Tue 20 October 2020
In the short window when we were allowed to travel last year, Richard came up and we had a few days at Patterdale Hotel – this was really well-run with respect to Covid regulations and we enjoyed our break. It was nice to get further afield – the Northern and North-western fells are local to me so I can do them all year but I was dying to get back to the more serious fells elsewhere – the Northern fells are pretty tame grassy affairs.
photos:
my Zenith manual film SLR and Richard’s digi-thing
We waited until around 1100 before starting the walk as it took until then to stop raining hard! This is one you can easily walk from the hotel door – always a plus point in my book – especially as, then, you don’t lose your hard-won parking place! It’s a mile to Glenridding where you start the walk and we set off up the minor road to the Youth Hostel up Greendale to begin. Just before a row of cottages on the fellside, you turn uphill on a steep track. This works up to a little shoulder above and then rakes nicely towards the col between Glenridding Dodd and Heron Pike. You gain height very quickly up here…
the path sets off from the cottages in the middle of the photo, goes up to the craggy area in the middle and then rakes left
As we reached the col I kept stopping and studying the ridge behind which goes straight up Birkhouse Moor – I’ve had my eye on this ridge for ages so Richard kindly took some study photos for me…
hmmm – not sure about that final crag at the top!
It’s a very quick hop up Glenridding Dodd from the col but it was very muddy and slippery after all the rain during the Autumn. This is one of my old photos of Heron Pike/Sheffield Pike from the Dodd…
Another of my older photos showing the interesting skyline (on the right) to the summit
We slithered back down to the col (where I’d suggested we leave our packs but Richard didn’t want to!) and set off in a blasting cross-wind up the interestingly rocky route up to Heron Pike – luckily the wind was blasting away from the steep side! We both took photos looking back to Glenridding Dodd – mine first then Richard’s…
At the top of the rocky section we went for a quick break out of the wind on Heron Pike before continuing to Sheffield Pike – just as I set off round a rocky corner here, I surprised a green woodpecker – the first I’ve ever seen! It was way too fast for me to get a photo though… After a warming drink we continued on across the very boggy ground towards the summit of Sheff…
Nick Head from near the summit of Sheffield Pike (my film photo)
It was too windy for much of a break at the summit and had started raining again but I was delighted to be up one of my favourite mountains again after being stuck on the same fells for ages – my happy grin made Richard think the occasion worth a photo!
Happy in the hills despite the weather
We then set off for the descent which was also very wet indeed in places…
The head of Glencoyndale (my film photo)
Sticks Pass from the descent (Richard’s digi)
There was a nice little pool on the descent which I got Richard to photograph for me…
We bumped into a family group on the col but managed to skip quickly past them before we reached the narrow route down to Seldom Seen – they didn’t follow us down that way in the end anyway so it didn’t really matter… I always used to be scared of the Seldom Seen descent path so got Richard to take a couple of photos – now I find it completely fine…
It’s quite a long but pleasant and well-graded descent to the cottages of Seldom Seen – so called because you only ever see them if you descend the mountain this way – they’re quite a way from the road…
Seldom Seen Cottages (my film photo)
A stitched photo of dead and dying ash trees (my film photo)
All that was left was to follow the cottage’s access road back to the main road and then walk back into Glenridding. There is a path through the woods between the road and the lakeshore so we used that – Richard took these photos…
I fancy the dapple grey myself…
And I took this film photo which is one of my favourites this year…
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Wonderful looking county! Perfect day for saturated colours. All the photos are lovely. The last one is definitely a keeper.
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Thanks – the last photo is going on my next year’s calendar! 🙂
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I’ve only been up Sheffield Pike once, but I couldn’t really ‘claim’ it as such as it was on a joint helicopter training day with Penrith and Patterdale MRTs – getting dropped off at the summit and then picked up again doesn’t really count I suppose. Oh well, one reason to go back. 🙂
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Well that’s one way to miss the bogs around the summit I suppose! 😉
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Nice post. Did Glenridding Dodd ages ago with a hangover and decided against continuing to Sheffield Pike. Now it’s one of my annoying outliers. Needs sorting!
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Ah the evils of alcohol! 😉
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I so envy you your hikes in such stunning wilderness, Carol, and this one looks particularly awe inspiring. Some of the pictures remind me of Wales. No wonder you look so happy in the hills – anyone would be in that setting, bad weather or not. In any case, I reckon people were so pleased to be able to live a little again last year that for once nobody would have minded a bit of typical English summer weather!
I LOVE the name of that tiny Hamlet, Seldom Seen. What an inspired bit of thinking that was by whoever dreamt it up. And as for that path through the woods at the end – it looks heavenly. Fab post. 🙂
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While I obviously prefer nice weather, I’m always so glad to get back to my favourite hills that I never care really just so long as I get up there! Richard is completely the opposite and usually wants a view and all that.
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Oh well, it wouldn’t do if we were all the same, I’m like you though with weather, especially where castles are concerned. I don’t care what the weather is doing as long as I can get to them. In fact, I often prefer castles in inclement weather as they tend to be much quieter – and therefore much more atmospheric! 🙂
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Seldom Seen – I love that name. Wish I could remember if I’d done those hills or not! I’m pretty sure I have but it was back in the 80s so I can’t be 100% sure. Better go back some time to be certain 😀
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Actually, I think there are more than one ‘Seldom Seens’ – I’ve definitely seen at least one other…
That walk over those 2 hills is a very short one and could be done in a morning or an afternoon. Well worth having another look…
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Sometimes I think there just has to be some rain every day in the Lakes… 😀
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they always says that’s why it’s called The Lakes – but we’ve had a dryish summer this year – not that hot for that long but quite dry.
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Couple of good fells, almost local from our side,
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My favourite valley for walking but I definitely don’t get there often enough. I find that, if we don’t stay down there, we just couldn’t get parked so we only do the hills there if we’re staying.
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The Lake District is one mountain area where I do not mind if it rains as there is so much colour, variety, history, and choice of paths everywhere. Scottish mountains are always grey, featureless, sodden, and boggy in poor conditions and the paths are usually mud wallows or streams after rain. That’s why I love the Lakes and you have so many attractive towns, shops, five star grub and pubs, and photographic villages in that one small area as well. And it’s pretty cheap with all the shop competition. And you have dozens of charity shops compared to my local two in my own city district. It’s a win win….why would you want to move again Carol to a even wetter, much more impoverished desert further north. I honestly think you would move back after a couple of winters here.
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Lakes paths are much rockier, that’s for sure – Snowdonian ones rockier still. Boot soles don’t last half as long in the Lakes as they did on the Munros!
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I can see why you love it there.
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It is really beautiful countryside – the hills and lakes are very close together in a very compact area so it’s great walking country.
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