Raven Crag

[pdstsp]

Morning all


Just managed to get a day and a half off work after being incredibly busy since the zip wire protest, so headed off up to the Lakes on Tuesday.  Had to do a couple of hours work on Tuesday morning so arrived around 1.30 after driving up through the snow.  I had deliberately booked into the Kings Head at Thirlspot, because it's on the A591, given the weather forecast.  I intended to walk from the end of the damn road at Thirlmere, up Raven Crag and then down the west side on the forest roads to cross the A591 and climb High Rigg.


I wasn't quite expecting the quantity of snow..looking up the road to the Thirlmere dam



The path up to Raven Crag



And looking back down;



The snow was soft and not very deep - only a few inches, but the trees were heavy with it and I got a couple of down the back of the neck doses!


The view at the top was stunning









The descent was lovely - virtually complete silence except for the crunch of boots on snow.  However I had dillied and dallied a bit so I abandoned High Rigg and walked a couple of miles up the west side of Thirlmere, thinking thoughts.


As the day ended the skies in the North were clearing and Skiddaw took on that blue sheen - I haven't captured it very well, but I tried.



A last one is of Blencathra taken from outside the Kings Head on Wednesday morning before breakfast

[Strider]

Great stuff, nothing beats that muffled silence you get in a snowy forest.  Love the last shot of Blencathra

[Ridge]

Lovely photos 


Boots in snow is a lovely sound.

[photonut]

A nice set of pics pdstsp 


The view from Raven Crag looks superb and definitely worth the walk in the snow.  Have you ever been to High Seat or Armboth Fell from there?


Cheers
Lee

[pdstsp]

Thanks guys


Photonut - no, I've walked High Seat but from Bleaberry Fell last December.  I've not yet walked Armboth Fell -  intended to do it on the same walk as High Seat, but i made a technical error and ended up just above waist deep in the bog between High Seat and High Tove and descended to Watendlath instead, very cold and very very muddy.

[April]

Stunning photos pdstsp 

The silly norberts who support the 8 Zip Wire proposals across Thirlmere who give "man made reservoir" as an excuse to destroy this area must not have been up here.

The ground between High Seat and High Tove is awful 

[Percy]

Great stuff, nothing beats that muffled silence you get in a snowy forest.

Couldn’t agree more.

[photonut]

Photonut - no, I've walked High Seat but from Bleaberry Fell last December.  I've not yet walked Armboth Fell -  intended to do it on the same walk as High Seat, but i made a technical error and ended up just above waist deep in the bog between High Seat and High Tove and descended to Watendlath instead, very cold and very very muddy.

Ah... just as I feared when looking at potential walking routes last night    Those routes on the top look terribly wet and soggy

The ground between High Seat and High Tove is awful 

The Pewits??
I think it might be time to buy some waders!!!   

[April]

The Pewits??

Yes, the dreaded Pewits, notoriously wet and boggy here, the best time to go across is when the ground is frozen.

[pdstsp]

Photonut - yes they are wet and soggy - I was probably a bit foolish trying to cross where I did, but I was a little worried for a time - I couldn't feel the bottom with my walking pole and was already in up to the waist - I reckon it took about 10 minutes to get out, and involved some spreading of the body on the surface and heaving on one leg to free it from the peat mud - I was mightily relieved to get out as there was nobody around to help.  I had an image of someone finding my hat floating on the mud.


April - you are so right - as I was walking I kept thinking, how can anyone even seriously consider the plans? If the wires were there, you would have heard the screaming on Beefy's video on Helvellyn!


Paul

[Ridge]

That sounds a bit scary pdstsp.


We've done Armboth, High Tove, High Seat, Raven Crag when it wasn't frozen and it was very boggy but do-able.

[pdstsp]

It was scary - I had a couple of nightmares about it in the weeks after.  All  my fault - I should have cast round for a better route.


There was a funny afterwards though - as you know the path to Watendlath descends from the peak of High Tove so I had to go there to make my descent.  When I got there, there was a middle aged couple having a rest and a sandwich on the peak (summit slugs).  I touched the cairn  and the guy looked at me and asked whether I had noticed if it was at all boggy on the way to High Seat.  I was literally covered from head to toe - my boots were full of peat, the pockets of my jacket were full of peat, my red hat was black, my face was streaked, my hands were covered.  I may have lost my normal equanimity because I told him it was fine underfoot but that I had soiled myself, and hence my appearance. We didn't chat for long.

[photonut]

Yes, the dreaded Pewits, notoriously wet and boggy here, the best time to go across is when the ground is frozen.

Oooo... like this weekend perhaps
(Can't say I'm looking forward to that bit of the walk though)

[photonut]

... I couldn't feel the bottom with my walking pole and was already in up to the waist - I reckon it took about 10 minutes to get out, and involved some spreading of the body on the surface and heaving on one leg to free it from the peat mud - I was mightily relieved to get out as there was nobody around to help. 

Paul, this sort of scenario often goes through my mind when I'm out walking... as a solo walker I dread it happening... but know it will for sure one day

Perhaps I should assemble a 'posse' to traverse this route ... hmm who in their right mind would attempt such a thing 

[beefy]

Tremendous pics mate 
Ya can't beat a nice walk in the snow