We had actually planned to walk
with Uncle Bob, but he had to cancel at the last minute, because
of a twisted ankle. We were very sorry to hear this and Dad
wished him a speedy recovery from us all.
"Are we still going to walk"?,
asked Little Eric, who like us all had been so looking forward to
being out on the hills.
"Of course Lads ", Dad
replied. "I think we will take the opportunity to go to the
Lakes and do the Fellbarrow Group. This will tick off and
outstanding Birkett summit, and Little Eric will bag all the
seven tops including two Wainwrights - Low Fell & Fellbarrow."
"Fantastic", shouted
Little Eric.
"That is where we first met
Uncle Bob", said Tetley. "It was on the summit of
Fellbarrow, so we will have to pause and think about him when we
get there."
"What a wonderful day that was,
because if we had not met Uncle Bob, we would never have explored
and climbed the hills in the Yorkshire Dales", added Grizzly.
We seem to be crossing Whinlatter
Pass regularly at present and today was no exception. Beyond
along the road west, we ignored the turning to Crummock, going on
ahead to Loweswater, passing through the village and along by the
lake to find the roadside pull off just beyond the track signed 'Mosser
unfit for cars'.
While Dad got ready we hopped down
the the edge of the lake. "What are those hills on the other
side?", asked Little Eric.
"Carling Knott & Burnbank
Fell", replied Allen.
Tetley adding, "which we all
climbed in July 2009 from Lamplugh."
Dad was now ready, so we settled in
his rucksack. Walked the short distance back along the road, to
take the track to Mosser. It is surfaced, but rough in places,
hence the sign 'unfit for cars'. It climbed steadily coming out
of the trees, where we paused to take in the grand view of the
lake and fells beyond. Indeed where we had been last weekend. Dad
spotted an animal ahead and said "look Lads that's a fox".
It was completely unaware of us, and we watched it, until it left
the path left, its brush of a tail being clearly seen. Soon now,
we reached the stile on the right signed 'footpath to Foulsyke'.
Here the real climbing started as we ascended steeply (although
not as steep as Scale Knott however), zig-zagging through the
bracken and then by the fence. When this turned away left, we
kept ahead to climb the stile and reach the top of Darling Fell.
Beyond a shallow dip, is a cairn that seems to be considered the
top of the fell, but the actual highest point is that immediately
beyond the stile. After having our usual picture taken, and
before walking on we sat and looked that the superb view - a
classic of Crummock Water with Buttermere beyond.
"Well that's the outstanding
Birkett done, just 13 left now", said Tetley brightly.
Descended steeply, to cross
Crabtree Beck and rise up the other side, to take a fork right to
Loweswater Fell. Once again there was that breathtaking view of
Crummock Water, Buttermere and the surrounding fells and
mountains.
We met a couple from Gloucester and
Dad chatted to them. They had climbed via Darling Fell, but were
now going down. There was a little expression of surprise, when
Dad said we were doing all the tops.
So tearing our eyes from the view,
we now walked north, descending to cross a stile and on up the
nose to the cairned top of Low Fell, the highest point today.
Onward the path meandered up and down crossing two stiles.
Immediately beyond the second, the path was abandoned for a while,
as we climbed left to Sourfoot Fell a few stones marking the top.
After a short steepish descent, the path was rejoined, followed
by a short climb to Smithy Fell, the highest point being at the
fence corner. Descending, the stile was crossed left, and then
with the fence to the right a steady climb brought us to the trig
point on Fellbarrow, the highest point on Mosser Fell. As Dad
took our picture on the trig point, we thought about Uncle Bob,
recalling seeing him taking the picture of his grandson, Jack,
standing on this.
"What a lot of wonderful
adventures we have had since, with Uncle Bob", said Shaun.
"Fate certainly dealt us a
good hand that day", added Tetley.
Just one top left to do now, this
being Hatteringill Head on Whin Fell, clearly in view just a
little to the north. Heading down, Dad then climbed the
ladderstile over the stone wall to gain access. On the slopes
there were cows with young grazing, so Dad was wary, and sensibly
he took a wide circuit left to avoid them, but paradoxically a
calf was standing by the cairn! After a minute or so it did move
away, so we leapt out and settled quickly on the cairn for our
picture. This summit is the most northerly of the Western fells.
We then retreated to the
ladderstile and retraced the path to Fellbarrow. As the trig
point came into view, we remembered, once again how we had seen
Uncle Bob taking Jack's picture standing on it.
"Which way now?", asked
Little Eric.
Looking up from his study of the
map, Shaun replied, "we should had west down Mosser Fell".
Taking a bearing, Dad fixed this on
a piece of distant woodland, keeping this as much as possible
directly in front as we descended. There was an intermittent path
that became clear as it led through bracken. By now we could
clearly see the track we needed to gain that led to the Mosser
track once again. Once reached this was followed left to the
start, affording at times beautiful views of Loweswater and the
fells beyond.
"It has been a great day, and
we have all finally completed this group of fells", said
Allen enthusiastically. Laughingly he went on, "I guess it
is cafe time now Dad."
"Absolutely. I'm going to
Greystone House, of course."
Here he enjoyed a pork and apple
burger with salad, followed by delicious apple and blackcurrant
crumble with custard, and of course plenty of tea.
Allen
