The forecast
by the Met Office for fog and 30 mph winds around Kentmere with temperatures
down to 5°C somehow seemed wrong, and when we started our walk in sunshine we
were sure it was.
Our plan had been for Andrew to ascend Kentmere Pike by the
Hallow Bank route and progress to Harter Fell, and I to take a gentle stroll
along the valley and meet, if possible, at the Nan Bield shelter. However,
there was grey hill fog covering all the fell tops and there would be nothing
to see from the summits so Andrew decided, as he had never ascended to Nan
Bield Pass from Kentmere before, to come with me.
The valley views were superb. I used to live nearby in the seventies and often walked here.
Even so, somehow I realised we had missed our way (how can anyone do that?!)
and we found ourselves on the lower cart track to Kentmere Reservoir. We were
able to correct the error at Tongue House and join the correct path at the ford
just below Tongue Scar.
That’s when it became clear that, hill
fog or not, the high summit route would have been preferable because after the
weeks of rain the path around the scar and up over The Tongue was
muddy and slippery. The wind speed began to increase as we moved along above
the reservoir. But as we approached the rise to Nan Bield the cloudy conditions began to clear and soon the fell sides were bathed in sunshine.
We met walkers who had
braved the heights above the valley and they confirmed the
temperature and wind speed had been challenging.
The slippery conditions and the cold
wind decided I would not be climbing up to Nan Bield (been there - done that)
so I sat by a large boulder and watched as Andrew boldly went where he had not been
before. He moved fast, seemingly at warp speed.
Once I saw him reach the pass I began to stroll back, the wind growing
less cold as I did. I know when I've had
enough, bearing in mind the length of the walk back, and it
wasn't long before Andrew caught me up. He reported that it had been
almost impossible to stand still on the pass, the funnelling wind attempting to
blow him off his feet.
Our trouser legs, boots and socks wet and dirty, it was a relief to reach
the car. The walk had been a reminder for me of happy times when I lived at
Meal Bank, and a 'first' for Andrew, so it was a successful day.
