Antony Bateman
Valley
A series of images from an assault on Glaramara in the English Lake District in July 2021 that was abandoned due to clag (low cloud).
The fell (hill) to the right is Glaramara. On a good day, if you go via Allen Crags, which was the plan, there are spectacular views down into Mickleden and Langdale, over to to the Scafell range and across to Great End and Great Gable. With the cloud base stubbornly hovering just above 600m, though, this was not a good day and the only thing we’d be seeing, all the way back along the ridge, would’ve been the inside of a cloud.
Now, being in the mountains in clag can be quite atmospheric so, rather than abandoning the walk, we decided to break off onto the path to Sprinkling Tarn, have lunch and return to Seathwaite via Styhead where we met a gang of intrepid-looking young men asking directions for Scafell Pike. The conversation went thus:
ME: Have you got a map?
THEM: Nope.
ME: Ah. Do you have a map app or some such?
THEM: Like Google Maps?
ME: Ah. Will you be coming back this way?
THEM: No, we’re going to Wasdale Head.
ME: Ah. See those guys over there? Follow them.
THEM: OK. Cheers!
ME: Aye. You’ll sleep tonight, lad.
Before they left, I had them take a photo of the relevant section of my map. The folk I sent them after were doing ‘The Corridor Route’, it’s very popular (even midweek, now) so the paths are good and obvious, there’s only one mildly dodgy bit, although the cloud was low, there was no rain forecast and it doesn’t get dark till well after nine; they’d be fine. They’re young, they’ll have an adventure they can celebrate later in the bar, they’ll not see anything other than the ground beneath their feet but they’ll’ve conquered Scafell Pike.
Dear god.
Valley
A series of images from an assault on Glaramara in the English Lake District in July 2021 that was abandoned due to clag (low cloud).
The fell (hill) to the right is Glaramara. On a good day, if you go via Allen Crags, which was the plan, there are spectacular views down into Mickleden and Langdale, over to to the Scafell range and across to Great End and Great Gable. With the cloud base stubbornly hovering just above 600m, though, this was not a good day and the only thing we’d be seeing, all the way back along the ridge, would’ve been the inside of a cloud.
Now, being in the mountains in clag can be quite atmospheric so, rather than abandoning the walk, we decided to break off onto the path to Sprinkling Tarn, have lunch and return to Seathwaite via Styhead where we met a gang of intrepid-looking young men asking directions for Scafell Pike. The conversation went thus:
ME: Have you got a map?
THEM: Nope.
ME: Ah. Do you have a map app or some such?
THEM: Like Google Maps?
ME: Ah. Will you be coming back this way?
THEM: No, we’re going to Wasdale Head.
ME: Ah. See those guys over there? Follow them.
THEM: OK. Cheers!
ME: Aye. You’ll sleep tonight, lad.
Before they left, I had them take a photo of the relevant section of my map. The folk I sent them after were doing ‘The Corridor Route’, it’s very popular (even midweek, now) so the paths are good and obvious, there’s only one mildly dodgy bit, although the cloud was low, there was no rain forecast and it doesn’t get dark till well after nine; they’d be fine. They’re young, they’ll have an adventure they can celebrate later in the bar, they’ll not see anything other than the ground beneath their feet but they’ll’ve conquered Scafell Pike.
Dear god.