More Eastern Fells

Friday 13th June

I was up in the Lakes last weekend with Limbo of this parish, half a day at work on Friday and then we scooted over in the afternoon. We parked at Kirkstone Inn and hoped to grab a bite to eat, but we were an hour too early so we made do with crisps and a pickled egg. Walking out of the pub and back to the car it was just starting to rain, by the time we were booted and ready to leave it was a good shower, nothing for it but to put on the waterproofs.
Straight out of the car park and your going up Red Screes, slippy in the wet with some interesting slabs midway up, after reaching the top you're greeted with a cluster of little pools.

Looking down to Windermere

Nice spot for a camp

Our destination barely visible, a small tarn on the opposite hill just below Little Hart Crag

 

Looking down to Brothers Water from Scandale Pass

Shelters up

Testing the new Vivos

We were treated to some nice colours in the sky as the sun set further in the west

Food was Mountain House chilli and rice, I'm not a MH fan but it's about the best one they do and it needed using up. Andy had the same meal but his had gone bad somehow, backup Ramen and cup-a-soup instead. After food we mooched about before retiring fairly early.

Saturday 14th June

I slept really well, I'd picked a great pitch for the DuoMid, the new Racer bag performed really well too. Andy grunted and we got up, I couldn't face porridge so scoffed cereal bars instead washed down with 3-in-1. We were packed up and away in good time, following the boundary line NE we made our way into up Scandale Head and into the mist.

Looking back down to the tarn where we camped

Boundary fence

As we reached Dove Crag we decided to nip down the hill to the Priests Hole, I took a slip on a moss covered rock and went down bending my Leki in the process, doh!

Down to the Priests Hole

Tarpaulins, foam pads, gas carts and food, it stinks of smoke and dog turd though

Great views from the cave

Back up onto the tops for Hart Crag then Fairfield before dropping down to Grisedale for lunch.

After a lunch break next to the waters edge we packed up and headed up the killer Tarn Crag and Dollywagon Pike. Over Nethernmost Pike and up onto Helvellyn, just as the clouds came in, typical.

Striding Edge in the mist

Cross shelter on Helvellyn

We cut our day a bit shorter than planned, only by a couple of km's but Andy's foot was giving him some trouble so we headed down to Red Tarn for the night.

After a pleasant day weatherwise, when the cloud came over the summit it also brought rain. Striding Edge looked like the M25 on a Friday afternoon so we took the quieter option down Swirral Edge instead. It was still fairly early in the day but we chose to stop and chill out by the tarn, after most of the day walkers had gone down we pitched the shelters on a raise out of the damp.

Very tidy for me

Doh!

We dined on Dotties Chicken Dumplings as I'd brought a double portion, wow, a few more of those going on the order me thinks. Andy called it a night whilst I sat around dodging the midges and rain showers, finishing off some munchies then eventually crawling into my pit.

Sunday 15th June

I woke early, it must have been around 5, another great nights sleep. My pitch was wonky but I slipped my half empty pack under my feet which worked a treat. I gave Andy a call and we got up, not a bad morning

The Porridgemeister

By the time we'd packed up the mist had rolled in again, it didn't feel like camping at 700m but the cloud was a reminder.

Dropping out of the cloud we followed Red Tarn Beck down the valley

The interesting looking Greenside Mine at the top of Glenridding

We bimbled past the campsite and into Glenridding, I could tell by the vibe on the campsite that England must have lost to Italy the previous night, oh well, I'm glad I went camping instead :) We waited in Glenridding to catch a bus back to our car at Kirkstone Inn, £8 odd for the 6 mile journey for both of us, it seemed a bit steep but it was a fun ride going up the pass. A nice couple of days in good company and a few more Wainwrights to tick off the list.