11/5/12 - Hit the North

Miles Driven - 230
Todays Music;
..... Johnny Cash, American Recordings 1 (as he is a wild eyed loner)
..... Revolver, The Beatles (because Don Draper was listening to it)
..... Doves, Lost Souls (as its 12 years old)

High Seat

Distance Walked - 9
Caches Found - 13
Walk from - Walking the Wainwrights

The journey begins. Dress with sartorial elegance in my new £45 merino top that is guaranteed not to smell after two weeks walking and my anti chaffing pants.  The merino top is a snug fit, so Sonia comments that I look like the man from milk tray.  Only fatter. The pants are designed to have no friction, therefore avoiding the gonadinal equivalent of joggers nipple.  However, this is also their downfall, as they slip down when you walk.

Hit the road at 6:30am for a decent run up to the lakes.  Weather is foul, but expected. Park up at free parking at Ashness Bridge.  Quickly realise that I need to get goretexed up.

Dressed for it

Head north on a good path past the moutain rescue hut and soon find the first cache of the day.  The views over Derwent Water and Keswick (my home for the night) would have been superb.  If it wasn't for the low cloud.

First cache of the adventure

Walk to Walla Crag - my first wainwright on this walk.  I am following a family of three - Dad in his Tilly Hat, Mom and Daughter and throughout the walk, we constantly overtake each other as they stop for sarnies and I detour for caches.  Strike a conversation with them, where they tell me it will snow.  And it does.

Walla Crag leads to Bleaberry Fell - a steepish climb but with some stunning views.

More nice walking between here and the next wainwright, High Seat.  Don't loose much height, so its straightforward walking, taking in the caches inbetween.

Then it all goes horribly wrong.  The journey between High Seat and High Tove is awful.  In Wainwright's book he says that you should only attempt it after hard frost or no rain.  So quite why I am up here after the wettest April known to man is anyone's guess.  I take the lead from my new family friends and head off.  It becomes increasingly squelchy underfoot. 

In Nick Cave's book - and the ass and saw the angel - the main protaganist is sinking deeper into sinking sand as he recounts his life.  When I disappear into Peat up to both knees, I feel a similar fate will befall me.  Every time I move, I seem to sink a bit deeper and the earth seems to really want my Meindl boots, as they are coming off.  Eventually, I manage to lie prostrate in the peat, and pull myself out by grapping onto the foilage.  Boots come out still on my feet.

Then the snow comes.  I am covered in peat, heart pumping and then I receive a text from Sonia.  "The sun is shining and we are having Cider - how's it there?".

If I live to 100, I am never going back to High Tove.

The drop down to Watendlath Farm is stunning and the sun comes out, so my spirits are lifted again.  I then have some simply stunning walking along a valley path next to a stream.  This is what it is all about.

More like it.

The path is excellent.  At one point, they is a viewpoint marked on the map.  And they aren't joking.  Stunning views over Derwent Water.

Just found a cache.

In next to no time, I am back at the car.  Sit in the boot and de-goretex, replace boots for sketchers and programme my sat nav for the Queens Hotel.  A last goodbye to my new family.  I think they are a bit jealous to see me go, as they have another couple of miles to Keswick.  I would have offered them a lift, but they would have been just cheating themselves.

Now I have a date with the night.  And a shower.