Sat 16 Jan 2016
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| Kentmere Pike range from High Knott |
Minus 4 degrees! Feeling very stiff and my left
hand almost unusable I wondered if I should go walking or not. But though the
flesh was unwilling, the spirit was. It was impossible to park at Kentmere as
the world had already taken all the spaces. But we found a perfect spot at
Ulthwaite Bridge.
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| Williamson Monument on High Knott |
It was a lovely day, but we were disappointed to
find access to Williamson's Monument on High Knott denied us, with threats of
legal action should we proceed. We went down to the owner's farm only to find
that there are new residences owned by others, with conversion work going on.
We learned that the farmer was called Isaac, but apparently he lives in
Langdale.
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| British Settlement at Hugill |
So we set off further north to see the ancient settlement,
which is quite extensive with the positions of the old hutments easily discerned.
The sun was warm enough for us to enjoy our lunch there but then the
temperature plummeted when the clouds came over.
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| The type of hinge for the gates in this area |
We decided to take the walk clockwise back to
the car. When we reached it snow started falling in a very beautiful and gentle
fashion, and soon covering the ground by a couple of inches. It being by then
only quarter past two we re-parked in Staveley and walked back a little to take
the steep walk up to AW's Hugill Fell. The snowfall became heavier and
visibility was limited. We reached the tiny cairn as the snow increased even
more, building up on the ground and our clothes. We were glad there wasn't any
wind, so we didn't feel cold, and even my feet were warm.
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| Snow over Kentmere |
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| Summit of Hugill Fell |
We continued on to Reston Scar, where we met a
young couple who had moved up from London to Staveley. As the mist was threatening
us with navigation problems we continued quickly down the slope to the village,
meeting on the way a family on the way up. Lower down children were sledging, delighting
in the sudden fall of snow.
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| Andrew on Reston Scar |
Back at the car, took off our wet clothes, and
had a safe drive home after one of the pleasantest walks for some time.
