Brock Barrow

Walked on 07/08/2009

Start point: High Nibthwaite (SD 294 897)

Brock Barrow (OF) from High Nibthwaite

Weather: Sunny. 20C.

Dougal came of age today being exactly 13 weeks old – what that means in young puppy terms is that you are allowed out into the big wide world, confident that you will not pick up any strange illnesses. For a short and easy walk to tire the young chap out, I decided to climb Brock Barrow at the foot of Coniston Water. It is funny how certain fells bring back memories and this holds more than its fair share for me. It was the fell that Angus got lost on one time and also the last fell he climbed before he hung up his boots (barring the Lance Armstrong style comeback for a crack at climbing Gummer’s How), so it was fitting that this should be Dougal’s first. Unsurprisingly, he carried the walk off with aplomb – he’s going to be a good ‘un that lad, I can tell that for sure.

Brock Barrow route map.

Looking back to Beacon Fell over High Nibthwaite. It was a jungle up there.

Allan Tarn, Blawith beyond. Tottlebank Height is the highest point to the right.

Heading for Brock Barrow. The climb to it is not as bad as it looks and I think Wainwright gave a poor route to get up to it in his Top o' Selside walk in The Outlying Fells. In those days, it was a nameless summit 748' and the route he describes is a steep scree climb straight up this face of it along the visible groove. However, if you carry on along the path to the east (to the right of this photo), the climb is much gentler before it cuts back to the north west to reach the top. The main obstacle on this route at the moment is the bracken.

Hurry up Uncle Casper.

Heathery Casper.

Made it! Well done Dougal, the first of many I think and he was such a good lad.

The Coniston fells from the cairn on Brock Barrow. The views were superb today with a light breeze blowing on the top making it a classic English summer day.

Little Dougal looks impressed.

Where are you skulking off to?

The dogless view.

Looking across Allan Tarn to Blawith Knott and Black Combe, below is High Nibthwaite.

The foot of Coniston Water.

We stayed here for a good while, having a lie in the grass and enjoying the sun giving Dougal plenty of recovery time.

There were lots of new things to see for him.

Looks like he has inherited the Casper tongue as well.

The Coniston fells across the blooming heather.

Heading for the second cairn.

Low Light Haw from the second cairn.

Coniston Water.

Dow Crag and The Old Man.

Wetherlam and the Yewdale Fells.

Beacon Fell.

What a day.

I descended directly to the track running across the centre of this photo. The path was often lost in the head height bracken and old Dougally Doo required a bit of a carry here, after all some of you may remember what happened to Angus a couple of years ago when the bracken was a similar height - he disappeared!

The Gormley Sentinel keeps an eye on Beacon Fell back down at High Nibthwaite.

It was tempting for a swim here.

Tranquillity in Swallows and Amazons country.

Brock Barrow

Walked on 24/01/2009

Brock Barrow (OF) from High Nibthwaite

I had a quick walk late this afternoon in the setting sun up on the east side of Coniston Water. It was so late on it ended up as more of a sprint than a walk to catch the last of the light.

Beacon Fell across High Nibthwaite and a race against the rapidly setting sun.

Sunset over Allan Tarn.

Brock Barrow.

The climb to the top.

The snow and cloud covered Coniston fells from the top of Brock Barrow.

Top o' Selside.

Looking down on the southern end of Coniston Water and Allan Tarn.

Casper watches the last of the sun. Time to get going!

High Nibthwaite and Coniston Water.

Twilight on Coniston Water.

Monochromatic Coniston Jetty.

Brock Barrow

Walked on 12/09/2008

Start point: High Nibthwaite (SD 295 897)

Brock Barrow (OF) from High Nibthwaite

Distance: 1.2 miles Total Ascent: 165 metres Time Taken: 1 hour

Weather: Low cloud. 16ºC.

There was low lying cloud and temperature inversion like conditions over the Crake Valley this morning so I thought we would have a short walk up there seeing as Angus was out for a jaunt with us too. I think even that walk was too much for him today and I fear that this really is the end of his fell walking career.

High Nibthwaite with low cloud beyond.

The ghostly appearance of Brock Barrow through the mist.

The summit of Brock Barrow and we are above the cloud now, although it is quickly rising, here looking along Coniston Water to the Coniston fells.

The foot of Coniston Water.

Looking south along the Crake Valley, Allan Tarn below.

That is Beacon Fell to the left with the Coniston fells distant right.

High Nibthwaite through clearing cloud.

Angus and Casper.

Angus, back on the fells again but perhaps for the last time - he struggled to make it up here today.

Do I detect a halo on Casper?

The cloud has now risen, blocking any view from the second cairn on Brock Barrow.

The Antony Gormley statue down at a gloomy looking High Nibthwaite.

Calm Coniston Water.

Coniston Water reflections. The jetty at Waterhead...

Caw and the Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 01/06/2004

Start point: Stephenson Ground (SD 235 931)

Stephenson Ground – Green Pikes (OF) – Pikes (40) – Caw (41) (OF) – Brock Barrow (42) – Fox Haw (43) – Raven’s Crag (44) – Carter Ground – Stephenson Ground

Weather: Overcast turning to drizzle.

A short walk this morning over another almost undiscovered jewel – Caw and the Dunnerdale Fells. It is not often you can walk completely alone for miles, especially during half term, but this was the case today.

The path from Stephenson Ground

I started from the tiny hamlet of Stephenson Ground and walked high along a ridge overlooking the River Lickle as far as Natty Bridge where the path began to rise. A heron was sat here, looking for its breakfast before it spotted me and majestically flew away.

Rock formations on Green Pikes. As the path levelled out, ahead of me was Dawson Pike with its vivid white quartz summit and a sharp left turn took me to the summit of Green Crags, a non-descript top with strange slate formations.

Caw from Green Pikes summit. A quick hop and I was onto Pikes, I could see Caw ahead, in and out of the swirling mist.

The Duddon Estuary from Pikes summit.

Ordnance column on Caw with Grey Friar appearing through the mist. A short descent and then a zigzag path led to the summit of Caw, the ordnance survey column seemingly lower than the main top. The views from here were excellent, the distant tops of Harter Fell, Bowfell and Grey Friar in and out of the mist. I hung around here for a little while to try and catch the threatened temperature inversion, but it never quite happened.

Harter Fell, The Duddon Valley, Bowfell in the far centre and Grey Friar from the summit of Caw.

Brock Barrow. Again a descent, across a flat hollow (Long Mire) a hurdle over an ancient wall and up to the rocky top of Brock Barrow - decked out with aerial masts for the Duddon and Dunnerdale valleys below.

Stickle Pike (Dunnerdale) from the summit of Fox Haw, Black Combe and Buck Barrow are in the distance. Back over the wall and onto a rocky ridge to find a curiosity, namely a solar panel with a plaque 'Global Seismology Research Group', based in Edinburgh. Along the ridge to the summit of Fox Haw with lovely views of Stickle Pike and over to Black Combe, the Whitfell group and Devoke Water - the fells I had rounded on 13th May.

Caw from Raven's Crag summit. Again following the bumpy ridge I came to the summit of Raven's Crag. A steep descent towards Carter Ground, past the old Copper Mine and through a gate where the bridleway passes through the garden. A short stroll and I was back on the tarmac for the walk back to Stephenson Ground.

Stephenson Ground.