Best day in Lakeland that I have had so far.
Set off super early at the ungodly hour of half 5 (with an alarm call of half 4), suncream applied and set off up the M6. Part of me was thinking that it is a bit silly doing a hike in this heat, the other part of me was thinking about how clear the views would be. Fullee ny water bladder up to the max before I left, left another water bottle in the car for my return (and as it will transpire, that was about the most pointless thing I'll do all year).
Parked up on the side of the road and set off, but hit with my first snag in that my Garmin was failing to sync the route for some reason (did a aoftware update last night and stupidly didn't check that the route was ok). Seathwaite isn't much more than a collection of old farm buildings that now act as a hub for a busy campsite and I was quickly through there and into Grains Gill valley, turned right a bit and I was a bit lost with my bearings in all honesty and it took me a while to piece together the landscape as its an area of the fells I haven't been to before.
I was going very slowly, even for me. I was trying to conserve my 3 litres of water and also just conserve my physical state for what was to come. The first thing was the steady rise up Seathwaite, steady that is, until I took the left hand "path" that clearly filtered out the loonies from the normals. Loonies to the left...
It didn't look too bad from the bottom...
It was a steep rocky, grassy, mossy river gulley that went directly to the summit (more or less) and it didn't look as bad as Gray Crag that I had done a few months before which was slick wet slippery steep grass. However, I don't cope well with steep slopes and it really is a big mental challenge for me. I started off well, just breaking the ascent up into small chunks, but then it started getting very steep. It was at times all fours stuff with slippery shale and grabbing of chunks of moss. I wasn't enjoying it at all but I was going very slowly so as not to get too out of breath or tired if I had to react to a slight slip here and there. I got practically all the way up and decided to perch my behind on a rock for a moment to gather my breath when I suddenly found my heartbeat racing rather than falling and a slight bit of nausea. Not quite sure why, don't know whether it was the release of relief for finally getting up or what but it took me a few mins to gather myself again.
Always a bit unsteady when you stand back up as you adjust your balance, but a short scamper later and I was at the top. A really nice fell with lots of small tarns, finally getting to the crossroads opposite Sprinkling Tarn. The last of the few wild campers were taking down their tents and already I was coming across the early pace setters heading past Great End and up to the Scafell range. Not for me today though, my goal finally appeared in view and I descended down to Styhead Tarn where I begun the stepped slope up towards the top of the Great Gable.
I was a little surprised to find my route so far lacking of people. There was absolutely nobody mad enough to go up Seathwaite Fell and really oddly nobody seemed keen on following me up to the summit of the Gable either. Every man, woman and goose was headed to the top of Scafell Pike, and more fool them in my opinion...
The ascent up the Great Gable is a long but steady one devolving into a rough rocky path to the summit, stopping every so often to take in the views and photographs. I got to the summit at about 11am and to my great surprise found absolutely nobody there. And it continued to be the case for another half an hour before the first other hikers were to join me.
I couldn't believe it.
The views were absolutely incredible and the best I have seen so far on my travels. I sat and ate some of these feta and red pepper roll things which I got from Sainsbury's only really intending to eat a couple but ended up chomping the whole pack as they were so good! I must have spent about an hour just sat in various spots gawping at the views, taking endless panorama photos and wondering what it would take to get me to leave. It was just bliss.
What it took however was a gaggle of young teens and their parents... That was it for me then and I descended north easterly down quite a scrambly little path full of loose shale to Windy Gap. I counted my blessings now as a hoard of people were clambering up the now baking hot rocks. There was no wind to this side and it felt a furnace just descending so must have been absolutely awful going up.
The Green Gable was pleasant, and I overheard a conversation between a probably 10 year old boy with his dad...
Dad: come on, enough rest and time to go...do you want to now what this next fell is called?
Son: No. I really don't care anymore.
That made me chuckle.
The landscape was starting to all fit together now too and I finally got all my bearings as to what I was looking at, Great End, Scafell Pike, Kirk Fell, Haystacks, Fleetwith Pike, Honister Slate mine, and now my final Wainwright of the day, Base Brown. A bit of down and up and I was at the summit. Pleasant enough, but they heat was here now and there was no breeze on any of the descent, and as it would turn out, until I got back in my car to feel the rush of the aircon.
Descended off Base Brown and through. The Sourmilk Gill river valley, where I came across and older couple who were clearly finding it really hard going in the wind-less heat cauldron of that valley. I didn't envy them, I'd have hated to be ascending in this heat now. The path back round was starting to annoy me a fair bit it was rocky and loose and very uneven underfoot which meant constantly assessing your foot placements, slow going and now increasingly hot.
Made the final turn east towards Seathwaite and descended past a beautiful river and waterfall. I stopped for a few minutes to wash my hands in the cool water, half wondering whether I should just go ahead and dunk my whole head in. Descended down through some slight scrambly bits which I would imagine would be treacherous in the wet. There were some bit slick slabs of rock in places that would be risky to cross in wet conditions. No such risk today. Back to the farm and back to my car.
I have got a new car recently, having said goodbye unlovingly to the Focus and said hello to a Kia Sportage. I was very glad of that decision today, because actually working car aircon was an absolute godsend. It was heaven to be cooler again, which is more than could be said for the boiling hot water in my car bottle I mentioned earlier. It was totally undrinkable.
A word on wild camping though. I was a little disappointed to see so many people with their tents still up well past 10am with little to no sign of them coming down. There were just a lot of them and I was left a bit dismayed wondering whether the set up at dusk, leave at dawn unwritten rules were being flouted here to the extreme.
4 Wainwrights, Seathwaite Fell, Great Gable, Green Gable and Base Brown, 6 feta and red pepper roles, 1 hot cross bun, 3 litres of water, one fruit salad mix, 12 km, 1000 m ascent and free parking.
70/214
