Post by theo on Jun 22, 2005 13:55:20 GMT
On 5th May I shared my plans for a circular walk in the Lake District with you. Well, the first week of June I left with a mate for the LD.
On Friday we arrived at the LD and left our car at Boot YH for a walk up Eskdale. We took the western path up Esk Force and had great views of the falls. On Great Moss we pitched our tents and up to now everything went according to plan. Great Moss was exactly what I imagined it would be. Lots of space, quiet and the mountains towering over us. So far so good. During the night it started raining and the cloudbase came down on us. In the morning it was still pouring down. Not ideal for a climb of Scafell. For safety reasons we stayed in our tents, where we were stuck for 36 hours. Cold and damp had a negative influence on my (already bad) back.
Having no idea what the weather would be for the coming days we decided to return to the YH, pick up our car and move elsewhere. We drove to Wasdale YH which turned out a great place to stay. Good food and sympathetic service. From there we undertook three climbs.
First, Scafell Pike via Piers Gill. What a great way to climb Scafell Pike. From Scafell Pike we went down Mickledore and round Broad Stand to a gully leading up Foxes Tarn. The gully was filled with water and water was springing down from the rocks on the side of the gully. It was beautiful. From Foxes Tarn it is an easy climb up Scafell.
The second climb was the South Traverse of Great Gable. From Wasdale Head we took the path up to Styhead Tarn. From the stretcher box we headed for Great Napes. First the rocks and boulders of Kern Knotts. After we crossed Great Hell Gate we aimed for Needle Gully. Although the gully is high up, the scramble is not difficult. You can watch Napes Needle from there or go even further up the Dress Circle for more exhilarating views. A very impressing climb, this south traverse.
Our last climb was Pillar via the high level route. We started again from Wasdale Head and took the path to Black Sail Pass. At Green Cove the high level route starts and leads to Robinson’s Cairn. From there we watched some climbers attempting to climb Pillar Rock. We continued to Pisgah by the traverse. From there it is an easy scramble up Pillar.
We had a great week. Although we started of badly, the three climbing days were done in excellent weather. Our original plan of a circular route was abandoned due to the weather and my bad back. By choosing a base at Wasdale YH we could leave our heavy backpack (18 k) behind and travel light. All in all this was the best solution. What we didn’t do was Jack’s Rake, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags. So we will leave that for next year.
I have published some pictures of my climbs at walks-by-theo.fotopic.net/c578640.html
Theo
On Friday we arrived at the LD and left our car at Boot YH for a walk up Eskdale. We took the western path up Esk Force and had great views of the falls. On Great Moss we pitched our tents and up to now everything went according to plan. Great Moss was exactly what I imagined it would be. Lots of space, quiet and the mountains towering over us. So far so good. During the night it started raining and the cloudbase came down on us. In the morning it was still pouring down. Not ideal for a climb of Scafell. For safety reasons we stayed in our tents, where we were stuck for 36 hours. Cold and damp had a negative influence on my (already bad) back.
Having no idea what the weather would be for the coming days we decided to return to the YH, pick up our car and move elsewhere. We drove to Wasdale YH which turned out a great place to stay. Good food and sympathetic service. From there we undertook three climbs.
First, Scafell Pike via Piers Gill. What a great way to climb Scafell Pike. From Scafell Pike we went down Mickledore and round Broad Stand to a gully leading up Foxes Tarn. The gully was filled with water and water was springing down from the rocks on the side of the gully. It was beautiful. From Foxes Tarn it is an easy climb up Scafell.
The second climb was the South Traverse of Great Gable. From Wasdale Head we took the path up to Styhead Tarn. From the stretcher box we headed for Great Napes. First the rocks and boulders of Kern Knotts. After we crossed Great Hell Gate we aimed for Needle Gully. Although the gully is high up, the scramble is not difficult. You can watch Napes Needle from there or go even further up the Dress Circle for more exhilarating views. A very impressing climb, this south traverse.
Our last climb was Pillar via the high level route. We started again from Wasdale Head and took the path to Black Sail Pass. At Green Cove the high level route starts and leads to Robinson’s Cairn. From there we watched some climbers attempting to climb Pillar Rock. We continued to Pisgah by the traverse. From there it is an easy scramble up Pillar.
We had a great week. Although we started of badly, the three climbing days were done in excellent weather. Our original plan of a circular route was abandoned due to the weather and my bad back. By choosing a base at Wasdale YH we could leave our heavy backpack (18 k) behind and travel light. All in all this was the best solution. What we didn’t do was Jack’s Rake, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags. So we will leave that for next year.
I have published some pictures of my climbs at walks-by-theo.fotopic.net/c578640.html
Theo