Having been under the weather with a bad chest cold, I decided to take things easy while other club members were out in the Peak District and head to the Lakes for a shorter walk.
My kids have been enjoying ticking off a few Wainwrights the last two years, so with my older daughter suffering my cold at home, I headed off to the Keswick area with younger son Ewan to tackle Bleaberry Fell and Walla Crag.
He is always happy to tag along on a trip, I think he likes feeling he is doing something a bit more grown up.
Driving over the A66, we saw lots of snow, but I was unsure how much would be left in the Lakes. We approached from Rakefoot Farm, just NE of Keswick and it soon became obvious that the snow from a week earlier, when we did Pinnacle Ridge, had melted.
Looking back towards Keswick on the walk up.
Still the day was fairly clear with just a few clouds low down and no rain, so we headed off. Our walk took us up the side of Brocklebeck and out onto open moorland. There were not many people about as we were fairly early. We had the choice of going up Brocklebeck till it faded out into the hillside or via Walla Crag and returning the same way. We went with the first option to avoid backtracking and found the going a bit boggy in places. We were treated to an excellent close encounter with about a dozen deer across the fellside after having a quick bite at a ruined gamekeepers cottage.
Higher up the track breaks out right above some cliffs and joins the summit ridge and main track at a cairn, it was just below here we had another break and Ewan had a chance to play with my ice axe on a small patch of snow. sadly it was not much good, but he seemed to enjoy it.
Ewan practicing with an ice axe.
From here it was only a few minutes to the summit, which had clouded over while we had been having our break. It was a bit miserable with a light breeze that just made things a bit too cold to hang around. we sheltered behind the bivvi rocks and had some hot chocolate before heading off.
Ewan on top of Bleaberry Fell.
Looking back at Bleaberry Fell.
The path down from below where we had joined it was much better, with stone steps and better views as the cloud had now decided to lift again. We could see our next objective Walla Crag in the distance. The bottom of the path gave way to more boggy and wet ground (due to all the snow that had melted). We tramped over to Walla's minor summit, to be pleasantly surprised at the great view it offered of Derwentwater, Skiddaw and Keswick. More food and drink, photos and a rest was had, before beating a retreat to York and a viewing of 'Attack of the Clones', on TV.
Both of us on Walla Crag, Ewans 15th Wainwright. My 50th.
The sun comes out on Skiddaw.