Low Kop, High Kop, High Raise and Low Raise – Updated 18th September
Walk date – 15th September 2021
Distance – 11.5 miles
Weather – sunny start, increasing cloud, no wind
A long walk today which began with a gloriously sunny morning and ended with a dull afternoon and a cloud laden sky. The absence of any hint of a breeze was very pleasant and ground conditions were firm and dry as we’ve had very little rain recently. The forecast predicted a bright and sunny morning with cloud building gradually from the west later, hence our decision to stay on the far eastern fells where the chances of brighter conditions would be longer lasting.
Route
Burnbanks – Haweswater shore path – Measand Beck – Low Kop – High Kop – Keasgill Head – Red Crag – Raven Howe – High Raise – Low Raise – Long Grain – Measand End – Measand Beck – Haweswater shore path – Burnbanks
A very bright and sunny morning was exactly what we had as we approached the hamlet of Burnbanks after parking the car on the Mardale Head road, close to the road leading into the hamlet. No-one was around other than one resident who was attempting to trim his garden hedge with an electric trimmer which looked as if it was approaching its imminent retirement date.
The walk up the lane from Burnbanks was a little on the cool side despite the sunny morning because for quite a distance the path was in deep shade thanks to the shoreline trees. Gradually the trees become fewer and the sunlight appeared.
I left the path by an access gate, out of shot to the right, and dropped down for a look along Haweswater towards Harter Fell at the far end of it. The water levels are low exposing the sun-bleached stony shoreline.
Looking towards Measand End and the point at which Measand Beck runs into Haweswater. That point is the inlet between the rocky foreground and the paler, sandy coloured area just behind it over on the left. Normally we would have been hearing the roar of Measand Beck tumbling down through the various falls and cascades some distance back from this point, but even this close to it the sound was little more than a murmur.
One of the much smaller falls in the beck as we crossed the bridge. It looks a lot but there’s a lot of splashing going on as the water bounces around the rocks and it wasn’t as noisy as it usually is. The trees alongside the beck are still in full leaf so it wasn’t worth trying for any shots of the higher falls as we climbed the path beside the beck.
We had the usual fight with the tall bracken on the way up beside the beck. The lower fronds are beginning to turn brown but the higher ones are still green and still fighting back. It was shoulder high all the way up. A pause to de-bracken ourselves at the top of the path where we had a clear view of Four Stones Hill, one of the many small hills which make up Bampton Common.
With clothing and the path bracken free at last we made our way over to the little bridge across Measand Beck to pick up the path leading up to Low Kop. A couple of wisps of cloud have appeared over on the left. Hmm, the cloud can’t be building so soon, can it?
A few more puffs of cloud drift over Measand End as we begin the climb. We haven’t climbed up to Low Kop via this route before so we get different views of familiar locations as we climb. Lots of paths going every which way but we stick to the one we’re on, its wide and flattened and the bracken has retreated to the sidelines.
It was quite a steep climb in places so it became very warm work with the sun on our backs and no cooling breeze being available. Several face mopping and re-hydration stops were the order of the day. Nevertheless putting one foot in front of the other eventually gets you to the ridge line where we join one of the main paths coming over from the Four Stones Hill area of Bampton Common from where I took this shot looking back across to it.
We’re done with steep climbing for the time being so we can look forward to a more relaxing walk as we follow the well trodden path over to High Kop. The further west we go the bigger the clouds are becoming with the landscape correspondingly becoming an ever changing study in light and shade.
High Raise, on the centre skyline, at the head of the deep valley carved out by Measand Beck.
A gentle climb leads us up to High Kop from where I took a look back at the route we’ve followed from Low Kop.
A guide post marks the route ahead although the sight of the Helvellyn range immediately ahead tells you in which direction you need to go. This part of the route does usually tend to be very wet as the churned ground indicates but no clagged up boots today. We met our first walker of the day along here, a young woman, who gave us a cheery greeting as we passed each other.
High Raise in the shade as we trek across to Keasgill Head but plenty of sunlight lands on the eastern slopes of Red Crag and Raven Howe.
We reach Keasgill Head and then drop down slightly to take a few shots of the fantastic panorama of fells in front of us. Here are some shots of the skyline views and viewers can probably name the fells below them. Here we have Dove Crag, Hart Crag, Fairfield and Saint Sunday Crag …..
….. a little to my right for this skyline view of Saint Sunday Crag, Dollywaggon Pike, Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn and Catstycam …..
….. then we have Catstycam, Whiteside, Raise and Stybarrow Dodd …..
….. Great Dodd, Clough Head, Skiddaw and Blencathra …..
….. and finally Blencathra plus some of the northern fells, this group remained in shadow all the time we had them in view. Very heavy cloud now coming in from the west but we still have brighter light on this side of Ullswater. Photos taken we found a convenient spot on the broken wall to take a short break and have something to eat and drink before carrying on up to High Raise.
