Sat 12 May 2018
For an index to my other walks please click here
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Summit of Kensgriff |
After the Harter Fell
and Wandale Hill walk in February, when we had rectified the fiasco of not following the correct start up to Wandale Hill in December, we were minded to
complete the second part of the planned walk which had been curtailed by a change in
the weather. So three months later we decided to visit Kensgriff and Yarlside.
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Wandale Hill across Westerdale |
At Cautley we took AW's alternative route round Ben End (Walk 21) to reach the col between the two fells, not wishing to cross Backside Beck to Narthwaite again. It involved a pleasant walk with wide views over Westerdale but it became rather a plod as we neared the final stretch up to the col.
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Kensgriff from the col |
After a breather we set off on a
very steep path up to Kensgriff which tired me quite a bit. It was fine and
sunny and quite warm on the top, almost as wonderful as on the previous occasion
I was there on 18 March 2009. As then there were no other walkers in evidence.
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Summit of Kensgriff again |
We returned down the knee-jarring slope to
the col , and then contemplated how to scale the pathless and very steep north slope of
Yarlside. We started by a slanting movement as AW advises, but it seemed
we were getting nowhere so we tackled the rest direct. I resorted to using hands as
well as feet, grasping handfuls of mossy grass: not to eat, just to give the appearance of persevering. It was extremely tiring and
very slow. Andrew was able to move all the way up in a normal walking
position. (How does he do it, I ask; how does
he do it?)
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Looking down into Bowderdale |
The agony of the climb was relieved somewhat by the superb view down
into Bowderdale (which, we are assured by AW, is pronounced Boother-dl.
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Summit of Yarlside |
Whilst on the summit the
temperature dropped and it became a little too uncomfortable to stay long, so
we set off almost immediately down towards Ben End, where the sun was shining.
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Ben End (Looks so easy, doesn't it?) |
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Cautley Spout from below Ben End |
There is now a vague path
most of the way, but it was a long and tiring descent which seemed to me to go on forever and really took the
remaining strength out of my knees. I was glad to reach the valley and the car,
where Andrew said that he could have gone round it all again,
immediately. He is patient when walking, waiting often for his slower and
weaker companion, but a remark like that could have earned him a
long walk home had we been using my camper.
