Newlands Horseshoe

My 24 year old son Jack and his girlfriend Mel had planned to visit the Lake District on Easter Bank holiday Monday, and as I'd said some weeks earlier about showing them a really good Lakeland classic when I'm fit again, I offered to take them, as this would only be their second visit to the Lakes and so not having  much of an idea where to go I was only too happy to help.

I'd settled on the Newlands Horseshoe for a couple of reasons, those being Jack and Mel had been to Keswick and walked around Derwent water, so I thought they would like a view looking down from the dizzy heights of Maiden Moor and recognise somewhere they'd been before. And secondly, five Wainwright summits I've not visited yet ha ha.

My biggest problem was getting them there early enough. Mel isn't a morning person, my sat nav read travel time 2 hrs 28mins, and we would be parking in the small car park of Little Town in the Newlands valley. Not getting parked here would mess the whole day up.
Asking two 24 year olds who work pretty hard through the week to be ready with kit for a hike at 7 am on a Bank holiday is a big ask, but any later and that last space in the car park would be gone.

I arrived outside their flat, bang on 7 am, 20 minutes later they appeared, bog eyed zombies walking towards the car. I'd given them an old rucksack each to fill with food and drink, and told them to bring a hat, gloves and waterproofs as the weather forecasters had given 9 degrees c in the valley and 4 on the top with drizzle on and off, how wrong could they be ?

We were about an hour and a half into the journey when we drove into fog on the north bound M6. It was really starting to look like a bleak day as the forecast had said. But as we reached the higher section of the motorway a few miles south of Penrith the car burst through the mist into bright beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Looking out to our left, sheets of thin layering Stratus cloud were hovering above the fells, and it looked like we could have a cloud inversion !!!
My only concern now, as we plunged back into the mist was to get parked, and get up high before the sun burned the cloud away.
Having negotiated the twisting narrow lanes in thick fog we arrived at 9.40 am and I reckon we got the 12th parking spot out of 14 .....phew! In the following 10 minutes the last two spaces were filled.

We set off from the car park still in thick mist with coats and hats on back up the lane from which we'd just driven down. It felt chilly as we made our way up our first of three climbs, this first climb was up to the saddle between Cat Bells and Maiden Moor, before turning south for the summit of Maiden Moor itself. This climb was quite a gentle ascent in general, and I thought quite easy.


          Jack and Mel just about waking up on the path up from Little Town to the saddle top

As we got nearer the top of the saddle, the sun started to shine through, and I could soon feel it heating up my back. Inevitably the shell came off, as we finally climbed above the mist into clear blue skies.

It was only when we reached the top of the saddle we could see out over Derwent Water (or not) and my hunch of a great cloud inversion, came to fruition, it was a truly wow moment, stood on the top of the saddle looking out on this amazing scene, with a huge grin on my face, I said to my son and Mel "now you see why you need to be up and out early" it really was a great reward for the early start, and so pleased I could share this amazing view with them.

           

Blencathra centre

  Looking north to Cat Bells and the Skiddaw range in the distance, while taking a break at Black Crag on the way up to the summit of Maiden Moor.               

Looking east towards Walla Crag

At Bull Crag we decided to take the right hand path which skirts the western edge of the fell, catching some good and now clear views of the Newlands Valley far below. Don't step back Jack.

This was taken near the summit of Maiden Moor (575m) from my camera stuck on my walking pole. 

The walk from our first Wainwright of the day to our second. High Spy was nice and easy on the wide ridge, it was at this point in the day the sun did indeed start to burn off the mist below.

It does niggle me a bit when people camp at the summit trig/cairns in fine weather. Touch it, get a snap there, then move away please, leave it clear for the next walkers to came along, rather than you having to encroach on someone's personal space to get your photo if you want one. High Spy by the way.

Looking over to Dale Head and our route ahead, the second climb of the day and for a horseshoe ridge walk, this is a beast of a climb between these two fells. You descend about 120m before climbing back up another 250m to the highest summit of the day at 753m.

