Helen and I have just booked a weekend at the cottage attached to the Kirkstone Inn in the Kirkstone pass at the foot of LD-017 Red Screes. We will be attempting to activate on Saturday 14th March weather permitting. Any advice would be welcome.
We will be dinning in the Inn on Friday & Saturday evenings if any fellow activators fancy popping in to say hello.
Planning to do minimum of 5mHz and 2m FM. If weather allows will try 80, 60 & 40m SSB 4, 2m, 70 & 23cm FM and 2m ssb. Four metres depending on arrival of Wouxun handheld in time. Will decide QRO or QRP (817 or 857 on the day).
In reply to GW7AAV:
Hi Steve
Not done it that way since they ‘improved’ the path.
Seem to remember its short, steep and interesting when windy.
Terrible on the knees descending.
In reply to GW7AAV: Steve, just leave the pub and cross the carpark to the far corner. Keep following the path up to the top.
Very straightforward …just UP.
About 50 mins to the top.
David
In reply to GW7AAV:
Steve dont forget you still got Ld-018 Stoney cove, behind the pub which is about the same time as Red Screes, Red Screes is up hill slog, But Stoney is Long walk.
Steve m0sgb
In reply to M0SGB:
I’ll second that Steve (SGB) - SCP is a pleasant stroll after the initial scramble.
If you do it Steve (AAV )make sure your activate in NY40, will be very popular with WABers.
But activation zone covers NY41 and NY40 ;-).
I really liked Red Screes after having been put off for years because of the apparent steepness and exposure reported by others. In actual fact, with the improved stepped path, it is quite a easy walk with no exposure at all, and height is gained quickly and easily from the inn.
Stony Cove Pike behind the inn is nice too, but a completely different type of ascent up gently sloping fields. The only steeper bit is right at the start immediately behind the pub. Then it’s an amble.
A challenging day walk if you’re up for it is Kirkstone Pass Inn - Red Screes - Fairfield - St Sunday Crag - Patterdale. You would then need transport back up the road from Patterdale to the Kirkstone Pass Inn. Challenging - but three SOTA summits and 31 points.
Place Fell behind Patterdale is also a nice morning’s walk, although it does take a little effort to get up there - it is a 4 pointer after all.
The KP Inn is great. A traditional old-fashioned inn with good food and real ales. There is a great character in the bar called Stan! Plenty of photos and routes available via the ‘Summits’ link above.
In reply to G4OWG:
It is also possible to combine Stoney cove pike with High street for a pleasant high level “ridge” walk with a small amount of descent and re-ascent at Threshthwaite mouth. One to consider if the cloud base is sufficiently high and the wind speed sufficiently low.
Thanks for the advice Steve. If everything goes to plan we may use the same base later in the year for an assault on LD-018.
In reply to M1EYP:
A challenging day walk…
If we can have the ambulance waiting at Patterdale I might consider it. Ditto: Rick’s suggestion.
I suggested to Helen we do the traverse to Fairfield from Red Screes but the answer was unprintable.
We had a look at your pictures and read the write up on your site before deciding to go for it. There are some stunning panoramas on the www.go4awalk.com web site too. Lots of oohs and arrs from Helen. I just hope we get a view. There were even more oohs and arrs when she found the pub’s menu too.
Although the holiday company accepted the booking and the cottage remains un-booked for the weekend/week the owner of the Kirkstone Pass Cottage has rejected the payment and informed the holiday company he no longer wishes to let the property for short breaks. Apparently the bar now closes at 8pm in the inn too. Therefore plans are being redrawn and the summit will not likely be Red Screes as we are having trouble finding anywhere near by.
How many of you are going? With the inconvenience caused, you may be able to negotiate favourable rates for B&B in the inn itself. Then you’re back where you want to be, and the bar stays open until you go to bed!
In reply to M1EYP:
Steve if i was to do one of these summits, like a few have said it would have to be Stoney Cove Pike, Get right to the top and sit near to the wall, If clear weather you can see for miles even over to Isle of Man, If you can see 3 countries (not counting England) you know its going to rain,
Steve m0sgb
In reply to M0SGB:
Sorry did i say me, m3dnb & g6ddq found a lost dog up here, last time we activated it in one of the backpackers contest, We made ourselfs known to the Kirkstone inn about the dog, Left our telephone number, and went back to Manchester, After loads of searching and phone calls we found the owner of the Austrlian Kelp, (local Farmer), Glad to see it back home,
Also Steve Stoney Cove Pike is not like a motorway should be ok for long wire activations,
New cottage booked. We now intend to do Little Mell and Great Mell Fell instead or as we like to call them Mell A and Mell C. Mel B being Mel Brooks of course producer of such delights as Blazing saddles, Young Frankenstein and Men In Tights.
Might do a couple of summits en-route on Friday 13th too.
In reply to GW7AAV:
Core blimey what you like, you changing the dates and accomadation, like you change your under-pants (tongue in cheek),
If you are going to do the two Mells, Think i will come and do Mel c before you, what are you going to do for the rest of the holiday, Can’t remember which ones which, but one is 20 minuetes walk and the other is a good 50 minuetes walk, enjoy the great british weather while you can, as is snowing here in Bolton.
I know i hav’nt been out for sometime but hoping to be out very soon.
Steve m0sgb
Sean S. Cunningham and not Wes Craven as I would have guessed. Not my genre of movies. I hope the weekend doesn’t turn in to Nightmare on Elm Street. ;0)
