Fire & Ice (with a little bit of drizzle)
I'd managed to book a few days holiday off work. Initially I was planning to do a winter wild-camp on Red Screes on the Tuesday night & got a last minute deal with a room at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel for the Wednesday night.
Troutbeck & Wansfell
As the day got closer, the Met-Office issued weather warnings for snow & ice on the Tuesday morning - it was set to clear by early afternoon, but the overnight temperatures for the Tuesday night were predicted to be well below zero. I decided to knock the wild-camp on the head, and looked round for a room to stay for the Tuesday night & managed to bag a deal at the Mortal Man Inn in Troutbeck, just a couple of miles from the Kirkstone Pass Inn which was the start point for the Red Screes hike.
It was overcast & sleeting when I set off, but by the time I was driving through Windermere, the skies had begun to clear and the snow had settled on the ground. The roads were clear though - which I was thankful for especially as I took the turning onto the Kirkstone Pass road.
The snow-covered views were stunning as the road skirted the valley, and it wasn't long before I reached Troutbeck. Taking a sharp left turn just after the village, the road doubled-back & rose steeply to the higher reaches of the village, and after a few minutes I arrived at the Mortal Man Inn....an Inn dating back to 1689!
After checking-in & unpacking I got my hiking pack together, booted up and set off straight from the front door up to Wansfell Pike. It was about an hour until sunset, and I was aiming to get to the top in time. Following the road through the village, the route turned off through a farmyard and onto an ancient 'drove road' called Nanny Lane.
These 'drove roads', are dry stone walled on either side, and probably just over the width of a normal single-track road....however it wasn't paved, just loose stones instead. These old 'drove roads' were used years ago by farmers to move their cattle & livestock. As the road gained height the route became snow covered.
Eventually I reached a gate which took me off the road and onto the open fell-side. Although covered in snow, there was a well-trodden track heading towards Wansfell Pike. The clock ticking, the ground began to take on a golden hue as the sun hung low in the sky. The blue skies overhead were peppered with cloud, which meant the setting sun should put on a bit of a show as its fading light refracted off the clouds.
The path weaved its way around some crags, over a beck and eventually started to climb the ridge to the top. The narrower parts of the path had accumulated more snow, as it had been blown into the nooks and crannies, and in some places was up to shin-deep.
A small crag of summit rocks jutted out of the snow to mark the top, and the views opened up over Windermere and Ambleside below, over to the snow-capped peaks beyond, and a sun setting the sky on fire.
It was very open on the tops, and the wind was whipping up the loose snow that had settled. After consulting my map, the official 'Wainwright' summit of Wansfell, at 1,597 feet - a mere 6 feet higher than the Pike, was a ½ mile amble to the north-east over an undulating ridge. I followed the footsteps in the snow which ran alongside a dry stone wall, and about 15 minutes later reached the small summit cairn. The sunset was still setting the sky ablaze, but dusk was creeping in & it was time to descend before darkness fell.
The route back wasn't too difficult, heading south-east down the side of the fell, the route eventually joined the Nanny Lane drove road again, and from there it was a simple-to-follow route back to the Inn.
After a revitalising hot shower, I got ready & made my way down to the bar for dinner.
A roaring log fire was a welcoming site, and the barman recommended a pint of 'Sally Birkett's Ale' - an ale brewed especially for & only available at the Mortal Man Inn.
I sat down & perused the menu. There was one item that stood out - the Garlic & Herb Crusted Lamb Rump, served with new potatoes, butter wilted spinach & a red wine jus....and it was lovely!
The barman - who was the same chap who helped me check-in earlier on - mentioned there was live folk music later on if I was interested. It sounded like a plan, so ordered a pint of Loweswater Gold ale until the entertainment arrived.
Four chaps turned up not too long after, armed with acoustic guitars, and for the rest of the night took turns in singing folk songs.
Red Screes
I was up for 07:30am the next morning - the skies were bright & clear and the sun wasn't far off from rising. I headed down for breakfast, and sat at one of the tables in prime position in the large bay window, where I should have a perfect view over the sunny snow covered valley. After a hearty full cumbrian breakfast (but without black pudding), I headed back to my room, packed up, checked-out and headed up the pass towards the Kirkstone Pass Inn car park ready for my ascent of Red Screes.
The mountain was looking glorious in its winter coat, but it was bitterly cold - my in-car thermometer didn't go above -2C on the drive up. I booted up, layered up & strapped on my ice spikes right from the get-go, and was on my way for just after 10am.
Starting from the Kirkstone Pass Inn, the summit isn't that far away - just over three-quarters of a mile, but the ascent is approx 1,100 feet! The snow on the level ground before the climb was a couple of inches deep, but just following the foot-steps of previous walkers meant I was ascending in no time.
According to various walking guides, parts of the route were stone-pitched with stone steps - but this was of no-use today as the ground was completely covered with snow. The ascent went up over several 'shoulders', with short steep sections in between which then reached a (snow covered) grassy shoulder with a gentler ascent, before reaching the next steep section. Slowly but surely I climbed the frozen slopes, and clambered up a rock-step or two. A quick glance back every so often meant I could see the Kirkstone Pass Inn getting slightly further away each time.
