Author Topic: TR Wild camp on the Wythburn Fells Sat 17 to Sun 18 Aug 19  (Read 1895 times)

April

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On Saturday we got off the bus at The Swirls bus stop. We were walking along the forest road to Armboth Road End then we were going up onto the Wythburn Fells for the night. We thought the forest roads would shelter us from the forecasted showers. We didn't have that much rain though and it wasn't a bad day.

In Highpark Wood


A peep of the Wythburn Fells


Squeaky enjoying the forest road


There are a few ups and downs on the forest roads  so it isn't as easy as you might think.

The view looking northward along Thirlmere


I'd not had time to think of where we were going this week and meant to plan a route on the bus from Carlisle but I'd discovered I had brought the wrong map. I'd brought the SW Lake District. Even funnier is I had meant to bring the NW map but this walk is actually in the NE map  :D I thought of this walk on the bus without a map (except the one in my head) but I couldn't remember how many miles it was along the forest road. Beefy had viewranger on his phone but I find it isn't very good to measure distances or plan a route, I prefer to use paper maps.

The view looking to the south along Thirlmere


It looked a long way to go the end of the lake.

The becks were very full with all the rain we have had


A memorial bench next to the beck


It is in memory of Christian and Niggy Townend who were 29 and 21 when they died  :(

I googled this when I got home. They sadly died cycling along the A595 near Cockermouth and were hit by a coach. There is a cycling event held every year for them, see http://teamtownend.org/

Still heading south on the forest road


Birkside Gill


We had our lunch near this waterfall. It started to rain but not for long. The promised showers were hardly anything.

The path is diverted from the normal forest road into this field, photo taken looking back


We'd thought we might have to walk to Dunmail Raise so we were pleased to see the diversion was just past the gill before returning to the forest road again.

Looking toward Thirlmere from the ascent to Wythburn Fells


We'd started the ascent on the footpath at Stenkin.

Squeaky on the zig zag path


Seat Sandal in view


Looking for a pitch


Bracken, boggy areas and wind made finding a pitch a time consuming affair.

The tall stile and a new gate


A gate has now been installed here after mistakenly being just fenced a while ago. Use the gate and not the stile if you want to go to Harrop tarn. We weren't going there today we headed south to find a pitch. We hoped to find somewhere dry and out of the wind. It was forecast to be quite strong at any height.

The MSR on the Wythburn Fells


After an hour we found some where out of the wind, dry and flat. Not a bad view. 

We got some water from Ullscarf Gill. It was a bit peaty. We had our tea and a rest, pleased we had got in the tent dry. It was too cloudy for a sunset view but we wouldn't have got a good view of it from where we were. A pretty good camp for a dull, windy day, it was good to back out camping. Our route was Swirls - Birkside Gill - Steel End - Stenkin - Wythburn Fells pitch. 9.25m with 350m ascent.

It rained a bit overnight and the wind battered the tent now and again. We were lucky to get the tent down during a lull in the rain.

On the way to Harrop Tarn


Looking back at The Beacon on Wythburn Fells


At Harrop Tarn I missed the turn off for the Dob Gill car park so we just continued on the forest road on the yellow marked trail that led down to the road near Hause Point.

Thirlmere seen in a break in the trees


The rain got heavier and more continuous.   

On the Armboth Road


We were quite wet by now and we had a soggy brew and food stop near Armboth Car Park sheltering under the tent footprint.

Japanese anemones in Hope Park
   

There is always some thing new to see in Hope Park. These anemones were lovely. We were very wet when we got on the bus to Keswick and we got wetter walking into Hope Park and back to kill time before our bus home. Day 2 was Wythburn Fell pitch - Harrop Tarn - Armboth Road - Dam Road End. Then Keswick bus station - Hope Park and back. 10km with 75m ascent.  Despite the soaking on Sunday, we had really enjoyed Saturday. Roll on next weekend and the weather looks pretty good for a bank holiday.
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beefy

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Great pics and tr Ape O0
Was a nice camp, we had a good weekend despite the weather eh  :)
Leave only footprints, take only photographs, kill only time ...

karl h

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Great stuff AB n Squeaky O0  Glad you managed to have a night it's not really been camping weather recently :(
Love that Wythburn ridge a nice way up to the central fells

Ridge

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Apart from the empty skies over Thirlmere, which would surely be improved with wires and screaming punters, lovely pics and report.  O0

Dovegirl

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Lovely photos April     :)    The Japanese anemones are very pretty

April

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we had a good weekend despite the weather eh  :)

We did, I'm hoping for a better weekend coming up  :)

Glad you managed to have a night it's not really been camping weather recently :(

It has been pants. It is a nice wild place, Wythburn  :)

Apart from the empty skies over Thirlmere, which would surely be improved with wires and screaming punters, lovely pics and report.  O0

 ;D It was nice to be back walking along Armboth Road, open again after storm damage felled a lot of trees.

The Japanese anemones are very pretty

They are very nice. Thanks Dovegirl  :)
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vghikers

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A surprisingly good pitch shot and attractive patterns of light and dark, nice round.  O0
 

clyoung

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Great pics. I must say with the weather last week I was glad we were spending the nights in Youth Hostels rather than camping!

Mel

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I enjoyed reading that, if only to remind myself what rain is  :D


That looked like a smashing little camping spot too  :)

Pitboot

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Yes that forest road came to us as a bit of a surprise after ascending Hellvellyn from Wythburn car park and descending to Swirls. Lesson learned.

Warbler

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Enjoyed reading this. Great images too. I particularly liked "Thirlmere seen in a break in the trees"  O0

April

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Thanks vghikers - we didn't expect to get such a good pitch  :)

Thanks cloung - it has not been camping weather lately  :(

I enjoyed reading that, if only to remind myself what rain is  :D

 ;D

Yes that forest road came to us as a bit of a surprise after ascending Hellvellyn from Wythburn car park and descending to Swirls.

Not what you want after you have done a lot of ascent and descent already  :)

Thanks Warbler  O0
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pleb

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Nice  :)
Brought the wrong map  ;D ;D ;D
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sunnydale

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Lovely photos April O0
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April

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Thanks pleb and sunnydale  :)
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