The original four consisted of myself, Lee, Davey and Brian, and the latest recruit, Carlos - oldest member of the squad at 48. This was to be Carlos' first fell walk, so he didn't have a great deal of catching up to do - this was only Brian's second, my fourth, with Lee and Davey ahead of that tally. The five of us sat round a big camp fire the night before, on the edge of Lake Bassenthwaite. As it was October, darkness fell around six-ish, so there was little to do other than congregate round the fire, chat, and drink lots of beer. A full cool box of Foster's Gold bit the dust, washing down our late meal of barbecued Steak, beans and potatoes, which went down a treat. The wind got up towards the end of the night, by which time we were a bit worse for wear and headed back to the three tents nearby. The night was over and a good sleep was needed before our task ahead the next day. This was put in danger when I staggered back to my tent - my inflatable airbed was doing a grand impression of a knackered one! Aye, the b*stard was as flat as a pancake. I certainly wasn't gonna attempt a puncture repair at this hour, not that I was capable of it anyway after a belly full of beer, he he. The next morning I was a bit worse for wear. I got a few hours sleep but that was broken. It didn't help due to the fact that I'd spent the whole night lying on a hard floor that was the farmers field. My whole body was aching and my head felt like it had been whacked with the business end of a shovel! Not nice, and I can almost hear those nagging motherly words of 'Well, ya stupid bugger, it your own daft fault.' I fried a pan full of sausages for the troops as Davey made us a brew. Everyone looked like shit, as expected. He he, this fell walk is gonna be a laugh! What was it again?...3,054 feet of ascent !!!!!!! With breakfast over we got our gear together and began our trek across the fields near Scarness towards the main road (A591), reaching the Ravenstone Hotel, some 20 minutes later. Ullock Pike was now right in front of us, towering over us infact, so we kicked off a days walking in fine weather, for October at least.The stats - Start: Ravenstone Hotel, A591 .....Start (OS ref): NY235296..... Finish: Ravenstone Hotel..... Map (1:25,000): OL4 The English Lakes North Western area Distance: 6.6 miles (10.7 km).....Time: 4 - 5 hours..... Difficulty: Hard..... Climbing: 977 metres (3,054 feet)..... Hazards: Steep climbs and descents.
Well, Davey (Scout Leader) doesn't entertain Tourist Routes, so were greeted with a steep incline to begin our fell walk onto Ullock Pike - Cheers Davey!
It woke me up from my morning lethargy immediately as I was climbing steeply from the first step and eventually through Dyke Nook. I pushed myself up the incline for the weather was promised fair and I wanted to get into the open and take in the first views from the mountain. Soon we reached a gate which took us onto the open fell. We had done 200 metres and climbed 80, resting briefly at the gate to catch our breath. As we did so I could see signs of a great day ahead, the weather was sound for October. We made our way through the gate and followed the Allerdale Ramble route toward Ling How. I was jiggered by this point and so were the others, although now was said, he he. This walking lark doesn't get any easier but the rewards inevitably push you on and it wasn't long before we caught our first sight of Ullock Pike. It was still a distance away, and with lots of steep incline to get past, but it there for all to see. Spectacular views unfolded before us - not just in front of us, but breathtaking 360 degree panoramic vista's. Although we were feeling the strain we offered words of encouragement to keep us going. As we approached the Carl Side/Long Side ridge we were greeted with the highest point, the grand slate laden summit of Skiddaw. Immediately Ullock Pike was the draw which appeared as a majestic rounded dome from our route to it. We had now conquered the first part of our gruelling fell walk - 2,270 feet of ascent, with only 784 feet remaining!Again we paused for breath, taking in the brilliant views,
especially towards Bassenthwaite lake and Broadness Farm, where we had set up camp (see picture). Again, it has to be said that the weather was very kind to us - we weren't expecting much during the run-up to our visit, as the weather in this part of the country is very unpredictable at the best of times, not least in October. Visibility was excellent, making the whole experience another one to remember. The usual banter was exchanged between us as we pressed on across the Carl Side/Long Side ridge, with a noticable lift in spirits as Skiddaw Summit was now in reach. We'd been on the move for a couple of hours now and the old legs were taking a bit of a hammering. To paint a picture, Carl Side is a flattish domed hill covered in grass. From Carl Side the final ascent of Skiddaw is grassless, a grey black mound of weak slate that crumbles under the impact of feet. Ahead of us were groups of walkers struggling up the incline from Carl Side to the top plateau. I could see they were working hard, not just to make the ascent but also to keep their feet. Before the final ascent we decided to take lunch - probably a wise move because we'd never really had a decent rest since the walk began, almost two hours ago. We had a few two-minute stops en route, but it was now 'Time out' for a bite to eat and a drink to re-hydrate that weary body. I had a large bottle of Red Bull, a Mars Bar and a bag of peanuts - see, I told you I ate rubbish! The others were tucking into similar goodies as Brian unveiled a pack of Chicken sandwiches - but the least said about them the better! Well, we were almost there. One last push and the summit was ours. Here are a few more photographs to be going on with. The final part of the journey comes next - Skiddaw Summit.Until then, thanks for reading.
Ash
Group Shot (L-R) Lee, Brian, Ash, Carlos, Davey
