Kirk Hell and Great Gable - no photos today

As I set off from St. Helens in the pouring rain I wonder how much more difficult the grassy path straight up Kirk Fell will be if it is wet. Fifty minutes later after leaving the M6 at Junction 36 I stop the car to put on my sunglasses, what a wonderful place this England is.

From the green at Wasdale Head I call into the Barn Door shop to say hello to Guy, he knows that I am going up Kirk Fell, he doesn’t say he enjoyed his ascent yesterday afternoon, just that it was hot.

Wainwright depicts his ascent as being on all fours clutching at tufts of grass, I’ve done the direct ascent before and I know it’s going to hurt but you can’t admit that any walk is too hard – can you? The grassy ascent is steep, but it’s OK as long as you keep your rhythm and take a rest frequently before you get too tired, and you knock the big black flies off your legs before they bite. The breeze is wonderful and the clouds keep most off the heat off me.

What looks like a change in the colour of the vegetation from Wasdale Head is actually a change from grass to scree, it’s taken an hour of strenuous effort to get this far. The scree is hard work, it is loose and the ground is steep, I am on all fours. The upside down view of Wasdale between my legs is the last thing on my mind – I have never seen so many of the big black flies, there is no breeze and it is hot.

After half an hour I get past the scree and suddenly I am on a wonderful grassy ridge, as though the mountain has laid out a welcome mat. The path to the summit resembles the path up to Scafell Pike from Lingmell Col, but not as steep.

The view of Great Gable from the summit is wonderful, the best. Down to Beck Head the path is rough but interesting and without any problems, I start to see other walkers ascending Kirk Fell by a sensible route.

Up the steep, interesting path to Great Gable, pleasant conversation with other walkers on their descent, “I don’t think we will get any rain” I say when we hear the rumble of not too distant thunder. From the top of Great Gable, I can see that it is obviously raining on the far half of Wastwater and I can still hear the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance.

The descent to Windy Gap is rough and interesting, Great Gable is my favourite mountain – it is full of so many good things. From Windy Gap down Aaron Slack, when the stream surfaces it is deliciously cool for drinking and splashing it on all over.

Back at Wasdale Head it is still dry and warm, the drive home is through torrential rain.

Andy Wallace 7th July 2001