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.