On Saturday we planned quite a short walk at 6 miles for 2 reasons. I had strained my lower back during the week and I wasn't sure how it would be. It was fine when I was walking but it seized up once I sat down for any length of time. Also the weather wasn't forecast to be very good with heavy showers possible and we wanted to get the tent up before it rained. We needed somewhere off the beaten track and I thought Bell Crags (or Blea Tarn Fell is the Birkett name) near Ullscarf would fit the bill.
We got the 78 to the bottom of Ashness Road at Barrow Bay and walked up to Ashness Bridge
Skiddaw above Ashness Bridge
Although hazy this is one of the best shots I've ever taken here, Skiddaw is nearly always covered in clag.
We were going up to High Seat first and turned left on the footpath up by Barrow Beck. I'd always thought this was Ashness Gill but that name doesn't appear on the map until above the waterfall.
Nice views across Derwent Water
It was baking hot on the climb, very little wind and we were overheating. We decided very slow progress was the order of the day and we took our time. We were overtaken by 2 people who looked at least 10 years older than us and they were quickly out of sight
We did laugh a bit, we are not used to the heat, perhaps they cope with it better than us.
On the traverse path to the waterfall
There wasn't much water in the waterfall, no more than a trickle, the photo wasn't worth showing! We'd topped up our water supply on Ashness Gill before we started on the stone steps up to Dodd
Beefy on Dodd
A rather murky view of Glaramara and Great Gable above Grange Fell
Follow the yellow brick road to High Seat ahead
The ground was very dry everywhere, normally a bit more boggy squelchy stuff up here.
Beefy on High Seat
It had taken 2 hours to get there and when I planned the route I had estimated 2 hours as a guide time so we hadn't walked as slowly as I thought. There was more breeze on the top and we were grateful for it. Dark cloud had appeared overhead and we wondered if we were going to get a drenching. The forecast had also said there was a small risk of an isolated thunderstorm. We weren't overly concerned about being struck by lightning, we just didn't want to get too wet before we pitched the tent.
The NW fells from High Seat
We had some lunch in the shelter below the summit, we heard a distant rumble of thunder and we had a few spits and spots of rain. After we scoffed our lunch we crossed the Pewits, totally different today than it normally is, thanks to Jontea for the info
A dreaded mire normally which is pure torture. Today very dry, no bog hopping on big diversions around wet boggy bits. Bill Birkett once wrote about the ground around High Tove that "wet feet are guaranteed"; well Mr Birkett, we want our money back
Beefy on High Tove with Armboth Fell in view behind our next fell
Beefy on Armboth Fell
I've never seen this little top so busy, a group of walkers were on the way up on to the top so we quickly took some shots and left, heading south toward Bell Crags.
Looking back at Armboth Fell with the group of walkers on the top
We carried on descending pathless over rough ground toward a wall and crossing a beck before coming to a fence.
On the way to Bell Crags
I'm using the name Bell Crags because it is shorter than Blea Tarn Fell
Deer!
We spotted a herd of deer, fantastic.
More of the deer seen on the horizon
They had noticed our presence and were off like a shot. We crossed the fence and started climbing up onto Bell Crags
Looking back, Launchy Tarn in view
We'd climbed up alongside a beck meaning to get water from it for our camp but it didn't look very nice. We would see what the water was like in the tarns on the top instead.
Beefy on Bell Crags
This wasn't the highest ground where the cairn was, a rock tor was higher.
Water source
That'll do and just below the summit
Dollywaggon Pike, Fairfield and Seat Sandal in the sunshine
We walked over to the rock tor and looked around for a pitch
The rock tor and highest point on Bell Crags
The view from the summit toward Armboth Fell and High Seat
A very sturdy sheep fold can be seen from the summit.
We found a good pitch in between the cairn and rock tor. We'd been lucky, only a few spits and spots of rain at times and we were getting in the tent dry. It was 3.30 and a bit early but this area isn't visited that often and we saw nobody at all in the time we were pitched here.
The MSR on Bell Crags. Thats Helvellyn behind
There were a lot of midges about, there was no wind hardly. We got some spray on but the blighters were still very annoying. It started to rain so we sheltered inside the tent until it stopped about 45 minutes later. There were a couple of rumbles of thunder but too far away to be of any concern. We'd got some water from the tarn when the rain stopped, it was actually very clear for tarn water, we expected it to be brown! We got it on to filter and got our gear unpacked.
The sun came out, how nice
We'd wondered if we would get a sunset, there might be a chance. We had our tea sitting outside at first but the midges were swarming around us and landing in our food. We got in the tent to escape them to finish our tea. We had minestrone soup and noodles, baked beans and roast vegetable cous cous and a packet of crisps. Gourmet camping food
We opened some wine and waited for the sun set.
The sun starts to set to the right of Grisedale Pike
We went outside again as the wind had picked up a little and it kept the midges at bay
Lovely sunset colours
Last shot of the sunset
The sun went down behind cloud rather than a fell, it was a better sunset than we thought we would get. We finished our wine and went to sleep happy with our camp, we hadn't got wet and it was good to be out again, we'd missed camping last week. Our route was Barrow Bay bus stop - Ashness Bridge - Dodd - High Seat - High Tove - Armboth Fell - Bell Crags. 10km with 744m ascent. My lower back had been fine all day when I was walking, it was only when I sat down and tried to get up again that I had a problem