Chelmsford YHA Group

CYHA News

The Monthly Newsletter of Chelmsford YHA Local Group

May 2010

Springtime in Eskdale


Eskdale to Scafell

So, what did we get up to in April? March saw the completion of the Essex Way, our first long distance footpath, so how could we top that?

For this year’s Easter trip we re-visited the quiet Lake District valley of Eskdale. Eskdale is over to the western side of the Lakes and is one of those valleys which doesn’t contain a lake. The centre we were staying in is a little outside the village of Boot and used to be the old village school. Currently owned by Southfields schools it leads a precarious existence hosting schools on field trips and the likes of us in holidays.

Given the long drive up, it was close to miraculous that our Sheffield car arrived in the valley at the same time as Jim’s Doncaster car. Our luck didn’t hold however, as it became apparent that we weren’t expected (in spite of booking over a year ago) and hadn’t been told where the key was now held. This was a small hiccup though, as the old caretaker soon had us on the right track. A relief that we wouldn’t have to tell everyone that after battling up through the snow and bank holiday traffic they’d be sleeping in the car park!

On our last day, after finishing the clearing up and going for a short walk, Dave & I bumped into the centre manager. We were treated to a long chat on the history of the centre and the difficulties the school faces hanging on to such a resource. He also apologised for not knowing we were booked in – apparently not the first time the booking clerk has forgotten to pass on the booking details. We were also congratulated on our standard of cleanliness: “I wish every group we had was like yours”. So thanks to everyone who helped clean up.  And see the back page for more about our Easter exploits.

Ali


 


Get Well Soon

Our best wishes go to Cressida, who returned from Portugal with a broken arm. Hopefully she’ll be out walking with us again soon, but in the meantime I shall think twice before wishing anyone a good ‘trip’.


Billericay Uncovered

Thank you Carol for hosting us on a splendid walk around Billericay.

Meeting at the town car park, a short stretch on tarmac, taking in the park and views of several of Carol’s former homes, we were soon out in the countryside. The environs of Billericay are surprisingly rural within a short distance of the town: lots of horses, singing birds, even a couple of pigs. This was all enhanced by the perfect sunny weather, which made the walking particularly pleasurable.

Lunch was at the Blue Boar pub in town. True to Wetherspoons, they not only had a fine selection of ales on offer, but the food arrived so promptly that the first to order were getting theirs before the last to order had got back from the bar.

Several people met us at the pub, including Cressida who was showing everyone her multicoloured arm (an undesirable souvenir of their Easter hols).

From a lucky thirteen in the morning, our numbers swelled  to sixteen for the afternoon leg, but by now it was getting quite hot. A lunch that included a fair quantity of real ale probably wasn’t the best plan for staying hydrated.

Billericay is surprisingly hilly for Essex, and it was the afternoon stretch that had the best of the views. There were also lovely displays of wild flowers, including a carpet of wood anemones and even a few early-bird bluebells.

All-in-all a wonderful walk which would have been enjoyable even without the beautiful weather.


Lost Property

Are you missing a pale peach coloured towel from Easter? If so, drop me a line or give me a call and we’ll attempt to reunite you with it.

Ali

 
 

Easter Diary

Wainwright described Eskdale as ‘the finest of all valleys’ – it was his favourite valley for walking – and Ruskin called Eskdale ‘the gateway to paradise’. It was good to be back there seven years since our last visit. We were greeted by snow on the higher hills and the crags glowing red in the sunset.

Friday

After kippers for breakfast and a while waiting for the later arrivals, we all set off through Boot village and up the track to Burnmoor Tarn. From here we started climbing steeply to Illgill Head, as a patch of sunshine illuminated Wasdale and snow-covered Scafell, Great Gable and Kirk Fell. Getting close to the edge gave us dramatic views down to Wast Water.  The walk down through the forest was well timed to bring us to cross the railway line just in time to photograph the last steam train of the day returning from Eskdale. A heavy shower caught us on the last mile back, but Nick & Lorna’s tasty bolognaise soon warmed us up.

