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The Fellwalker by Peter John Farnworth
WALK 24 MONDAY JULY 31st 1984 This was another three-day stop over. Left the tent at home wrapped in moth balls. Because this is another place which is a little bit out of our way, and we wanted to get these summits out of the way to save us coming back another day, we will be staying at one of the best accommodations you could wish to stay at. I have found over the years that this place has every thing to offer the fell walker, from good food (if you want to bring your own food they don't mind), good sleeping arrangements, good service, and good drying facilities. What more can you ask for? Oh, I forgot to tell where it is, I got carried away that much! It's not an hotel, nor a guesthouse, it's the YHA – the Youth Hostel Association. Without doubt it's the tops. Forget about it being only for the youth. It’s for everyone from twenty one to seventy one! I know, as we have been into many a one since we left the tent in moth balls. They have very good drying rooms and that’s what you want when you have had a very bad day on the fells with the rain falling on you.
Now to continue with the write up. Today’s walk took us from Ravenstone Hotel at the only Lake in the Lake District, (think about it) called Bassentthwaite Lake. Our first summit will be Ullock Pike. This, I might add, is the quiet way to these summits. We found this was a nice easy stroll as we walked up the ridge and onto the summit just as the mist fell. Considering the time of the year it was, the conditions now were bad, and we were having difficulty seeing which way to go as we headed for our next summit. However, since it was a ridge, we were moving along very nicely as we passed that summit also. There is something else I have picked up, I call it the turn-around and it works like this…If you are returning the same way and the mist is down, as it was going, turn around and look out for some large stone, or crag, or other object. This is what you have to look out for on the return trip and hopefully this will direct you to the way off. And yes, it does work. As I have written early in the diary, it is always better to know where you are at all times. We missed out Carl Side with the mist down as it was, and continued on to the summit of Skiddaw, still walking with care. You’re not going to believe this but no sooner had we arrived at the summit, maybe within ten to fifteen minutes, the mist had lifted, the sun came out, and it was quite warm. As we sat there at the summit having a bite eat and reflecting on how bad it was coming up over the ridge, we could not help noticing this smartly dressed man about one hundred away. He was walking up the tourist path (one of those paths about five foot wide x one deep, and starts in Keswick town centre.) and he was dressed in a black military coat with black shoes. Perhaps when the mist was down in the town centre, he had missed his turning in the high street and should have turned left for the bank, instead of right for Skiddaw. At the time I thought it seemed so funny, when we had struggled up from the other side of the mountain with our kagouls and rucksacks on our backs. Still, it put a smile on our faces! Skiddaw is another mountain with good summit views, and various ways to the top. I personally think the way we went is the best way, because of the solitude. From here we visited Skiddaw Little Man, some three hundred yards away. On our return back the way we came, we called at Carl Side to log up this one to our list. As I said before, there was no way we would visit this summit, the way the conditions were at that time. Mountains walked that day: Ullock Pike 98 Long Side 70 Skiddaw 4 Skiddaw Little Man 15 Carl Side 66 [[]] Diagram & Stats
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