CYHA News

Frozen in the Fells

Another Easter, another trip to the Lake District. This is usually a break where we celebrate the joys of spring with primroses and daffodils, and new-born lambs gambolling in the fields. This year however was destined to be different. Just a few days before we were due to leave there was a massive dump of snow across central England and part of the west coast – including Cumbria. The unseasonably icy temperatures ensured that much of that snow was still in place to welcome us for the Easter weekend. Deep drifty snow, massive wind-blown icicles, hats, scarves and thick, thick gloves were definitely the theme of the weekend.

Ali

Good Friday–Silver How & Easedale

Good Friday we all set off to do Dave's walk, up the hills around Grasmere. The morning was gently paced and scenic - the whole weekend we had more sunshine than we expected.

Doug headed down to prepare boeuf bouguignon for us all. After lunch Dave & Ali decided that they were going to go the whole 12 miles as planned, and put a step on it.

I drifted back through the group and found myself at the back with John & Jim. We had a conflab and decided to descend and cut our walk short. Jim phoned Dave (the joys of mobiles - couldn't do this in the old days).

Apparently Colin led the next mutiny (unbeknown to the leaders who just marched on) and 5 more ducked out. We three had a lovely cuppa tea & cake in Grasmere and walked back to Rydal Hall

Lorna

An icy Good Friday and Dave planned a mega hike of 12 miles taking in the superb views from Loughrigg Terrace and up onto Sliver How. Post Castle Crag, most of the party decided they’d had enough of the yomping through snow in an arctic wind and took a short-cut down to Easedale Tarn and the tearooms of Grasmere. The remaining troupe of hard-core hikers (and Chris, who made the error of walking too fast) stuck to the original plan and topped Blea Rigg before descending via the treacherous ice-slope at the head of Easedale. We arrived in Grasmere just in time to see the sign on the tea rooms turned to ‘closed’

Ali

Saturday – Attempt on Fairfield

The next day I decided to go for it and march out of the back door and up the hill - Heron Pike, Great Rigg, and Fairfield (873metres). Dave & the others wished me luck as they were convinced it would be black ice all the way. Eh?

A steady plod, and great views brought me over Heron Pike and to a crag which gave a bit of shelter that kept me warm for an extended lunch. On the ridge the sidewind was raw and I held my ski-mittened hand over my arctic hat and ear! As I approached Great Rigg it began to be a bit dicey under foot and I had a brief chat with some old fellows descending. They said they'd given up not far after Gt Rigg.

The summit of Great Rigg afforded no shelter at all (I couldn't seem to find a leeward side anywhere). I got my stick out for the descent, looked at Fairfield, took 3 steps, and turned round. It was jolly freezing and the snow seemed to have formed a hard crust which really needed crampons to be safe.

Going downhill I was whizzing along. So I made a detour around Heron Pike to explore Alcock Tarn (an HF Easy walk). I whiled away some time wading through deep soft snowfields and trying to find a small tarn from the map. Eventually I got myself back on the main path, and passed the time of day with a Mexican student of Shakepeare discussing Richard III

Lorna

Easter Monday – Fat Man’s Agony

A short drive to Langdale and we were soon braving the chills of another icy climb up Side Pike and onto Lingmoor Fell, via the notorious ‘Fat Man’s Agony’. This natural ‘squeeze’ soon had us regretting all that time spent in the teashop and the seconds from the previous night, but the views over to Wetherlam and the Langdale Pikes more than made up for any discomfort.

Ali

Tuesday – Heron Pike

For our last walk before the drive home, we climbed above Rydal, via Alcock Tarn, to Heron Pike for wonderful views of everywhere we’d been over 6 days of dry weather, excellent visibility, great walks and amazing snowscapes

Dave P