Longsleddale 11.12.11

Driving across the A65 through those eerie hours that proceed sunrise, the dark outlines of the landscape was becoming more pronounced as Sunday revealed itself. After our last hike in the pouring rain we were ready for a well deserved clear day in Eastern Lakeland. Only for some reason it was raining again.

The rain seemed to get heavier and heavier as we travelled west. We arrived in the stunning valley of Longlseddale at around 9.30 am to the sight of the river Sprint in full force. It was strangely warm and still, there was an insulating roof of cloud on the valley at around 400 metres and I found it easy to forget what lay ahead.

We’d planned a hike that would take us on a loop, the outward part over three Wainrights (Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike & Harter Fell), the inward part returning us to Sadgill along the river Sprint. It seemed like the perfect winter hike.

As we set off up the steep track linking Sadgill to Kentmere the rain began to fall quite heavily. Our minds began to cast back three days to a saturated walk from Grassington. Nobody mentioned it, but we were both wondering why we were here, why had we set an alarm for 5.45 and driven two hours to a soaking wet fellside? The rain continued to fall, and we continued to trudge. One step at a time. And the enthusiasm slowly built as we gained height and turned northwards onto the stunning climb up Shipman Knotts.

One of Lakelands trademark fast flowing streams

The ascent of Shipman Knotts is steep and craggy, it is a traditional Lakeland clamber and reminded me happily of  a summer ascent of Haystacks. As we continued to gain ground we quickly lost visibility as the cloud that had insulated the valley bottom became a cold, swirling mist. Keeping the wall on our right we continued north towards the summit, there were increasingly deep snow drifts to traverse and the rain was turning to sleet.

Gaining altitude allowed the cold easterly wind to throw the sleet into our faces. Continuing north towards the summit of Kentmere Pike our progress became agonisingly slow as we trekked through snow that was up to our knees. I was becoming concerned by the speed of our progress, knowing we had a lot of ground to cover before dark.

We took out the map and stared at it silently as the fell roared with the violence of uninterrupted wind. The continuation up Kentmere Pike was totally snow covered. When I pointed out it would be another climb onto Harter Fell we both realised that there wasn’t time to complete the loop.

The hardest decisions in life always seem to be the most obviously right ones. We were desperate to experience Kentmere Pike & Harter fell, but the afternoons are terrifyingly short in the fells and the weather was as oppressive as I’ve felt. So with heavy hearts, at an altitude of 690 metres, we turned back towards Sadgill. As we descended we looked wistfully at our earlier footprints in the drifts , we were full of endeavour trudging up that hillside, and the pangs of regret started to weigh heavy as altitude reduced.

Ali in the two stages of descent

Safely returned to the valley of Longsleddale we stood looking back up at the fells we’d just descended. Maybe we could have completed the hike. Maybe not. One things for sure - we’ll be back Longsleddale before long.

Grassington Circular 08.12.11

As the kettle boiled and I stared out at the street lit morning, Radio 5 live’s tinny breakfast show blurted out that there were severe weather warnings across central and southern Scotland. Up to 100mph winds and heavy rain – motorists were advised not to drive.

Like the excited child who unwraps the wrong Christmas present, I had to accept that today I wasn’t getting the Lake district. The brilliantly detailed lake district weather site  http://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/ advised that on the summits and ridges there would be 100mph winds. And just to underline what this meant, readers were advised that there was a “severe risk of being blown over”.

So we headed into the dales. We planned a low level circular from Grassington which took in Conistone Dib – an impressive limestone gully, and (accidentally) the Green Wood nature Reserve.

The walk climbs slowly along the section of the Dales Way linking Grassington and Kettlewell. This was full of exciting limestone outcrops and grassy paths – the type that in summer would be those bouncy, hollow sounding paths that force you into a cheerful, arm swinging rhythm. Today they were saturated and finding any rhythm was difficult. Ali & I quietly trudged and picked out our own paths through the standing water. Both with our heads down to avoid the rain on our faces. Just the sound of the drops on our hoods to accompany our thoughts.

As is always the case, we were hungry well before we felt we should be, so chose to stop and have a tea break under the protection of a 150 year old Lime Kiln which used to produce Lime for the surrounding fields. See below

We stood here and drew breath for twenty minutes or so – It was around nine am now and my thoughts drifted smugly to the image of the office I wasn’t in, the conversations I wasn’t having and the tension headache I didn’t seem to have. It was absolutely belting down. I didn’t hear a sheep make a noise all day long.

We continued along the Dales way until we reached a path which would eventually take us down to Conistone village. This fork left turned us into the wind, and for the next mile we barely looked up from our boots as rain lashed at our tilted hoods. The footpaths had become streams, and regardless of the look on my face below, our spirits were flying high as we discovered the stunning gully taking us down to Conistone (sadly my camera battery died here – for completeness visit www.geograph.org.uk/photo/564605).

It was a short climb out of Conistone village before we were back into the gales, this time the wind was coming across us and the noise it made was fantastic. It was roaring like jet engines as it swirled and blustered above. We were on the southern edge of a severe depression which would, later that day  record wind speeds of 165mph on Cainrgorm.

There were 2 miles of great dales walking back to Grasisngton. Walks in the dales are always more exciting then you expect, the limestone throws up interest at every turn. These low level walks, which can be overlooked in the hunt for altitude are some of the best hikes I’ve ever had. You feel like you could walk for days in the dales and never tire, they feel safe too, which was what we needed on a day like this.

The rain began to ease as we entered Green Wood nature reserve, an interesting deciduous woodland which states that it contains the remain of a medieval village. This wasn’t evident, maybe on a summers day we’d have searched for it. But by now my thoughts were drifting towards a dry pub and a well earned midday, midweek pint.

We returned to a sleepy Grassington by noon. We bought some beers and provisions, before returning home via the Hopper Lane pub. A stolen day in the hills together capped off by a late afternoon film, peering knowingly out at the wind and rain.