These fells are not the
highest in the Lakes, and would have been ideal on one of those boiling
hot days we've been having - but I went and chose a day when it was
overcast! Never mind, we had a good day, finished off with a pint
at the Kirkstile Inn...
Here are some pictures (click on any picture for a larger version):
If you would like to sponsor me and the dogs in our quest to walk all the Wainwrights for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, please click here - and thank you for your generosity!
Here are some pictures (click on any picture for a larger version):
| These are some of the fells
we are climbing, and it's grey... |
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This is Watergate Farm, now
a self-catering business. We spent our first Lakes holiday here,
some decades ago, when it was owned by a friend of Joanna's, so we hold
it in some affection. |
| The lake appearing as we
climb, with the distant fells (Grasmoor and Whiteside) very murky - but
wait for the end of the walk... |
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AW depicted the top of
Burnbank Fell as just a metal fence-post, without the fence. Now
the fence has re-appeared - and so have others I don't remember from
our previous visit. Quite useful for navigation in this
visibility, the clouds being at the level of Blake Fell, slightly
higher than Burnbank. |
| This
is the top of Blake Fell, where we had some lunch in the shelter.
The clouds were swirling around us at some speed, the wind being quite
strong - but they soon went away. |
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Looking
north down Blake Fell. Loweswater is down below the fell-top
ahead. |
| Looking
across to Hen Comb and Mellbreak (the one with the two humps) |
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The
next stop was Gavel Fell, and this is it! Not one of the most inspiring
fells... It was after leaving this spot that the weather started to perk up a little. |
| On
the top of Hen Comb, a far more impressive fell. That is
Mellbreak to the right. |
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The
view north from the top of Hen Comb, with Loweswater in the distance. |
| There is
Mellbreak, with Grasmoor looming up behind. |
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Mellbreak from
the Mosedale valley between Hen Comb and Mellbreak. We ascended
via the path you can see on the right.. This was the path where,
many years ago, Joanna informed me that she had to walk exactly two
paces to every one of mine. Apparently, she had been walking
behind me for some time (from Loweswater village) and had been doing
some measurements... |
| Near the
northern top of Mellbreak, looking along the top plateau. |
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The northern
top of Mellbreak |
| Looking east
to little Rannerdale Knotts, sitting under the wing of Whiteless Pike
and Grasmoor on the left |
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Grasmoor dominating the skyline as usual... |
| Whiteside to
the left of Grasmoor. |
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That's where
we're going, over the top... |
| and that is
roughly where we've been today: some of Hen Comb on the left, Blake
Fell in the centre, and Burnbank Fell on the right. Gavel Fell is
suitably hidden from view. |
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The descent
over the nose of Mellbreak is steep and rather unpleasant, with lots of
erosion (not to mention scree, which I can do without). So it was
with some relief that we came down to the level of Loweswater village
and the Kirkstile Inn, visible on the right. |
| This is the
northern face of Mellbreak. Impressive... |
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In Loweswater
village you get the idea that cars are not that welcome... |
If you would like to sponsor me and the dogs in our quest to walk all the Wainwrights for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, please click here - and thank you for your generosity!