After our break we headed over Red Crag catching a glimpse of Haweswater along the way.
We walked across using the path to the left of the wall but we could just as easily have used the one to the right of it and both of them become one path further along.
We’ve had to wait a long time for a sunny view of High Raise as the build up of cloud was now substantial and the sunnier spells became fewer and further between. Patience was rewarded though when we reached this junction of wall and fence.
Looking along the route back across Raven Howe and Red Crag as we make the steady climb up to High Raise. Beyond them a splash of sunlight lands on Loadpot Hill.
At this point the two paths converge and a stile provides a fence line crossing point for walkers who have chosen to walk the path to the right of the wall. I’m currently leaning on the stile to take the shot of the panorama of fells to the west of us.
A look back to the point where the paths join, zoom in to note the stile in the wooden fencing. The long ridge dropping down from left to right is the Low Kop/High Kop route we used earlier although the cloud shadow makes it difficult to distinguish High Kop from Loadpot Hill which is the high point over on the left.
On High Raise summit now and looking towards a sunny Gatescarth Pass with Branstree on the left and Harter Fell on the right. While we were here a solo walker arrived whom we had seen arrive via the path from Martindale when we were taking our refreshment break. He then headed off in the direction of Wether Hill so we were surprised to see him again. He checked with us that he was on High Raise and then mentioned going over to Wether Hill which we thought he had already been to. We got out the map and showed him where he was and where he needed to go. Hopefully he managed to find it. By this time two other walkers had arrived and took over the summit cairn so no pictures of that today.
Looking southwards with Mardale Ill Bell, High Street and Thornthwaite Crag on the skyline and Kidsty Pike across the middle foreground.
Splashes of sunlight here and there over on Hart Crag, Fairfield and the lower slopes of Saint Sunday Crag.
Harter Fell and Mardale Ill Bell as we begin to descend towards Low Raise.
The cloud cover coming in from the west has caught up with us now and we cross over to Low Raise in dull conditions although it was still warm enough at this point not to need an extra layer.
The cairn on Low Raise. The preponderance of stones is thought to mark the site of an ancient tumulus. The arrangement of stones is roughly circular, the cairn has been built using some of them, but what its original purpose was is not known.
Looking back to High Raise from Low Raise.
Heading down from Low Raise now and tramping across Long Grain. The temperature dropped a point or two along here so we stopped to add a long sleeved layer.
We’re beginning to descend Measand End now so we get a grandstand view of Haweswater and the exposed shoreline.
Part of Bampton Common ahead as we continue the descent. Somebody has been busy cutting vast swathes of bracken and some of the resulting bales of it were still awaiting collection so somebody uses it for something. I vaguely recall reading that it can be used as insulation material but I don’t know if that is what’s going on here. Whatever the reason the sheep were making good use of the opportunity to get in and eat the newly growing grass.
Haweswater again as we near the end of our descent. It is very gloomy at the moment.
Back down to the bridge at Measand Beck where we took five minutes for drinks and for me to remove the long sleeved layer I’d added earlier. Now we’re in the valley the temperature is much warmer. From here we retrace our steps down the path alongside Measand Beck, have our second fight of the day with the bracken, and eventually reach the path along the Haweswater shore.
We still have a longish walk along the waterside path back to Burnbanks but reaching the deer gate along the way is always a welcome sight, its one of those points which are mentally ticked off as you make your way to the next one.
There aren’t many photo opportunities along the way but a gap in the tree line provided this view of the dam wall and the very low water level below it.
Almost back where we started as we drop down from the rough track onto the smooth tarmac of the access lane, make our way out of the village and back to the car at the end of a much longer walk than we’ve been doing lately. Its been a good day all round though despite the build up of cloud and the loss of the initial sunny conditions from High Raise onwards. Today has definitely been a walk of highs and lows, both in terms of height and in the weather. It’ll be nice to flop down onto the car seats though and let weary legs finally relax. Finally, a link to a video from Dr Reiner Fuellmich, published 15th September 2021, in which he summarises his Committee’s findings to date and reviews the current status – https://www.bitchute.com/video/hx1ksGkSwOBR/
UPDATE – a link to a video from Ernst Wolff, an author, journalist and expert on global financial economy, of a talk, given in August 2021, in which he exposes the significance and purpose of the digital/financial complex behind the fake virus narrative and ends with an important, and hopeful, message for everyone. The video is 33 minutes long with English sub-titles – https://odysee.com/@LongXXvids:c/Ernst-Wolf-speech—summary:3 and here’s a link to the full English transcript to read, save and share – https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/the-master-plan-behind-the-covid-crisis/