Walk, don't stand (Skiddaw) - no photos today
No strong winds today, let’s get back to Skiddaw to finish that walk that I had to abandon 4 weeks ago. I leave the car on the car park at the end of the Gale Road, let’s hope I don’t have to walk all the way back up from Millbeck again.
Through Applethwaite to Millbeck, past the village hall and take the signed footpath to Skiddaw on the right, ignore the obvious path leading up Carl Side and take the path that goes around the base of Carlsleddam.
From a distance I can see some footpath like disturbances on the fell but as I get to the base of Carlsleddam I can’t see any obvious path so it’s straight up the steep fellside over grass and through heather. I aim for the ridge to see if the walking is any better thinking that I wouldn’t recommend this route but on reaching the ridge I find an old footpath.
The small path through the heather leads to the pleasant, airy summit of Carlsleddam. There is a great side-on view of Skiddaw Little Man that looks impossible to climb but according to Wainwright it isn’t as bad as it looks. The ground falls away very steeply and there is nothing between you and the Little Man.
After crossing the summit the path disappears and now I have to traverse the side of the fell through heather until I reach the popular footpath to the summit of Carl Side. The heather performs its usual trick of frequently unfastening your bootlaces.
By the time Carl Side summit is reached, it looks quite windy over the top of Skiddaw. I take my usual detour over Long Side via Long Side Edge to Ullock Pike for the views over Bassenthwaite Lake and quite a lot of the Lake District.
Back to Carlside Tarn for the ascent of Skiddaw, the steep, grey, slate scree doesn’t get any easier. As I reach the Skiddaw’s summit ridge the wind is suddenly very strong, I can walk along the ridge but only at an angle of 45 degrees.
There are lots of people walking up and down the ridge, it’s too windy to stand and take in the view, I walk past the busy summit to the shelter at the northern end of the ridge.
Whilst sitting in the shelter my hands become cold so I put my fleece gloves over the inner gloves that I am already wearing. As I set of southwards along the ridge my hands have become very cold, I stop at the shelter at the southern end of the ridge for a very awkward change into my big gloves. My hands eventually warm up as I am descending Little Man, the pain was a welcome sign that the circulation was returning.
After walking southwards along the length of the summit ridge, descend using the tourist path and at a col turn half right and follow a fence to the summit of Little Man, down the other side over Lesser Man and down to meet the tourist path again at Jenkin Hill.
Cross over the main path and continue west towards Lonscale Fell, a really easy, pleasant walk over grass without any steepness – why isn’t this fell full of people as well? Continue past the summit to the eastern end of the fell where the ground dramatically falls away down to Glenderaterra Beck. This is a magnificent viewpoint, the vast bulk of Blencathra, the bleak and lonely Skiddaw Forest and an unexpected view of Thirlmere all the way to Dunmail Raise.
Back to the summit cairn and head south down the fell in order to avoid completely retracing my steps to the main path. I can see the car park from here and I’m tempted to make a beeline for it but I turn right on a small path that contours the fell, I don’t want to walk through any more heather and I can’t tell what else might be in the way. The path leads me across White Beck and after crossing a fence I am back on the busy tourist path, twenty feet wide in some places.
Down past the car park and on to Latrigg, the walk up to its summit resembles a park rather than a fell, but on reaching the summit you can see why it is popular, the view all around is magnificent – mountains and lakes through 360 degrees.
Back down to the car park, all done in 6 hours 15 minutes.
Andy Wallace 16th February 2002