Eventually the hardest part of the climb was done, and the ground levelled out somewhat for the final few hundred meters to the summit trig point at 2,546 feet. The views were pretty epic in all directions, with snow covered peaks all around... you could have mistaken it for the Alps! This was where I had originally planned to wild-camp - there's a tarn at the summit, which was frozen over, and it was pretty flat ground, plenty of places to pitch - but maybe one for the summer instead!
Checking my map, there were a few other Wainwright's in the area, so I decided on heading over to the nearest one - Middle Dodd. This was the highest point of one of the ridges forking off from the main ridge which runs for a few miles between Red Screes & Dove Crag. At 2,146 feet, Middle Dodd was exactly 400 feet lower than Red Screes, so it was more or less all down hill, involving just 50 feet of ascent on approach to the Middle Dodd summit.
The descent was over snow covered grass, and due to the direction & angle of the slope, the snow was a good 1 foot deep. Middle Dodd wasn't as well visited as Red Screes, so there were fewer footstep tracks to follow, but I picked up a route along the ridge. There was a dip in the ridge where the snow was knee deep & covered with wind-blown 'sastrugi' patterns. I waded through and onto the wind swept summit. Bands of cloud were coming in from the west, and with them came the wind, and on covering the sunlight brought a drop in temperature as well.
I headed back up & onto Red Screes - the return journey being much more energy-sapping, as I waded 400 feet back up through the snow to the top. I had a quick snack on the top, before making my way back down - I was much more confident on tackling the descent back to the Kirkstone Pass Inn, retracing my own footsteps down off the mountain side, and was back at the car for just before 2:00pm.
Loughrigg Tarn & Old Dungeon Ghyll
I headed back along the Kirkstone Pass as 'The Struggle', which was the direct road into Ambleside, was closed due to snow & ice. Instead the road took me back through Troutbeck & past the Mortal Man before heading round the flanks of Wansfell before dropping down to the A591 about half way between Windermere & Ambleside.
I followed the road, and turned off just before Skelwith Bridge up a narrow country lane. Eventually I reached a T-junction which had a lay-by for a handful of cars, so I parked up & checked my map for a circular route around Loughrigg Tarn. This is quite a sizable tarn tucked away, hidden just off the road between Skelwith & Grasmere, which is a few miles to the north. The cloud had come in, and muted the sunshine, but it was high-level which meant it wouldn't obscure the views over to the high Langdale fells.
After following the road for about quarter of a mile, a stile in the dry stone wall allowed me to head into the fields that skirted the tarn. At this level, there was only a thin layer of snow.
About half way round the tarn I spotted a wooden cross, which uncovered a dark history of the tarn. It was inscribed: "In Memory of John Stanley Skelton Drowned 4th June 1960 whilst on Holiday with Cowley Boys Grammar School." A holiday which obviously went tragically wrong!
Standing on the south east shore of the tarn looking north west, were the magnificent snow covered Langdale Pikes - as photogenic as ever - although the dreary grey sky held back the photograph from being spectacular - but its a location worth noting so I can return in better conditions. What did take me by surprise though was two RAF training jets which approached from just to the left of the Langdales and flew straight over me!
I continued following the path clock-wise around the tarn which turned off at Tarn Foot Farm before joining up with the narrow country road, and was just round the corner from the lay-by.
Jumping back in the car, I headed to my accommodation for the night. Taking the Elterwater road from Skelwith Bridge, I'd driven along the Great Langdale road many a time on my hikes up the Pikes, surrounding fells and visits to Blea Tarn. But instead of turning off for the Sticklebarn National Trust Car Park, I carried on a little further to (almost) the end of the valley, and the welcoming sign of the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.
There has been an Inn of sorts on this site for 300 years. It also consisted of farm buildings, and over the years they have been bought & converted by the hotel's proprietors - in fact, the Hikers Bar used to be a cow shed - and still has some stalls remaining as booths!
I checked into the hotel. Interestingly, it was a double-room but had its own separate bathroom just down the corridor. After settling in, and checking the view from my window - overlooking Side Pike - I noticed the clouds had begun to break slightly just in time for sunset. Being surrounded by high fells meant there was no quick way to get to a spot for sunset, but I headed outside to get a photograph of the hotel.
After grabbing a shower & getting changed, I headed into the Hikers Bar for dinner. It was pretty busy - and as it turns out anyone staying at the camp site across the road, or who have just ended a walk, will likely end up in here. But I managed to order a pint of Hawkshead Bitter, grabbed a menu & found a table. There was a wide selection of food available, including a very tempting slow cooked lamb henry with mash - but I'd had lamb the night before, so instead opted for the chilli con carne with half rice / half chips, which was very tasty and filling, but I had enough room left for desert, and went for the sticky toffee pudding, which, when it came was the size of a small house brick!
After eating, I had another pint (or two) whilst some musicians played folk music, and a few songs I knew (covers of David Bowie, the Rolling Stones & Van Morrison), all played on 2 acoustic guitars, a fiddle & a flute. I retired back to my room to end the night.
The clag had dropped overnight, it was drizzling (that fine rain that soaks you through) & I could no longer see the top of Side Pike from my window. I headed downstairs for breakfast, which was yet another lovely Full English, along with toast and homemade marmalade & blackcurrant jam, before checking out and making my way back home.
For more information on the Inn's I stayed at, check out their websites below (links open in a new window):
Mark
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