moment of panic as I could not see her anywhere!  I ran to the back of the group shouting her name (deafening Phil in the process) and then saw her trotting further down the path stopping at everyone she came to then moving back to the next person.  Poor Tilly had lost me and was working on the odds that I would not be in the main group but at the back somewhere.  Usually she would have been right!  I called her again and then started waving my arms manically like I was conducting an aeroplane to land to catch her attention.  I was wearing a bright pink ski jacket so she soon spotted me and came racing back up the path, covering me in kisses as she arrived.  

My microspikes

At the fork in paths to Skiddaw Little Man and Lonscale Fell, we split into two groups.  I headed straight for Little Man (very conscious that at my pace an additional fell would hold everyone up).  Very soon we were in snow and it was frozen so quite treacherous to walk on so I had an opportunity to try out my new microspikes purchased in Keswick a few days before.  Basically it is a set of spikes and chains that fit on your boot and give you better grip on ice and snow.  They were easy to put on and the moment I started walking again the difference was amazing.  I have never used them before but if you are doing fell climbs in the winter then I would really recommend them.  They are much safer and give you a greater sense of confidence.

Beautiful misty Tilly

Tilly did not have microspikes however and when she attempted sledging (where she puts her front and back legs out and pushes herself down the snow) she was unprepared for the ice and went hurtling into freefall for about 10 metres before catching herself on some grass.  It did not stop her trying again a few minutes later though!  Every time she stood still for a while, her fur caught the mist on it, making her look a rather aged lady!  She will still look beautiful when she is old.

We reached the summit of Skiddaw Little Man in one piece and by this time I was deliberately trying to find every piece of ice and snow I could to use my spikes.  The next summit was Skiddaw, where we were going to meet the others who had gone off to Lonscale.  It was absolutely freezing when we got there.  The wind shelter was filled with snow and ice and the wind chill was biting.  It felt like a thousand icicles were dancing on my face.  Dave dug me out a shelf in the ice to sit on as we all started eating lunch, hoping the others would arrive soon before we turned into human icicles.

Lunch - Tilly's favourite part of any walk

Lunch is Tilly’s favourite part of any walk so she did not care about the cold.  Those eyes were turned on each individual one by one for any food they may wish to share with her.  Everyone caved in (although she was not sure about the apple core donated by Bruce and much preferred his sandwiches).  It occurred to all of us at this point that we had let Gina go off in the other group so had no brownies!  Poor planning!  Note to self: always be in the Gina group.

Just before midday the clouds parted and all of a sudden one of the “sunny intervals” appeared and we could see for miles all the way back to Keswick and Derwent Water.  We all leapt up with our cameras and then as quickly as it had arrived, the view disappeared and I do not think any of us got a photo!  

After lunch, without the others having arrived, we decided to press on as it was just too cold.  I sent Gina a text to let her know and my hands were so cold it was almost illiterate but enough to get the message across.  We headed off down the slope towards Bakestall.  Tilly decided it was time to give sledging another try and this time it was much more successful.  She seemed pleased with the attention she got from it from those nearby so promptly turned upside down and went sledging on her back!  Such a show-off!

Then suddenly, out of the mist behind came a voice....Dave had gone ahead from the other group to catch us up.  Having found us, we waited for everyone else to arrive before heading off to Bakestall.  As we were lower down the snow disappeared (much to Tilly’s distress) so microspikes came off and as we reached the Whitewater Dash waterfall, we stopped to have brownies.  Hurrah!

Skiddaw House

It was a bit of a shock to hear it was about six miles back to the car-park along the Cumbria Way but at least it was mainly flat.  I was a bit worried about Tilly but she did not stop scampering around and looking for treats and was not bothered at all by the distance.  The route back took us via Skiddaw House, which is quite a remote youth hostel (although at least there is a good track to it, unlike Black Sail near Ennerdale) that used to be a hunting lodge.  Peering out from a tiny copse in the mist, it looked quite eerie.  

Skiddaw on a rather clearer day

The final couple of miles saw some views down towards Thirlmere and across to the fells we climbed on the last walk and before long we were back in the car-park and heading off to the Horse and Farrier pub at Threlkeld, where Tilly received more treats from Ray (including a cheeky one she stole from his hand!)  Yet another great Twitter walk even though the weather was less than great.

My Top Six Ridge Routes: Part One

One of the wonderful things about walking in the Lake District is once you have climbed one fell you can usually walk for miles and miles across the ridges to other fells and see a myriad of other views.  It feels like you are on top of the world and it is just wonderful.  On these routes you often find silent pretty tarns, rocky ridges, grassy paths and imposing crags.  You can see the sea from some fells and as far as Scotland and the Isle of Man.  Or you can be looking towards beautiful blue lakes with striking mountains behind in one direction and rolling grassy hills the other.  It can take your breath away.

The Skiddaw Range - Ridge Route Example

I have walked many ridge routes but there are a few that really captured my imagination for the beautiful views, the type of terrain, how I was feeling at the time or a combination of all of these.  Here are the first three of my top six in no particular order and bearing in mind I still have five Wainwright fells to complete....

