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BB2317
: Serendipity
Wednesday
24th May 2023
Don
was away, taking a stroll down Memory Lane
with Margaret this week so sadly we were
without his organisation or GPS. Nevertheless,
we appeared to have a good turnout with
six BOOTboys
signed up for Wednesday and tentative plans
to use two cars for a linear walk on the
Helvellyn ridge. Tuesday brought change
when a spontaneous break in Wales followed
by "reappraised availability"
and a plumber coming to fix a leak reduced
the turnout to three. Tony's comment was reminiscent of a now
politically incorrect old nursery rhyme!
This
scuppered our two car plan, but Brian, having
completed the main Wainwrights during lockdown,
is completing the outliers and suggested
the Naddle Horseshoe. This enabled us to
keep our carbon footprint to zero as we
travelled in the quiet comfort of Robert’s
electric car, charged with free solar power.
Only
one vehicle was encountered on the road
from Shap and the car park at the foot of
the Swindale valley was empty.
There
were a few sheep in a field opposite the
car park, but these were the last we would
see for the next five hours. It was a glorious
warm day with clear visibility as we happily
set off.
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The start of the walk is easy to find and
the eastern ridge easy to follow even though
the path is not distinct, as there is a
wall to the west of the ridge. There are
fine views of the unmistakable Kidsty Pike
and the mountains surrounding Mardale from
the ridge.
Our
ornithologist, TV Mike, would have been
useful as we were accompanied by constant
birdsong, which frustratingly none of us
could identify, apart from a cuckoo which
seemed to be following us.
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Our
only navigational aid to this point had
been two copies of Wainwright’s 1974 map
and directions for the route. The instructions
at Hare Shaw, the third W at the end of
the eastern ridge, were to descend to rejoin
the wall, pass a hurdle at a bend and two
gates give heathery continuation of the
ridge northeast. Suffice it to say times
have changed since 1974 and eventually proper
OS maps needed to be produced in the absence
of Don’s GPS! To paraphrase Brian, lesson
learned, don’t rely on a 1974 Wainwright
Outlying Fells map!
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When
the western ridge was gained, access to
the final W was straightforward although
before summiting our one and only human
was encountered. It was a man carrying both
a GPS and a large bag. Apparently he was
doing a survey to ensure a contract to plant
900 trees and install new fences and gates
had been completed satisfactorily. Not a
bad job on such a glorious day!
We
stopped at the last W, Hugh’s Laithes Pike,
to admire the fine view of Mardale and the
surrounding fells before descending to Naddle
Farm where we saw a small flock of sheep,
the first animals we had seen since the
start at the foot of Swindale. This is probably
explained by the fact that the RSPB took
over the tenancies of Naddle Farm and Swindale
Farm in 2012 from the owners, United Utilities,
and are implementing a management plan to
re-wild the 7,400 acres and have reduced
the number of sheep from 3,000 to 300. Very
controversial if you are a fell sheep farmer.
They have also planted 100,000 trees and
re-wiggled Swindale Beck. It probably also
explains the abundance of songbirds and
many wild flowers not normally seen on Lakeland
fells.
From
Naddle Farm it was a short climb before
descending to retrace our outgoing route
to the foot of Swindale.
A
great day brought about by chance by a combination
of events. Serendipity.
Stan,
Wednesday, 24th May 2023
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