On Saturday we got the bus to Scales. We had our crampons, micro spikes and ice axes with us. We had a glorious day to look forward to, the forecast was for blue skies and were going up Blencathra by Scales Fell. The day didn't look very good when we got there with low cloud over the summit.
We put our spikes on when we reached compacted snow and ice on the path on Scales Fell.
Clough Head from the way up Scales Fell
Great Mell Fell from the ascent
Squeaky was playing around in the snow and looked happy enough although we weren't moving fast enough for her. Part of the route is quite steep and hard going in the snow. I was slow
We got to about 500m asl and the wind was making its presence felt blowing spindrift right at us and all over Squeaky. We couldn't see where the path went as the spindrift was covering the paths higher up. The ground was more trodden to the right so right we went but this turned out to be wrong, the snow got deeper and deeper and Squeaky was struggling in it. Beefy had to carry her, she was getting really cold, although she had 2 coats on. We turned back down to find the correct path but when we got to the point where we'd made the wrong turn, Squeaky was shivering and we made the sad decision to go back down. We would miss a great day out on the fell but Squeaky would have been too cold to continue, as we got higher the wind and spindrift would have been even worse for her. I thought we would have been sheltered from the wind on the way up as it was a northerly. In hindsight I should have chosen a smaller fell to do to see how Squeaky managed the snow and cold.
On the way back down to Scales
Of course the skies were blue and the cloud had lifted off the tops. We'd swapped microspikes to crampons for the steep bit on the descent, it was getting more compacted and slippery, there were a lot of people on the way up. Squeaky was now happy again, warmed up and racing along in front of us, little divil
At Scales we crossed the A66 where we planned to walk to Keswick via Castlerigg. We took the footpath to Guardhouse.
The north western fells from the path to Guardhouse
Halls Fell and Doddick Fell near Guardhouse
We looked at Blencathra, if only we'd been able to go across the top
We will have to get Squeaky a coat with legs in if we take her up in the snow. We were approaching Guardhouse and I looked at the map on my tablet to see where the footpath went next. We didn't have spikes or crampons by now as there wasn't much snow or ice lower down. All of a sudden I'd crashed to the ground, I didn't have time to react, my tablet smacked off the ground and I'm still not sure which part of me hit the ground first, I think it was my left knee. I lay still for what seemed ages but was just a few minutes. I eventually got up, my knees, hip, arms and neck were all hurting. I looked at the ice on the track to the gate that I hadn't seen because I'd looked at the map while still walking. I am always so careful, putting spikes on when its slippery so I don't fall. I hobbled through the gate and we carried on walking, I didn't think I would make it to Keswick. My tablet had survived the fall thank goodness. What happened next took my mind off the pain.
A sheep seemingly stuck in the River Glenderamackin
We'd walked for a few minutes from Guardhouse and spotted this sheep. We watched it for a few minutes and thought it was very odd it would stay in the water that long. The water must have been freezing. We walked back to Guardhouse to see if we could find the farmer it belonged to. If not we were going to trespass on the other side of the river to get it out ourselves.
The sheep rescued and in the field
A woman in one of the houses came out to help, she was a farmer but the sheep wasn't hers. We went on the footpath again so we could point out the sheep to her, it might not be able to be seen from the other side. We came to the sheep then realised, she was quite tiny compared to the sheep, we hadn't realised how big it was. Beefy had to return to the bridge at Guardhouse and go into the field on the other side of the river to help her lift the sheep out. She had done well to get it half way up the river bank. The sheep couldn't move its back legs due to the cold. Once into the field proper she rubbed the sheeps legs to get its circulation going and it trotted off. Meanwhile, the farmer whose sheep it was had arrived in his landrover on the side of the river I was on. Someone else must have alerted him about the sheep being stuck. He thanked us for helping out. We couldn't have left the sheep where it was so it was no bother.
Halls Fell
We stopped for some lunch further along the footpath. Beefy had mucky sheep hands. We must remember to eat before we rescue sheep in the future
Grisedale Pike looking rather marvellous
Halls Fell Ridge again
My right hip was really painful when we started walking again and I hobbled to Threlkeld.
Gategill Fell with Blease Fell beyond
Clough Head from Threlkeld Coffee Shop
At Threlkeld we got on the bus and we were home for 16.35. Our route was Scales - 500m up Scales Fell - Scales - Guardhouse - Mill Bridge - Threlkeld. 10.9 km with 328m ascent. A weird sort of day, epic for the wrong reasons. In the end we were pleased we hadn't gone onto Blencathra, we wouldn't have rescued the sheep!
No walk for me on Sunday, I had a hospital appointment in Newcastle, a spinal scan. I wondered if I should have asked them to check my hip while I was there ?
I had my scan and my appointment to see the consultant about it should have been this afternoon but it was cancelled
My hip and leg are still hurting from the fall on the ice but I'm sure I will be fine in a few days.