lakes dec09 134 Gulley on Dow Crag
At the end of 2009 we decided to go up to The Lake District after Christmas and get some walking in. Our first day saw us with just a couple of hours to spare so we walked out of Keswick up on to Lonscale Fell and some very dull dark views of Keswick and wintry fells around Borrowdale. We were there just after the floods that had devastated the area. Bridges had been washed away and as we walked through the park on our way to Lonscale Fell we saw houses that had been ripped apart by the River Greta. Many properties close to the river were flooded. These properties were still being repaired a year later.
The following day we set off from Dungeon Ghyll along Mickleden. The conditions under foot were awful, wet, thick ice and slushy snow, real hard going. We made our way to the fork in the path and took the left branch to Rossett Gill. The snow got deeper but wouldn’t take our weight, there was no sign of the zig zag path higher up, it was under three foot of snow. Fortunately we knew the way and plodded on. The weather was initially promising but the cloud rolled over Rossett Pike and dropped on us like a white blanket. We were determined to claim at least one top and carried on. Jayne kept going thigh deep and at one point, waist deep, which we were still seeing the funny side of. At the top of Rossett Gill, between Rossett Pike and Bow Fell, we couldn't see a thing, the snow and cloud were as one, we couldn't tell if the ground was going up or down. We found the top of Rossett Pike and then aimed for Angle Tarn, we were wasting our time, there wasn't a break in the cloud and it was compass all the way. We turned and headed back to Rosset Gill where Jayne found the easiest way down – sledging on her backside, we had a laugh even though the going was tough.
Overnight the temperature was extremely low and we got up to blue sky and a hard frost – Perfect! We drove from Ambleside to Coniston, parked in the Village and put our winter gear on. It was a slog up Walna Scar road, the snow and ice was solid now. As we rounded The Old Man heading for Walna summit and then Dow Crag the snow was just taking our weight. Someone had walked here the day before and had the same problems as us, footprints two foot deep. The Walna road was covered in deep drifts, five foot deep in places. I was using my Canon G10, and looking at the photos I was carrying my Hasselblad Xpan panoramic, I was still using some film in 2009 so I got some really good shots on film. With hindsight I should have used the 5D, the photos from the G10 are ok but not brilliant. I have many thousands of Lakes photos taken with the G10, it was always a compromise of convenience against the weight and size of the 5D and the inability to slide it in a pocket out of the way when I needed to. Having said that I’ve carried the 5D up some scary scrambles. Dow Crag was fantastic with incredible views. The Old Man of Coniston, Brim Fell, Swirl How and Great Carrs followed. We made our way down via Prison Band and the mine track, the sun was dropping in the sky quickly at this time of year, a fantastic but tough day.
lakes dec09 134 Gulley on Dow Crag
At the end of 2009 we decided to go up to The Lake District after Christmas and get some walking in. Our first day saw us with just a couple of hours to spare so we walked out of Keswick up on to Lonscale Fell and some very dull dark views of Keswick and wintry fells around Borrowdale. We were there just after the floods that had devastated the area. Bridges had been washed away and as we walked through the park on our way to Lonscale Fell we saw houses that had been ripped apart by the River Greta. Many properties close to the river were flooded. These properties were still being repaired a year later.
The following day we set off from Dungeon Ghyll along Mickleden. The conditions under foot were awful, wet, thick ice and slushy snow, real hard going. We made our way to the fork in the path and took the left branch to Rossett Gill. The snow got deeper but wouldn’t take our weight, there was no sign of the zig zag path higher up, it was under three foot of snow. Fortunately we knew the way and plodded on. The weather was initially promising but the cloud rolled over Rossett Pike and dropped on us like a white blanket. We were determined to claim at least one top and carried on. Jayne kept going thigh deep and at one point, waist deep, which we were still seeing the funny side of. At the top of Rossett Gill, between Rossett Pike and Bow Fell, we couldn't see a thing, the snow and cloud were as one, we couldn't tell if the ground was going up or down. We found the top of Rossett Pike and then aimed for Angle Tarn, we were wasting our time, there wasn't a break in the cloud and it was compass all the way. We turned and headed back to Rosset Gill where Jayne found the easiest way down – sledging on her backside, we had a laugh even though the going was tough.
Overnight the temperature was extremely low and we got up to blue sky and a hard frost – Perfect! We drove from Ambleside to Coniston, parked in the Village and put our winter gear on. It was a slog up Walna Scar road, the snow and ice was solid now. As we rounded The Old Man heading for Walna summit and then Dow Crag the snow was just taking our weight. Someone had walked here the day before and had the same problems as us, footprints two foot deep. The Walna road was covered in deep drifts, five foot deep in places. I was using my Canon G10, and looking at the photos I was carrying my Hasselblad Xpan panoramic, I was still using some film in 2009 so I got some really good shots on film. With hindsight I should have used the 5D, the photos from the G10 are ok but not brilliant. I have many thousands of Lakes photos taken with the G10, it was always a compromise of convenience against the weight and size of the 5D and the inability to slide it in a pocket out of the way when I needed to. Having said that I’ve carried the 5D up some scary scrambles. Dow Crag was fantastic with incredible views. The Old Man of Coniston, Brim Fell, Swirl How and Great Carrs followed. We made our way down via Prison Band and the mine track, the sun was dropping in the sky quickly at this time of year, a fantastic but tough day.