It was feeling really hot now, like a mid summer's day and not a breath of wind could be felt as we passed Dalehead Tarn. The path up Dale Head is a good stone stepped one as you can see from the photo below, but it's steep, and I found it hard. Believe me, I wasn't holding back to get a good shot here, Jack and Mel were leaving me for dead.

Looking back down the path to the edge of Dalehead Tarn on the right

The wonderful Newlands Valley, and a good chance to look back on the route we've walked so far.

Now that's what I call a summit cairn, and we could still spot it almost at the car. 

Looking across to High Crag, High Stile, and Red Pike with beautiful Buttermere below, while traversing Hindscarth Edge, views of Haystacks, Pillar and even the Scafell's could be seen. but the sun was at this angle, so didn't take any shots, indeed the sun followed our left hand side all day, cooking my neck quite nicely. After Dale Head, it was an easy climb to Hindscarth, our fourth summit of the day, where we stopped for a sit down and refuel with the contents of our packs.

Taking in the views and food at Hindscarth

Mel feeling the heat and Dale Head.

The last climb of the day, our fifth summit, Robinson. Part way up this fell, if it's clear, you'll see the only cairn in sight over to the right of the path, sat on what looks like the summit, it's very tempting to take a short cut as others did in front of us, but don't, it's not the summit cairn, which the path you're on takes you to. obvious when typing this but not on the fell,

                      At the summit of Robinson, and looking forward to the scramble off here.

How many summits today John ?

Our last together shot, with Buttermere behind us. Despite the weather being hot, my son insisted on wearing his (my) shell for the last part of the walk.

Approaching the three stage scramble from Robinson

I've done a few scrambles now, but never taken any photo's during them, mainly because I might fall a long way if I got my camera out. But today I wanted a shot of these two scrambling down off this rock. I found myself a safe place to wedge into and pointed the camera. Not used to scrambles, Jack and Mel just wanted to get down off the rock alive (as Mel put it) and thus couldn't believe I was trying to record this moment of terror.
It really isn't that bad a scramble at all, that said,  care is needed and could be a bit tricky in bad weather.

Once off the rock, looking back up you do wonder how you got down it.

A view of that Dale Head climb

The 16th century Newlands Church

And a final look back on a fantastic walk.

10.8 miles later, and we were back in Little Town. It was a bit clearer now than when we left the car in the morning, giving us some great views back up the valley, and that cairn on Dale Head (centre)

As we drove up to the Swinside Inn for a steak and ale pie and a pint (lemonade and lime), before that two and a half hour drive home, I hoped I'd lit a small flame of love for this part of the world within both Jack and Mel, and hoped at some point they might just add to those five summits we visited today.

Loughrigg Fell

Over the past few months both my wife Jo and myself have had some health issues (it's called wearing out) as you'll know if you read my last blog, I was waiting for a steroid injection in my toe joint.
Well, I finally had it done, it took some time to work, but it has worked and I'm now fit enough to get out walking again.

My wife on the other hand has been in pain for the best part of a year, with a disc pushing on a nerve, coupled with having Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) so for a spell last summer 2014 she couldn't walk more than 50 metres,
But now the disc has started to shrink a little, taking that pressure off the nerve, so she is now recovering nicely and with regular walking, slowly building her fitness again.

I've never bagged a Wainwright fell with Jo and I thought it would be nice (for me) to summit one on my birthday, it would also be a fitting start to a healthier year for both of us, fingers crossed.
Having said that, Joanne isn't a hill walker, she likes flat, short easy routes with a tearoom at the end of it, so I had my work cut out !!!

Having done some homework, Loughrigg Fell looked the best bet. Standing at only 335m it has a good path up and great views down to Grasmere. The parking (White Moss) wasn't too far away, as I was trying to keep the mileage to a minimum, which I thought was about 3.5 miles.

