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Looking into Blakethwaite Bottom from Rispa Pike
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We found AW's map for the start for this walk a little puzzling. There was no fence on the left - but a wall. An enlargement of the on-line OS map is no help either: it shows the path to the left of a field boundary! The 2007 paper map is the same. An aerial view shows what looks like a path going up the middle of the field but petering out about two thirds of the way. Wainwright's fence must have been taken down.
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The tarmac road to Intake
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Still, we arrived at a stile and the tarmac road at Gill Hole and were soon at Intake, where we had a pleasant chat with the farmer. (I had intended visiting Rispa Pike way back on 14 August 2005, but beyond Intake I diverted to Blease Fell on the west).
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The route after Intake
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The weather was warm , but very wet under foot. We crossed Eller Gill at a large sheepfold, an oasis of dry ground in a morass of mud and rushes, and had our first snack.
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The sheepfold beside Eller Gill
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Looking back from above the sheepfold
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From there we set off to follow AW's pathless route up Whitefold Moss but Andrew wanted to include the higher ground on Uldale Head. His path up to there was quite clear, but I decided to stay on AW's course which proved arduous and weary through more wet, tussocky ground.
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Summit cairn looking west
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I was able to see Andrew most of the time. He was going like a steam engine and when I got to Rispa Pike with its welcome shelter I watched as he reached Uldale Head. There being a track visible linking the two summits he was later able to join me in the shelter where he enjoyed a well-earned snack of hot soup!
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A figure descends from Uldale Head!
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We then set off down the easy slope of Uldale End, and eventually joined the track to Ellergill Farm. From there it was a half mile stroll to the car. A check in my records at home shows that I had not visited Rispa Pike before today - an omission now corrected. Not an exciting day, and there were no heart attacks.
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