Patterdale
Walk date – 14th September 2020
Distance – 6 miles
Weather – sunny, light cloud, very warm and humid, light breeze
A short low level walk today. Neither of us was feeling particularly energetic but a warm sunny day turned up and not wanting to let it slip unused through our fingers we turned to one of our old stand-by walks and had an enjoyable wander along Patterdale. This isn’t a demanding walk by any stretch of the imagination but even so, thanks to the very warm weather and the humidity, all the way round our faces were just as shiny as if we had been scaling any of the two thousand footers. There were still plenty of visitors enjoying the late summer weather but the over-crowding is much less now.
Route
Patterdale Cricket Club – George Starkey hut – Side Farm – Rooking – Crookabeck – Beckstones – Hartsop – Cow Bridge – Low Wood – Deepdale Bridge – Patterdale Cricket Club
The Patterdale Cricket Club, where we parked, has a notice at the gate asking for a donation of £3 for your day’s parking to add to the club’s funds. There must have been over thirty cars parked there when we arrived, just before noon, but having dropped our £1 coins in the donation box and heard the dull clunk as they hit the bottom of the obviously empty box it looks like either none of their occupants could read, or were too mean to spare a couple of quid to help out a local club which generously makes its parking area available to them. Now that I’ve had a rant I’ll get on with the rest of the walk. Above is a shot of Arnison Crag and Birks taken from the bridge over Goldrill Beck as we walked from the George Starkey hut over to Side Farm.
A look back across the valley towards Birkhouse Moor, Striding Edge and the Helvellyn range from the path above Side Farm.
The view across the valley to Arnison Crag and Birks as we carry on along the path towards Rooking.
Cottages in Rooking. Plenty of walkers were making their way up here from Patterdale but none of them turned along the path to Hartsop which we were about to take so we had it pretty much to ourselves.
View back to Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike and Rooking from a little further along the path.
Cottages at Crookabeck.
Beyond Crookabeck is a lovely section of woodland walking, the shade was more than welcome today.
A close up of Arnison Crag across Patterdale.
A look back at Place Fell as we approach Beckstones.
Heading over to Hartsop with a hazy view of Hartsop Dodd ahead. of us. From time to time we met walkers coming along the track from Hartsop and there was none of the sidestepping or leaping for the ‘safety’ of walls and hedges that used to be very obvious. Perhaps people are beginning to cotton on to what’s going on at last. In case you haven’t already seen them here are some links for you to have a look at, all of them open in a new tab. The first is a very clear explanation, in a lovely Irish lilt, of what all the graphs are showing us (after 4 secondsworth of ads) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UvFhIFzaac&feature=youtu.be
then here, in a recently published, but entirely unannounced, consultation document and in their own words, what the Government now wants to do –
followed by a short and rational reply to the above –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8K7vR_Vno&feature=youtu.be
I hope everyone will take the time to consider them very carefully.
To lighten the mood a little have a look at this little gem from Professor Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College, Dublin –
https://twitter.com/NewstalkFM/status/1305546119791943686
Hoist with his own petard perhaps?
As usual I’ve wandered off topic so, getting back to the matter in hand, here’s a close up shot of Hart Crag and Fairfield, the latter still hanging on to its cloud cap.
A longer view looking across the valley towards Deepdale.
Gallons of water thundering over the crags in Angletarn Beck.
Saint Sunday Crag’s Gavel Pike on the left, Birks on the right and the sprawling mass of Arnison Crag across the middle foreground.
One of the falls in Angletarn Beck from the bridge.
A look back along the valley as we approach Hartsop village.
The concrete drive leads into a garage out of shot on the right. Not wanting to spend the rest of the day in an empty garage we turned left up to the hill and on to Hartsop.
A hazy view of the fells around Brothers Water, much too bright for shots in that direction but I had a go anyway.
The unforgivingly steep Hartsop Dodd.
On the left the equally steep Gray Crag leading across to the Beacon on Threshthwaite Crag.
Peering beyond Brothers Water into the almost hidden valley of Dovedale encircled by High Hartsop Dodd, Little Hart Crag, Dove Crag, Hart Crag (hidden from view in the shot) and Hartsop above How.
Leaving Hartsop village but there’s always time to take yet another photo of this very old cottage and its spinning gallery. Sorry about the green sunspot.
Looking along Patterdale as we make our way over to Cow Bridge, the car park was full as usual.
Gray Crag and Harstop Dodd from Cow Bridge.
From Cow Bridge there’s another spell of very pleasant walking through Low Wood, the path avoids a trudge along the tarmac.
Eventually the woods are left behind and we begin a series of zig-zags as the roadside path switches us from one side of the road to the other every so often.
Arnison Crag from the path along the roadside, at least its on grass and not the tarmac.
Place Fell and Boredale Hause as we get switched across the road again. Autumnal colours are beginning to show.
Back in Patterdale village now with a view of Glenridding Dodd as we pass St Patrick’s Church on our way back to the car.
Place Fell from the cricket ground. Most of the cars are still here so their tight-fisted occupants are still out on the fells. Not good enough folks, its a poor do when you can’t stump up (no pun intended) and swell the funds of a local cricket club. £3 for a day out on the fells is a bargain.