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Equipment testing day - High Rigg
Friday
23rd February 2007
With
Don and Stan both away on “mid-winter warmer” pensioner
breaks it was left to Tony and I to venture out into
the wet English winter.
We
decided that we should put the day to some good use
and so opted to treat it as an equipment testing day.
In Tony’s case it was an opportunity to prove that his
expensive (but economically acquired) Lowe Alpine waterproofs
and his newly replaced Brasher boots would stand the
test of a wet and boggy day. In my case it was to try
out a pair of extremely expensive, and very uncomfortable,
mountaineering boots that I have just bought to use
on a trip to the Alps this summer.
The
rain was pouring down as we left Kendal and made our
way over Dunmail Raise and alongside Thirlmere. This
is a drive that’s becoming much more scenic because
United Utilities, who ‘own’ the lake, have started a
project that’s scheduled to last 3 years to remove all
the none-native trees that surround Thirlmere.
This
means that views from the A591 have really opened up
and with the mist swirling around in the gullies on
the crags opposite, and the water pouring down the hillsides,
it had a look of the fiords about it.
Our
target for the day was a gentle walk over High Rigg.
We parked up in the United Utilities car park at Legburthwaite
just off the A591 and set off up the hill.
My
new boots have a completely rigid sole, a feature I’m
sure will prove very useful when I have to use crampons
on them on steep ground in the Alps. However on normal
walking terrain it’s akin to wearing ski boots and took
a fair bit of getting used to, but thankfully by the
end of the walk I felt much more comfortable. They brought
back memories of my youth, as these were the kind of
boots that all the guidebooks insisted you should wear
on any walk in the hills. Thank goodness opinions have
changed since then!
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The
rain continued to pour down as we made our
way along High Rigg giving Tony’s waterproofs
a good workout. At the far end of the ridge
we dropped down to St John’s church, where
we took the opportunity to get out of the
rain and have lunch in the porch.
Our
return route took us along the bridleway
that makes its way up St John’s-in-the-Vale.
Towards the end we passed Bridge End farm,
a lovely spot that normally provides excellent
tea and scones. Sadly it’s not open until
April so we pressed on back to the car.
For
anyone who’s never done this route I can
highly recommend it. It’s particularly good
for a sunny summer afternoon / evening as
it’s fairly short (about 5 miles) and only
has a 1,000 feet of climbing, and the tea
and scones at Low Bridge farm makes an ideal
end!
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Bryan
Hardaker, 23rd February 2007
Distance:
5 miles
Height
climbed: 1,000
Wainwrights:
High Rigg
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Click on the photos for an enlargement or related large
picture.
This page describes a 2007 adventure of BOOTboys, a loose group of friends of mature
years who enjoy defying the ageing process by getting out into the hills as
often as possible!
As most live in South Lakeland, it is no surprise that
our focus is on the Lakeland fells and the Yorkshire Dales.
As for the name, BOOTboys, it does not primarily derive from an
item of footwear but is in memory of Big
Josie, the erstwhile landlady of
the erstwhile Burnmoor Inn at Boot in Eskdale, who enlivened Saint Patrick's Day
1973 and other odd evenings many years ago!
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