Shaun, Tetley & Grizzly needed
to bag just three tops to break the psychological barrier of 500
Birketts. So it was decided to do the walk over Place Fell, where
three of the six tops were outstanding. Little Eric would bag
them all including the Wainwright. Our start point was Sandwick,
reached along an extremely narrow road from Martindale Church.
Fortunately we did not meet another car! The road just ends by
houses and a farm. By the side of the house is the good track to
Patterdale. Along this we went to eventually cross Scalehow Beck,
then shortly at the wall corner, we struck off steeply up the
fell through the shoulder high bracken that made route finding
difficult. Finally the bracken gave way to grass and a reasonable
path only to disappear into the bracken again. The cairn on Low
Birk Fell was visible now and soon reached. Wow what a viewpoint
- stupendous of Ullswater! From there the path was clearer as it
wound through the bracken and over Kilbert How. Then climbing
diagonally up the hillside and on unerringly to the cairn on
Bleaberry Knott the summit of Birk Fell. Looking south we could
see The Knight the next objective, backed by Place Fell itself.
The path led right round a boggy area, but disappeared over the
rocky knolls ahead. Nevertheless Dad kept on ahead over these and
we reached as expected the path that rises from Ullswater. This
was followed up to the col where we struck left to the narrow
grassy rock edge of The Knight. Returning to the col we completed
the climb to Place Fell and its trig point. This the Wainwright,
was Little Eric's 80th. The weather had been sunny to start, but
now the low cloud had moved across from the Helvellyn Ridge, so
the views had completely gone. Two couples arrived and saw us, so
Dad explained. After they had gone, another couple arrived. The
lady, Adele Pennington, seeing them remarked to her husband that
she is glad there are people as mad as her. She has a bear that
goes walking but had not come today - he is called Ted the
Mountaineer. She said he would have loved to have met us. During
conversations later it came out that she had climbed Everest (twice)
and Ted had been there too! Then a family from Leighton Buzzard
arrived and they spotted us sitting on the trig point. Their son
was fascinated and his Dad took his photo with us. He especially
liked Little Eric. All in all it was a very lively time on Place
Fell. In the mist we set off along the path over Hart Crag,
coming out of the cloud as we descended. Onwards to Low Moss, to
soon strike off to the summit rock and small cairn on High Dodd,
and another superb lake view. Descended east to regain the path,
following this to bear left along the shoulder to Sleet Fell. The
large cairn at the north end is clearly not the summit.
Consulting the map Dad read the landscape to determine the loop
of a contour that is two humps split by a depression, the spot
height being on the first one. When we got home Dad measured the
map and found that he had correctly interpreted the map. We had
the last of our many summit pictures today, here. From the ruined
wall, a good path led down steeply at times, to join the outward
track at Sandwick. A very satisfying walk and not only did we
reach 500 tops, but we completed all the fells in the Eastern
Area as defined by Bill Birkett. Time for food now, so Dad decided
to go again to the Old School House in Tebay to see Steve and
Joanne. He had a delicious roast beef dinner, followed by a
lovely scone with butter and jam. Excellent. Thanks Dad for
another super day.
Allen
