Saturday 20 October 2018

Our first Ennerdale fells

First day after driving up the previous evening and getting to the house around midnight, and then getting up at 7 for the food delivery, so not a huge amount of sleep.  Forecast was drizzle and fog all day, so we picked the shortest & lowest route planned for the week, starting off with a 30-40min drive from the house.

Difficulty: 4
Walkers: Tim, Caroline, Isabelle (16), Evie (10), Poppy (8)
11:20, 0.0km 0h00 0m, Start (224)
12:18, 2.9km 0h58 257m, Grike (488, Wainwright)
12:48, 4.3km 1h28 323m, Crag Fell (523, Wainwright)
14:40, 8.7km 3h20 562m, Lank Rigg (541, Wainwright)
16:27, 14.3km 5h07 626m, End (224)

Parked by the side of the road, as it turned out around 500m before a small off road space for 4 or so cars.  We were the only ones there in the morning, by the end another couple of cars had parked in the same stretch.  From the car we headed over the fellside to the wooded plantation area, with Grike as the first target.

Started off in drizzle, with the predicted fog at the top.  This is Grike, Isabelle immediately headed for the shelter of the large cairn.  Poppy lay down on the outside of the cairn (on the windward side) and asked if there was a way in.  One of the these girls will go far.

On the way to Crag Fell, it was quite wet.  Evie was wearing two rain coats and two pairs of waterproof trousers, and was evidently still quite wet.

Top of Crag Fell, Poppy had navigated us to this point, and was learning the joy of marked fences to find the route, although she did get a bit bored after this point and gave me the map back.

Having restored my role as navigator, I then swiftly took us on two wrong paths.  I assert that the skill in the navigator can only be assessed by how well you recover from taking the wrong direction (which on a flat fell in fog is quite easy), rather than never making any mistakes.  Still, soon after the cloud started to lift.

The rain stopped, we had a late lunch.

And made it to the top of Lank Rigg.

The important task of the peak was handing out haribo rations, and getting the reminder from Evie that we'd bought the wrong flavours, since the gummy bears were gingerbread flavour which didn't meet with Evie's approval.

Isabelle, witnessing the negotiation skills of her two youngest sisters over haribo.

The last sting in the tail (no photos here to protect the innocent) was crossing the stream coming down from Buck Hole was quite tricky - I carried Poppy across, Isabelle jumped keeping dry boots, Evie tried to jump but slipped, got a wet foot, starting crying, and I had to persuade her to let me carry her across, and Caroline got across after I stood in the middle of the stream and held her hand.  Thanks to decent boots and gaiters I only got a slightly damp right sock after my half a dozen trips wading through foot deep water...  Isabelle certainly gets the award for the least drama!

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