The first one has to be the High Crag, High Stile and Red Pike ridge from Buttermere.  This was one of the first ridge routes I did as an adult (so through choice rather than as a child complaining the whole way....I must have been a nightmare!)  I walked along the shore of Buttermere lake and through the woods with a gentle breeze rustling the tree tops, the lake glistening in the sun and the bluebells just coming to life in the warm spring air.  I took the path up towards Scarth Gap but then took a “short-cut” that went across the hypotenuse rather than the right angle (if my Mathematics teacher ever reads this he will be shocked I can remember anything given I spent most of my time daydreaming and looking out the window....it was a mystery to both of us why I was in the top Maths class).  This was a mistake as I could not find the proper path and it was really steep and grassy.  It probably took me twice as long as the normal route!  As I rejoined the main path, I was exhausted from the climb and not yet at the top and then a swarm of fell-runners on a “fun-run” came pelting down a scree section barely out of breath!  I have such admiration for them as it would be utterly beyond me to run anywhere on fells let alone on scree.

Red Pike, Bleaberry Tarn & Crummock Water

As I reached the summit of High Crag, the views opened out to see Buttermere, Crummock Water and the Grasmoor Fells in front, with Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike behind.  It was beautiful.  All the hard work had been done by then and the walk to High Stile and Red Pike was just a gentle stroll with ever more beautiful views, including Mellbreak (one of my favourite mountains) coming into view and the striking sight of Bleaberry Tarn with the red soil of the appropriately named Red Pike behind.  The route down took me passed the Tarn and it was so very pretty I could have stayed and watched the water lap the side for hours.  A great introduction to ridge walking.

Ennerdale Water with moody skies

The second one is the Mosedale Horseshoe from Wasdale Head, mainly because Wasdale is probably my favourite valley.  On this route I began at the pub at Wasdale Head and climbed Pillar via the Black Sail Pass, Scoat Fell, Steeple, Red Pike (not to be confused with the Buttermere Red Pike mentioned above!) and then back down the Dore Head Screes.  In future, I would add Yewbarrow to the ending, which would make it perfect!  The weather was less promising for the first part of the walk but cheered up later on with sunshine.  On the way up Pillar, I met a guy who extolled the virtues of GPS and it was because of his recommendation that I purchased my own system.  This man climbs all the Wainwright’s over 2,500 feet every year and after Pillar was off towards Haycock (a fell I have yet to do).  The third fell on the list, Steeple, became one of my favourite fells – the views down towards Ennerdale Water were superb and I had the fell top all to myself.  It is rarely appropriate to describe a fell as “sweet” but Steeple was a sweet fell.  Sitting on top of Steeple all my worries and problems just melted away – it felt like I could conquer the world.  However, I decided to delay my bid for world domination and finish the walk.

Kirk Fell & Great Gable

The path between Steeple and Red Pike (via Scoat Fell again) was a lovely high level walk with the views of Great Gable, Kirk Fell and the Scafells becoming increasingly spectacular.  I decided to end at the Dore Head scree because I thought it would be too much to take in Yewbarrow at that point as I was feeling tired.  However, given I could not find the nice grassy path and therefore had to battle scree the whole way down, I am not sure it was the easier option!  But then I have a natural affinity with screes as regular readers will know!  It did mean I had the absolute pleasure of climbing Yewbarrow separately another time and that was heavenly.

View from Silver How

Third is the conclusion of my Langdale Pikes Saga in June 2011, which was a stunning walk.  From Grasmere I went up Silver How, Blea Rigg, Sergeant Man, Thurnacar Knott, High Raise and Tarn Crag, returning via Easedale Tarn.  This was a simply lovely ridge walk from start to finish.  Climbing Silver How was I think one of the only fells where the top really is where you think it is (not hiding further and higher away) and is quite quick to get to.  The views opening up behind to Grasmere are wonderful and with each fell summit reached, they get better.  The route from Silver How to Blea Rigg was a series of little grassy ups and downs and there was not another soul around.  Blea Rigg and Sergeant Man gave way to rockier and more rugged summits with superb views of the other Langdale Pikes.  

Easedale Tarn

Thurnacar Knott and High Raise, whilst not particularly interesting terrain (they are rather flat and a bit marshy) were still great as you felt on top of the world and I confess that given the whole saga of climbing the Langdale Pikes I was feeling euphoric!  My favourite of the day however has to be Tarn Crag, which is probably the least frequented of that group of fells, which is a shame as it was really pretty.  A cairn or two would have been helpful as without GPS I am not sure I would have found the summit as paths do not exist but unlike most other mountains I have climbed, there was a lot of moss and some of the tiny flowers you usually see in rockeries (if I were writing a food blog they would be “micro flowers” reflecting the term “micro salads”).  This was really unusual and made the walk fascinating even though I am hardly a budding botanist!  The route down via Tarn Crag was beautiful and I confess at this point I sat in the sunshine paddling my feet for a while.  Wonderful.

The next three routes will be in the Part Two...