Fri 15 Feb 2019
You can find an index to my other walks here
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| The Helm Crag-Gibson Knott-Calf Crag ridge, and Steel Fell (right) |
I set off just before eight o'clock and drove to Grasmere, arriving at Mill Bridge at nine-twenty-eight. The Met Office app had the temperature there at around 4 or 5 degrees, but the outside sensor on the car reported 1.9C!
Still, the sun was shining and there was only a gentle breeze, so by five to ten I was on the road towards Greenburn valley. My legs didn't like the steady uphill slog on the tarmac but it was better when I reached the stony track.
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| The entrance to Greenburn |
Shortly I came across a small flock of sheep and a dog, and was looking round for the farmer to ask if it were okay to proceed, when he appeared at a wall gap which he was repairing. We had a long chat about the area, filling wall-gaps, etc, and he reckoned that he could finish this particular job today. A friend of his joined us and after a few minutes chatting I climbed over the pile of stones and continued on my way.
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| A farmer's work is never done |
The lack of a breeze and the bright sun in a cloudless sky made it rather warm going. Later I regretted not having divested myself of at least one layer of clothing!
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| Greenburn |
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| Many waterfalls |
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| A pleasant terrace path above lovely the falls |
I reached the stepping stones which Alex and I had used on 22 April 2016 when we went up to Helm Crag. Today, with a heavy backpack
and my problem with balance I knew that I wasn't going to repeat that method of
crossing the beck. I debated with myself whether to just stroll up the valley
and have a very easy day. But after a snack and more photos I just waded
through and didn't get too much water in my boots.
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| The stepping stones near the oval sheepfold |
I continued up by the beck, past another fold with massive stone corners, and soon I noticed AW's 'vegetation-crowned' boulder and the marshy area where Alex and I had started the climb to the ridge.
The ridge being gained, I set off to cover what seems on AW's diagram to be a short stroll to the summit of Calf Crag. The snag with his route diagrams is that they are not to scale, and I was soon aware that the journey to the top was further than expected. There are a number of variations in the path, and I managed to find one that avoided descents and re-climbs. I met two walkers coming down, one of whom told me that balance is something that he, too, has a problem with.
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| Looking to Greenup Edge from Calf Crag summit |
At last I reached the cairn on the summit rocks. What a panoramic view! There was a little haze over towards the Langdales but most fells around were crystal clear. I looked for the rushes mentioned by AW but then noticed Chris Jesty's comment in the guide about their having gone. A sightly cooler breeze from the north west was evident at this height, and I went round the eastern side to sit and have some soup.
After a while a guy with what seemed to be a tent pack came by from the direction of Greenup Edge, and then three exuberant lads, about twenty years old, wearing only light clothing came past in the opposite direction. It was good to see them enjoying their time up on the fells.
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| The view west to Steel Fell - and the Helvellyn range |
I took a photo of the long row of hillocks leading up to Steel Fell, my next destination. AW says, referring to the route between the two tops, that a walker who manages the trip with dry feet must be very happy with his boots. Well: my feet were wet anyway after wading the beck, and they got a lot wetter trying to follow the boggy line of the intermittent path to Steel Fell.
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| One of the tarns passed on the way to Steel Fell |
I was beginning to tire as I squelched on my way, hoping that the next hump of the terrain would reveal a view of the summit, but the hope was dashed several times. This would be a miserable place in bad weather, and very difficult to navigate as the fence posts are now very few in number for most of the way. I passed two tarns and sighed with relief as at long last the summit cairn came into view and I took the customary photos and especially the scene over Thirlmere and the Eastern Fells.
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| View north from Steel Fell in late afternoon sunlight |
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| The summit cairn |
The breeze had developed into a wind, and a cold one at that, as the sun was lower in the sky. It was just after four - it had taken an hour to get from Calf Crag although the two summits are only a mile and a half apart.
Paths on the top are virtually non-existent, and it was more by chance that I located the start of what AW calls an old zig-zag path, one of his favourite features on the fells. As I feared, this path descends in an eroded rocky groove on the south east shoulder of the fell, between Blakewith Crag and Ash Crags overlooking Dunmail Raise. This is what I don't like these days, and I had that feeling of insecurity with my balance that has become too common of late. It's not a dangerous place, but I had to use both hands as well as feet, and occasionally my bum,(shameful!) to gain the more level turf-covered area below, well away from any slope on my left.
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| The way down - the lower path indicated |
I was sweating, both with the energy I had expended on the walk, and with apprehension of what further awkward manoeuvres might have to be made. I took some photos of the surrounding fells and also the rounded lump of ground where another scramble-type path seemed likely.
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| Looking back to the summit crags |
There are two such lumps of crag on this ridge, which Wainwright manages to make appear smooth and gentle in his book, and both must be negotiated by steep and narrow paths which are not easy when one feels that a foot wrong will send one falling forward on to the sharp rocks.
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| Another lump of crags to negotiate! |
Two walkers with a lovely black Labrador held back behind in case the dog should push past me (they could see I was walking gingerly) and asked if I were alright and could I manage. It doesn't give me much pleasure to attract these queries about my welfare, however kind, and I made up for lost face by joking that I hadn't had this trouble on Jack's Rake or Sharp Edge. I didn't mention that was years ago.
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| The famous Lion and Lamb (morphed from The Howitzer) on Helm Crag |
There are some very fine views of Helm Crag from this ridge of Steel Fell, and I took several photos. The Howitzer, or woman playing the organ, does change to look rather like a huge lion and a tiny lamb as the viewpoint alters as one descends. This was the first time I had seen that effect - I have always regarded only the rocks on the south end to represent the two animals.
The thoughtful couple who had offered kind words were now nearing the lane where I had started my day. I reached that spot some five minutes later, and there began the tiring walk on the tarmac to the car. If it had been parked further down the main road near The Traveller's Rest I think I would have given up and sat resting by the roadside for half an hour. Fortunately it wasn't too long before I was able to divest myself of the rucksack and get into the camper to change into dry clothes: the back of my vest, shirt, fleece and jacket were all soaked.
As I relaxed a little, drinking water and chewing salted peanuts, I realised that what had seemed in the planning stage a fairly short and interesting walk had been, although very worthwhile, rather a lot for me. I must take on board the sad fact that long high-level walks involving places where my loss of good balance could be dangerous, should no longer be attempted. The slight vertigo feeling that first announced itself while walking between Bannerdale Crags and Bowscale Fell several years ago has become a haunting presence with me recently and makes the walking experience I so much love feel at times very uncomfortable. I suddenly realised today that I have almost reached the age when AW became unable to see where he was putting his feet. Well, I can see where I am putting mine, but staying upright on them is sometimes becoming a challenge that is better avoided.
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