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The Fellwalker by Peter John Farnworth
WALK 22 SATURDAY APRIL 7th 1984Today we will be driving over the Kirkstone Pass and going to Harsop, just past Brothers Water on your right. If you do decide to walk the six summits we will be undertaking today, you will find that all the hard walking is done from Hayeswater up the zigzag' to the summit of The Knott. From here on in, it's easy walking all the way. There is only about one hundred feet in altitude between them on the High Street range. Rest Dodd is a lot lower in altitude. When we arrived at the summit of The Knott, there was deep snow down. In fact, it was that deep with it falling all week, there is a stone wall which stands four feet high at the summit, and we just walked right over it. And by the way, just look at the date at the top of the page. You may be thinking that we have mild winters, but I can assure you there is always snow on the high ground most winters. Writing about this walk got me thinking…When I saw the name of High Raise I knew it sounded familiar and thought there was another one somewhere. This is what I found out: High Raise near High Street, Haweswater High Raise near Sergeant Man - Langdales Gray Crag near Thornthwaite Crag - Haweswater Grey Crag near Tarn Crag - Sadill White Side near Helvellyn - Glenridding Whiteside near Hopegill Head - Loweswater Red Pike near High Stile – Buttermere Red Pike near Yewbarrow – Wasdale Tarn Crag near Grey Crag - Sadill Tarn Crag near Sergeant Man - Langdales Harter Fell near Hardknott Pass - Eskdale Harter Fell near Mardale Ill Bell - Haweswater There maybe one are two more which I can't bring to mind, but I am sure someone will know of others.
Just to mention, Mark and I also spent the night on High Street summit a few years back, for the longest day on June 21st. I also took my son-in law, Paul, with us. This was his first experience on the fells, and he was very surprised to find how flat it was on top. We started the walk at 9.30pm in the evening at Haweswater and followed the path from the other side of the water past Kidsty Howes, then followed the ridge up to Kidsty Pike. Time now 10.50pm. The light was just fading and the night air was coming in. Arrived at the summit in total darkness. Time now 11.45pm. We all got down behind the summit wall to try and get some sleep before the dawn. Mark and I only had our 6ft x 2ft plastic bags with us, which were damn cold, but we put a brave face on it all for Paul’s sake. When he pulled out a sleeping bag, I went a light green colour, but I think it was the cold getting to me. This my story and I am sticking to it! Mark and I survived the cold. It came light at about 4.00am. And that’s all it did, came light. Where was the sun, which was supposed to come from a multicoloured skyline, so pleasing to the eyes? All we got was a grey, damp morning, but that’s life! From here we went to Thornthwaite Crag to show Paul this fine summit cairn. From here it was over to Mardale Ill Bell and then down to the top of Nan Bield Pass, where we followed the pass down to Haweswater. I started to cook breakfast but had to stop straight away, due to flies and more flies everywhere. We ended up in a lay-by, two miles away, where I started again. But it was well worth waiting for. Those two rounds of bacon with egg. I can smell it now… Mountains walked that day: The Knott 65 High Street 25 Rampsgill Head 41 Kidsty Pike 45 High Raise 31 Rest Dodd 92 [[]] Diagram & Stats
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