Saturday

Most of us headed for Harter Fell by one route or another.  This distinctive conical-shaped hill dominates the view from Eskdale.  The fine view from the summit was quickly obscured by a hail storm when we sat down for lunch, but it cleared as we made our way down to Hardknott Pass. We spent a while looking around the Roman Fort at Hardknott, and walked back along the dale in warm sunshine, celebrating with a pint at the Brook House Inn before getting back to the centre just in time for dinner – John & Judi’s delicious homemade pizza parcels.

Sunday

Fuelled by our Easter crème eggs (thanks to Lorna again), five of us decided to climb Scafell, while most of the others went to explore the bogs of Upper Eskdale.  Climbing from Slight Side to Scafell the snow became thicker on the ground, the temperature dropped, and we entered thick mist, making the walk navigationally more interesting.

As we trudged through the snow, text messages arrived with Easter greetings from Mike & Cress in Portugal "walking on the coast in hot sun, might go for a swim later", from James & Marion "enjoying a sunny day on the Severn Valley Railway" and from Ian "Gloriously warm and sunny in Norfolk today!"

It was too cold to linger on the summit for long, so after taking pictures of each other we headed down. On the way, the mist cleared for some great views across Eskdale, over to Wasdale, and out to sea we could see the Isle of Man. We were down with just time for a quick pint before Jim’s curry.

Monday

Heavy rain showed no sign of stopping, so a ride on the railway to Ravenglass was the obvious choice. This 7-mile long 15-inch gauge line is described as "the English Lake District’s oldest, longest and most scenic steam railway". Dispersing around Ravenglass, we photographed trains, browsed in the museum and sampled the station buffet. By this time it had stopped raining, so we walked back over Muncaster Fell and caught the last train back from Eskdale Green.

Tuesday

A few of us walked up to nearby Stanley Ghyll Force, an impressive waterfall in a narrow gorge.

After the rest of the group had gone, Alison and I drove out over Hardknott and Wrynose passes to enjoy a few extra days in the Lakes, and to bag a few more hills around the Newlands Valley and Buttermere. Our total for the week: 21 Wainwrights, 25 Birketts, 16 Hewitts, 17 Nuttalls, 3 Deweys and 7 Marilyns. What are they? See below if you don’t know!

Dave P



The Lists of Hills in England

Most people will have heard of Munro’s Tables, the list of Scottish mountains over 3000ft, published by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891.  Not only did Sir Hugh start the sport of Munro-bagging, but he was the first of many hill-list writers.  Some lists which cover English hills are listed below:

  • Marilyn: a hill of any height with a drop of 150 metres (nearly 500 ft) or more on all sides. There are 178 in England.
  • Nuttall: any summit of 2000ft (610m) or more which rises above its surroundings on all sides by at least 50ft (15m). Of these, 253 are in England.
  • The Hewitts are Hills in England, Wales and Ireland over Two Thousand feet (609.6 m), with a relative height of at least 30 metres.  178 of them are in England.
  • The Wainwrights are a list of hills appearing in the seven volumes of Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. There are a total of 214 Wainwrights.
  • The Birketts are all the Lake District hills over 1,000ft as listed in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells, totaling 541.
  • A Dewey is a mountain or hill in England, Wales or the Isle of Man, that exceeds 500 metres in height, but is below 610 metres (2000ft) in altitude; it must be separated from adjacent tops by a height difference of at least 30 metres on all sides. England has 187 Deweys.
  • HuMPs are hills of any height with a drop of 100 metres or more on all sides  The name HuMP stands for HUndred Metre Prominence.

From "The Relative Hills of Britain" by Alan Dawson: "It is sometimes claimed that an attraction to lists is a sign of arrested personal development. If this is the case then I will try to cover up my own psychological deficiencies by suggesting a list of reasons why publishing this new list of hills is eminently desirable..."

Please send any comments on these pages to Dave Plummer