Day 1
We started from Armboth Road End on Saturday. We had planned a shorter route. I had a left knee problem, I think it is fluid on the knee and every step was uncomfortable so I was nursing it over the weekend.
Before we got the bus from Keswick we took Squeaky for a walk in Hope Park to give her a break from the buses.
Hope Park
We popped down to the Boat landings.
The obligatory shot of Cabells
The Mountain Festival was at the weekend and Keswick was very busy.
Now the start of out walk proper. We walked along the Armboth Road until we reached Stenkin and took the footpath that leads to Harrop Tarn.
Right of shot is Steel Fell from the ascent
Squeaky on the way up
It was quite warm and so far no rain which had been forecast. We also had high cloud above the tops, that was unexpected too we expected low cloud.
The beacon at the start of the Wythburn fells
We weren't going up there we were going around Harrop Tarn then up to Blea Tarn to find a pitch.
A stile over a deer fence
We got over it although care had to be taken because of the height. I had a feeling the path should be on the other side of the fence, we had been here before but neither of us could remember the route exactly. We followed a path from the stile downward toward Harrop Tarn but we came to felled trees and progress was difficult. We hadn't seen an escape stile right, where we could see a clear and easy path, the one we should be on.
The felled trees on the way to Harrop Tarn
A large rock marked a place where countless other people had climbed the fence. We had no option but climb it ourselves we couldn't proceed and we didn't want to go back over the fallen trees. My knee was protesting. We thought the path might have once come over the stile before the felled trees covered the path.
We reached Harrop Tarn turned left on the Watendlath path and we spoke to the first people since we started the walk proper. We had stopped for lunch in the trees.
Looking back at our route up from the trees near Harrop Tarn
Blea Tarn
We spoke to the only other person we'd see all day at the fence when we reached it.
A big boulder at Blea Tarn
We'd walked around the tarn to get onto the Coldbarrow Fell ridge. We thought we would get the best views from there for our pitch.
The view west from the ridge
The view up to Coldbarrow Fell
We climbed the ridge looking for a good place to pitch. The wind wasn't a factor it wasn't strong.
Our pitch below Coldbarrow Fell
We found a great spot and pitched. It was early before 3 but there we were well away from the main path.
We descended to get some water from the beck below Low Saddle, put it on to filter while we got our gear sorted.
North to Bass Lake
There was a little light rain for a short time. We scoffed our tea and had some wine. We weren't hopeful of a sunset because of the cloud but we didn't mind. It was such a peaceful spot, no traffic noise or people noise. We could hear sheep and birds and it was a fabulous wild camp. Er, sorry I mean it was rubbish here, you really wouldn't like it, go to Sprinkling Tarn, it is much better there
View from the MSR
We sat with the doors open watching the clouds
Standing Crag lit up by the sun
The MSR with the sun dropping behind cloud
The sun disappearing
Dramatic dark cloud over the North Western Fells
We finished our wine and went to sleep happy. We will come back to this area to pitch again, it is a wonderful place. But Sprinkling Tarn is better
Day 2
We awoke on Sunday to low cloud. It dropped lower by the time we'd had our breakfast and it had covered the fell we were going to do, Great Crag. As the route was pathless we sacked it, neither of us could be bothered with a pathless route through clag. We descended the way we'd come up the day before, down to Harrop Tarn. We'd seen a wild camper at Blea Tarn and we'd waved as we passed. There were more people camping at Harrop Tarn and we said hello as we passed them.
In the trees leading to Harrop Tarn
The repaired gate and stile over the deer fence
On our way back we followed the path near the wall and it led to a repaired gate that is no longer a gate, it has to be climbed. The stile from the day before is on the right of the deer fence. Remember it is pointless if you want to go to Harrop Tarn, it leads to no-man's land, we couldn't see another stile to get over the deer fence and onto the path. We stopped for a brew and some food near the ruins of West Head.
The Binka Stone
We had a bit of a wait for the bus so we walked toward the Binka Stone before turning right at the Armboth Road and back to the Road End to get our bus.
My knee survived the weekend and it is a bit better now it isn't as swollen. We were very lucky with the weather except for the low cloud on Sunday morning. I hope we are lucky again this weekend, it does lucky a bit rainy on Sunday and Monday.
Day 1 was Keswick bus station - Hope Park - Boat Landings - Hope Park - bus station. 3.2km. Then Armboth Road End - Stenkin - Harrop Tarn - Blea Tarn - pitch below Coldbarrow Fell 5.6km with 350m ascent.
Day 2 was Pitch - Harrop Tarn - West Head - Binka Stone - Armboth Road End 8km with 120m ascent.