Tarn & Grey Crags, Longsleddale

Mon 15 Feb 2016
Back in the Lakes at last after a month off in January. This time we were staying first at Kendal and then our favourite posh hotel in Grasmere, the Grasmere Hotel. As Longsleddale is just north of Kendal, I thought it was high time Richard did his two outstanding Wainwrights up the dale – besides, I hadn’t been up there myself since I did them about twenty years ago.

Tarn Crag from Goat Scar

click on photos for full size/resolution – Richard’s digi-photos are labelled

I had a quick walk up The Helm above Oxenholme on the drive up to Kendal – a lovely little hill and great weather to boot. Richard stayed at the pub while I walked – I think he really missed out!

The next morning was very cold but sunny so we didn’t rush off too early preferring to wait until it warmed up a bit – it isn’t a long walk anyway. We were very unfortunate to enter Longsleddale just behind a farm delivery lorry. He was pretty bad-mannered and kept us behind him for the next four miles or so up the valley despite passing several wide spots where he could easily have paused for a second and let us past. Cue several long waits as he tried to sort out how to pass oncoming cars… I was pretty furious when he eventually reached the farm he was delivering to and we eventually got past.

Longsleddale – a long way to stick behind a lorry and see nowt!

On getting out of the car at the end of the Gatesgarth Pass we were met with an exceedingly bitter north wind. We booted up very quickly and set off up the icy track. Two mountain bikers also set off at the same time but couldn’t get away from us as it was too windy to cycle on such a rough surface against the strong wind.

R Wood

Goat Scar – the back of the Kentmere Round

We took a short break while I changed a film and we admired Rainsborrow Crag – quite fancy a crack at that – wonder if that’s what Richard’s thinking? 🙂

Probably not but he took a nice zoom of it for me – I was in awe of the huge gap in the ridge after the slabs!

R Wood

Luckily, as we reached where the path climbs up the pass, we became more sheltered from the icy blast.

both R Wood

Shortly afterwards we took a short break at the top of the first rise where there was a sheltering wall and a gate. I had a study of the map and gave Richard two choices. We could either go into Mosedale and head back south up the fell with the wind behind us (my choice), or we could just head up the beckside through the gate. He elected to follow the immediate beckside so we set off. Actually the wind wasn’t particularly bad up here.

both R Wood

Looking back during our snowy climb, we saw interesting-looking quarry or mine workings on the lower slopes of Harter Fell opposite and took quite a few photos. There looked to be a large group of people milling around there for some reason.

Looking through to Haweswater Fells

As we left the beckside, the snow got softer and a bit deeper and Richard started to lag and look fed-up.

Soft snow but cold enough for icicles

Luckily, it wasn’t too far to the ridge-top where it flattened out a bit and a path of trodden-down snow headed off for our first summit, Tarn Crag. We romped off along the path on the firmer snow, Richard now looking happier and keeping up.

R Wood – taking photos again now he was happier! (Note the famous digi-camera snow-scene blue-tinge – the real colours below from my film camera)

We were soon at the summit where there is a small tarn, an old water board survey tower and the summit cairn. We wandered around taking photos from different angles but it was absolutely freezing just there. Predictably, Richard’s digi-camera needed a battery change which I had to assist with – luckily I didn’t have to take my gloves off but he did and suffered for it.

We both took more or less the same photo – mine above, his below

The summit looking to Harrop Pike (L) and Grey Crag (R) (R Wood)

Grey Crag (R Wood)

Despite the scenic viewpoint, we had to leave as soon as we could as it was way too cold to hang around. I pointed out Grey Crag to Richard and we set off back to the fenceline on another trodden path. We then followed the fence down to the col where it was lovely and warm again – we were back in full sun and out of the wind.

Looking back up to Grey Crag

I’d been eyeing Harrop Pike again as I’d done it last time and it was sat just off to our left looking great.

In the end, I told Richard to go back to the sheltered sunny area about 50 yards back while I nipped up it (I knew he wouldn’t want to do it as he was suffering badly with a cold). He refused to backtrack slightly to the sunny area and said he’d look for somewhere after he’d summited Grey Crag – I hoped he found somewhere out of the wind and hurried off.

Proper purple snowclouds above Harrop Pike – but it didn’t snow

I went as fast as I could across the flat ground to Harrop Pike and was soon there.

After taking a couple of photos and briefly visiting the summit cairn, I ran back along the path until the rise to the start of Grey Crag (I can’t run uphill).

After reaching the summit of Grey Crag, I couldn’t see Richard so shouted a few times as he could have been in any direction. In the end, I headed off in the direction I thought he’d be hiding and heard a very curious noise. It was a bird-like piping – a bit like a demented lapwing.

After a few minutes of puzzled peering around, I saw a human figure – it was Richard blowing on some kind of whistle. When I reached him, I found it was actually just the end part of a Christmas party blower – pretty amusing thing to find being blown on a hill. I told him I hoped it wasn’t his emergency whistle!

It was really nice and warm where he’d been sitting so I stopped for a hot coffee and some of his flapjack. We couldn’t see the best descent from there – I was wanting to go left and head down the tongue heading back to Stockdale between the becks. Richard said he’d prefer to go right as he thought that was what Wainwright had said. I couldn’t remember the route I’d done last time when I’d ascended the hill to do the round in the opposite direction.

In the end, we went left for the tongue but ended up diverting down the beck instead. We had to climb a few fences and broken walls but were treated to some beautiful icy crystals and frozen waterfalls in the beck so took a few more photos.

Both cameras handled this shot slightly differently – my film above and Richard’s digi below

Richard’s again

Eventually, we found a very wet path heading down towards Stockdale. Luckily, this eventually turned into a good path just above the highest farm. We were soon going down a lane back to the road where we had around half a mile round the corner to Sadgill.

It was now lovely and warm at Sadgill – the north wind must have changed direction. Unfortunately for my poor Sunny, when I went to unlock the back hatch, I found the strut arm had fallen off just as I shut it and ended up getting trapped when I slammed it shut. There didn’t look to be too much damage apart from a nick in the paintwork fortunately.

Stats: 8 miles, 1780 feet of ascent