BB1317 : CU on the C2C

Tuesday 7th May 2013

Once you have climbed Kilimanjaro and reached Everest base camp, what do you do for your next great challenge?

Some weeks ago, he contacted me to let me know what they were doing and I said that we would see them on the C2C.

Today, was his (and ten companions') third day- a relatively short hop from Rosthwaite in Borrowdale to Grasmere.

Despite the need for an uncommonly early start, Bryan and I arranged to meet the party at Greenup Edge and accompany them down to their day's destination.

Once we had established the route they planned to take (basically up Greenup Gill to Greenup Edge then down Far Easedale Gill) we could plan which way to go to meet them. We discounted the Easedale / Codale Tarns route as taking too long.  The Gibson Knott ridge route was rejected as we might be able to persuade them that this valid alternative was rather more interesting than the valley route. I favoured starting from Wythburn and climbing up the burn especially as when I had been there previously on BB0705 the mist was so bad that we saw little of the scenery .

Fortunately Bryan took the hint and suggested, and I rapidly accepted, the alternative of the Green Burn valley. So this was the route that we took out of Grasmere, spotting a red squirrel on the Ghyll Foot bridge before climbing onto Calf Crag, across Flour Gill  and up to Greenup Edge.  The forecast had improved from the weekend's prediction of a dire day to that of a warm sunny day and so it proved to be.

Greenburn Bottom

We were well ahead of the anticipated meeting time so were a little surprised to see what I presumed was Tim's group approaching over the lip of Lining Crag.

Another C2C group passed but no Tim although they had met a Tim but not the right one.

Bryan got out his stove and settled down for a brew.  However, I could see a large group having a breather on Lining Crag so climbed down to see if Tim were amongst them.  It turned out to be two groups, both Timless.  I hadn't realised that the Coast to Coast was that popular.

Skiddaw

We all climbed up to Greenup Edge then debated whether to go down Far Easedale, which was their plan, or to take the legitimate alternative that Bryan and I recommended of the ridge from Calf Crag to Gibson Knott and Helm Crag.  It was such a lovely day that it would be a shame to be locked in the valley.  Fortunately they all agreed.

On the way we saw something that none of us had ever seen on the fells: the naked rambler.  Naked swimmers we have seen, e.g. Graham on BB0407.

But a naked rambler?  That is certainly different.

The sight, coupled with the name of the charity the earlier walkers were supporting, brought to mind the joke with which Morecambe & Wise used, unfinished, to round off their show.  There were two old ladies sitting in a deck chair when a naked man walked by.  They were so shocked that one of them had a stroke.  The other couldn't reach.

The funny thing was that, later in the pub, when the various photos were being examined at maximum enlargement, the main item of discussion was the very practical one of whether or not he had anything on his feet.  Regular readers may recall that earlier this year ( BB1302 ) we met the barefoot rambler. However I can confirm that the naked rambler cheated.  He was beshodded.

What amused me was the fact that his bum was not suntanned which obviously means that sometimes he puts it away.  Wouldn't you have thought that he would rub in some tanning lotion to complete the illusion?

At Helm Crag was a small group of people watching a man, encouraged by his son (of adult age), trying to outdo Wainwright and reach the summit of Helm Crag. The is the more northerly of the two features each generally known as the Lion and the Lamb, although, when seen from the ridge, this one is also known as the Howitzer  It is quite a challenge, requiring some rock climbing ability, and we thought he was not tackling it from the most sensible side.  Somewhat to our relief he gave up but then his son proved us wrong; he agilely and confidently climbed the Crag by the route that had defeated his father.

Steve, of Tim's group, felt that a gauntlet had been thrown down and immediately set off climbing the crag by the "sensible" route.  The real challenge, however, is the descent which is quite tricky.  Fortunately Bryan was on hand to provide guidance.

The Comiticoach returned to the valley and the Traveller's Rest without further incident.

It had been a great day to be out on the hills.  I am just glad that I was returning to a nice warm house in which I can remain through day four whilst some evil weather passes by.  I don't envy them passing over to Patterdale.  In those conditions, they certainly won't be seeing me on the C2C.

Stage Four- up the gill to Grisedale Tarn

Tim & co- it was good to meet up with you and we wish you well for the rest of your expedition.

Don, 7th May 2013

Addendum

Day 4 to Patterdale - I'm sure the St Sunday Crag or even the Helvellyn alternative would have been better, but we have no evidence that they even existed, the weather was that bad (wind and rain and low cloud).

Off to Shap tomorrow and I'm not expecting much improvement in the weather!

Tim, 8th May 2013

Naked Rambler Update

Given that the jails are full to bursting, this strikes me as unnecessary expense falling upon us poor taxpayers.

Maybe he appealed and was released, although it is a long naked ramble from Winchester!  Or maybe he has started a trend and now has his emulators.

Planespotter's Corner

Unfortunately he says that there are too many makers of this type to identify it from that distance.

However, my brother Alan has discovered references to this very plane on a website named Jetphotos . It is an Ikarus C42.

BOOTboys routes are put online in gpx format which should work with most mapping software. You can follow our route in detail by downloading bb1317

To discover which Wainwright top was visited on which BB outing see
Which Wainwright When?

For the latest totals of the mileages and heights see: BB Log.

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