Sun 24 Jan 2015
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| The valley north of Clougha Pike |
We drove to Rigg Lane car park, and with the weather doubtful, but forecast for sunny intervals, we set off around the back of Clougha via Ottergear Bridge. Clouds never cleared, and as height was gained so the wind increased and the temperature fell.
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| Old shooting butts |
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| Another rock face! |
We found navigation in the largely featureless terrain quite easy, but we didn't believe the map nor the compass when we arrived at the disused quarry just east of the hidden summit, and wasted a lot of energy and time walking south towards what appeared to be the top.
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| The summit at last |
Of course, we had to retrace our steps, over soggy and semi-frozen ground, until we eventually reached the shelters and trig column. The viewing table that was vandalised some years ago has not been replaced. The descent over rough ground was fairly rapid, and the walk through the lovely oak wood at the bottom was pleasant. We noticed the concrete channel in the stream and the pipes taking it underground for a distance that I had seen on my previous visit in 2009. The duck boarding over the swamp below was still in place, but slippery in the wet conditions, lacking the studding used in Holme Wood in Grizedale.
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| Coppiced oaks |
