The car park at Brown Howe, at the foot of Coniston Water was empty. Roadside parking places were quite busy - hardly surprising since the LDNP wanted six quid (that's SIX quid) for parking in their car park, whereas the roadside is free, of course. So we joined the roadside party.
Our (thats me, Alan and the dawg) route today was aimed at gaining the top of Beacon fell - a Wainwright outlier and HuMP in the South Lakes.
The climb up to the top is easy enough and interestingly uses a shallow gully with some slabs on one side to get to the top. Its only 800 feet high, so it's perhaps not surpriusing that it's clientele seems to consist of old codgers and phogies (I include myself, but exclude the dawg in this definition)
On the top there's a cairn with a plastic box in which we found a kit-kat and a book with some pens for recording your visit to Beacon fell. And a very fine view of Coniston Water and the Coniston Fells and Black Combe
We descended to Beacon Tarn (where the dog had a bracing paddle!), and climbed up the ever so slightly rocky Wool Knott. Much heather and some bog followed as we transferred over to a long, heathery ridge to the North, which has, at its Western End, the fine viewpoint and elegant cairn of Yew bank. Is this named after a famous monocled boxer? Or maybe a carpet cleaning device?
Anyway, its a good view again.
A descent to the North over rough ground took us to a vague and sloppy footpath (vague and sloppy also describes my last maths teacher by the way...) and this vague and sloppy path lead us back to the road.
A short but cracking walk of just over 6 miles with 1500 feet of ascent.