As it was my birthday, we didn't leave home until mid morning, you know, birthday wishes from family, card opening, texting thank you etc.....it all took time, but once we were on our way, it was only an hour and forty minutes later we were pulling up outside the Apple Pie Cafe in Ambleside for two of their lovely ham salad sandwiches, plus drinks.
The weather couldn't have been any better, warm, sunny with beautiful blue skies and hardly a breath of wind.
We arrived just after mid day in the large White Moss car park, and as we walked through the wooded area crossing the river foot bridge, I really had my doubts about my wife climbing this fell, as she is usually quite negative about climbing hills, and it did look a fair old climb to the top.
Plan B in my head, was to walk into Grasmere after walking along Loughrigg Terrace, which is where I was convinced we'd be going.

Once we were over the foot bridge, we followed  the signs for Loughrigg Terrace on a very clear wide path with a short but steep incline onto the terrace itself.
It soon became apparent that this walk was a busy and popular one, as loads of people were out walking, even on a week day as this was.


                       Jo taking a break and taking in some great views of Grasmere Lake.

Grasmere Lake and Silver Howe on the skyline

Another stop at the south west end of the terrace, and having gained quite a bit of height with an easy ascent so far, the hard work would start from here.

As you can see, it's quite a steep climb from the bottom half of the path, but it does level out a little as you near the summit. Jo was on a mission to do this having seen families of all ages and sizes spending the afternoon huffing and puffing their way up to the summit trig point. so a few words of encouragement like "Just take your time, it's not a race, we've got all afternoon" were said, in the hope she wouldn't stop and say no more. And she didn't.

Jo was doing really well, and as we got higher up the path, the views started to open up as the snow capped Langdales came into view. After this stop, by the time I had packed away my sitting mat back into the rucksack, Jo was well on her way and waiting for no one. It was at this point I began to think she just might actually make it to the top.

The views just kept getting better, as the village of Grasmere could now be seen with Helm Crag and the surrounding fells behind it. to the north Nab Scar and Heron Pike, part of the Fairfield Horseshoe.
Moments after this shot was taken a Typhoon fighter jet roared passed us, flying below our level, along the valley between Helm Crag and Seat Sandal on the right of photo.

Yeah !!! we finally made it, well done Jo, and a birthday wish comes true for me. This was my 31st Wainwright, and Jo's 1st but for all the ones I've done so far none will be more special than getting to the summit of Loughrigg Fell.

We sat down on a grassy slope, opened up the pack, and while tucking into those ham salad sandwiches, I started to think about our route down.
I could see how in low cloud, it would be very easy to find yourself heading towards Ambleside or worse Skelwith Bridge, when wanting to head for White Moss, without a GPS as several paths lead off the summit in all directions amongst many small hills.

Jo was happy to return the way we came, along with the masses, rather than the quieter south east side, but I felt the very steep descent that we climbed would be hard on her knees and back going back down that way, unlike the much steadier descent of my planned route.

As we left the summit, I felt a bit of pressure to get the navigation right, and drop back down on the right path so as not to add any more miles than necessary.
For all the times I've left home to climb mountains, I tell Jo "don't worry, I know what I'm doing" so to fail at this little fell would put a big question mark over how safe I am on solo walks in my wife's eyes.

Jo was getting a little nervous as not another walker had been in sight for some time. and was starting to question whether this way down was longer, but before I could answer, we spotted a farmer trying to round up his sheep with his I would presume young son and a dog.
"Ah civilisation" I joked, assured that we were on the right path I could now relax a bit.

Dropping down to Jobson Close, we joined the families with pushchairs on the stone laid path, which led us to the beautiful Rydal Cave. As you can see from the photo, you can use the stepping stones to get to the dry far end of the cave. This really is a stunning area, and no wonder Wordsworth came to live in the area.

At the end of the walk, which was more like 4.5 miles, Jo was tired, but most importantly she had enjoyed it, and felt proud to have climbed a fell at all. It didn't matter that it was a small one as it's all relative to each persons goals, and for Jo, that was a big step.

All that was left to do, was check in at the B&B, shower then meal and a little birthday drinkies.....perfect