It’s a good while since I have done a full day walk and today seemed like a good opportunity to do a circuit of lovely Ennerdale. The weather was superb, a bit fresher than of late and the air was clearer for it. It was a great day out amongst my favourite fells and it was relatively quiet up there too, although it was good to chat to StridingEdge fans on Scoat Fell and then on Steeple.
Today was a typical January day – cold and windy with snow and a grey, dull and flat light. There was fresh snow above 500m and the wind was raw yet the walk was still enjoyable. I can scarcely believe it is 3 years since I walked over these fells – where does the time go?
The mountain weather forecast was for high winds today which would ‘make walking impossible’. Well, they were pretty much right with that one! All seemed so calm and tranquil at valley level too – I feared for Angus and Casper on the Great Borne ridge overlooking Ennerdale as they were getting blown around so much. That aside, I don’t think we did so bad with the weather really. It was good to have Angus back up on the high fells too; I think he had missed it.
Today’s walk is a long, high level circuit of the beautiful Ennerdale Valley with virtually the whole route being completed at an elevation in excess of 500m. I have had this one on my list of ‘to do’ walks for a while so it was satisfying to complete the walk on a mainly clear day. The photo’s here actually belie the conditions somewhat as the clouds came in when I was crossing from Haystacks to Pillar and there was an icy blizzard. The snow showers continued to come and go throughout the rest of the walk and conditions remained very cold.
Scalehill Bridge – Loweswater – Mellbreak (133) – Scale Knott – Starling Dodd (134) – Great Borne (135) – Floutern Tarn – Hen Comb (136) – Gavel Fell (137) – Blake Fell (138) – Burnbank Fell (139) – Holme Wood – Loweswater – Scalehill Bridge From AW ‘The Western Fells’ – “A negative signpost (intended
