(Sorry - long post and spoiler all OK but sore…)
Well somehow the stars aligned and Dad managed to get a 2 day pass (It was a 3 day pass but sons job application (He got it) and French GCSE’s soon stopped that…., so it was one night away in the Lakes and the plan initially was to stay in the camper overnight at Nether Wasdale and to “do” Seatallan one day (A hill I have never climbed) and the Illgill Head the following day. I have really enjoyed reading about the epic adventures of Ben and Frazer so decided that if I tried hard I could get Pillar as well so I had completed all the 8 pointers in the Lakes.
I parked at a Motorhome Aire (£15-00 for a tap but a very nice view and very quiet) slightly later than planned and set off walking a bit later than than the 9-30 planned start. The start of the walk was fairly good and as I started the steeper ascent up Seatallan my son rang to tell me he had got the job offer (They rang the day after the interview, not good for the nerves….) .
Seatallan G/LD-025 is a nice hill to walk up with nice views of the lakes on one side, and a nice view of a nuclear reprocessing plant on the other side…Both 40m and 2m were well behaved and I managed several contacts including a S2S. Woody joined in again (apologies). I notice that by the time I got to Seatallan I was already an hour behind my planned time, but as sunset was 20-30 and the weather was great I pressed on.
Seatallan
My planning had indicated the existence of a track / path of sorts skirting Haycock and Scoat Fell and the route planner which I have previously found tolerably accurate suggested 2 hours. It took me nearly 3, and the path generally wasn’t and it seemed quite hard work gaining the height up to the ridge. Indeed it was such hard work that I didn’t double check the map and added a short detour via Red Pike, adding another 15mins and quite a bit of energy! It is 31 years since I last was up Pillar and as the name suggests it was slightly scramblier that I remembered, or perhaps it was having two canine companions who were actually very good on the very steep ground, meekly following my route choice. By the time I spotted for Pillar it was 16:40.
Woody cooling off in a stream.
Seatallan from the side of Scoat Fell with Scoat Tarn. No obvious path!
Radio didn’t go well on Pillar, I managed one contact on 40m (Thanks Esther), It seemed to a be quite long skip but thankfully I did qualify on 2m. Packing up was a bit problematic. Jet (Cocker Spaniel) tends to spin in circles when he is excited - like packing up and the prospect of a dog treat. All well and good, but not when he was in the middle of two feeder cables which he managed to wrap around himself.
Pillar
I had a couple of plans for a descent route, if the path up was OK (which I was not expecting) I was going to descend the way I came up, just skirting Seatallen, but given that the path was not great that didn’t seem a good choice. Plan B was the descent down the scree at Wind Gap - again not great with the dogs and tired legs so went for the longer, steadier route via Back Sail Pass, which would have the advantage of passing the Wasdale Head Inn.
I left the summit just after 5 and guessed that I’d make it to the pub for about 6-30, have a quick drink before starting the 7km trek down the road back to the van. I didn’t make it until 7PM and worryingly developed a bit of cramp in my thigh. Two (very) swift pints of weak lager shandy, a pack of crisps, a packet of expensive dog treats and 15 mins later it was time for the (long) walk down the road.
The walk down the road was generally uneventful apart from a battered old car, which appeared to be full of stuff and couple who pulled over for advice. “Which one is Scafell Pike?” They asked. I Pointed upwards in the direction of Mickledore. Is there a campsite at Wasdale? Yes there is but I think (know) it is fully booked…. About an hour later, just past the two vans parked after the “No Overnight Parking” sign with the box of lager stuck out the back I was treated to the spectacle of the people I met in the battered black car attempting to pitch what appeared to be a gazebo amongst the rocks. “Is it a long walk up Scafell?” They asked as I trudged past. Possible future recipients of the Darwin Award…?
I see from the tracking that I managed about 5km/hr and finally arrived back at the van just before 9PM, just about in the light, some 11hrs 30 mins since I set off. It would be fair to say I was knackered. I did manage a shower, a cold lager and some tea, but didn’t think I would be walking much the following day. There was no phone signal, but I sent some messages explain I was safe on the inReach. I think the family were more concerned about how well the dogs were…… They were tired but fine.
On Thursday morning the alarm went off at 6-10 AM which was a bit frustrating as I thought I had disabled it. After staggering out the van it was quickly apparent that I wasn’t going to be doing much walking, more a sort of stiff stagger. I did take the dogs out and in some ways was quite relieved to see that a) It was really windy and would have been rough up a summit and b) There were a lot of cattle with calves across the path I would need to access to climb Illgill Head so the main excuse for my cancellation - being knackered was not needed.
Thoughts … well more of a brain dump…
-
It was always going to be a long walk, and I was probably a bit optimistic about my walking speed. At other times of the year with an earlier sunset it would not have been a safe route (for me). I’m still not sure if I should have turned back after Seatallan.
-
I should have been more careful with my navigation between Seatallan and Scoat Fell. It is quite complex topography and being tired I should have used the opportunity to check the route more not less!
-
The dogs were well hydrated, but I drank all of the 2l of water I took with me. With hindsight It would have been better to stop at the top of Black Sail Pass and filter some water (I carry a small squeeze filter) than it was to press on.
-
I need to re-visit the contents of the rucksack - it is probably time to review what I am carrying. My 2m J Pole ladder line is robust, but probably too heavy. The FT270 again is robust but heavier than some of the other HH I have. It would have been better to laminate a single sheet of printed OS Map than carry the two laminated explorer maps (The walk is on the edge.) … Do I really need a spare battery for the KX2? Is it worth carrying a packet of hydration salts if I get dehydrated again? (I’ll add a post with some weights and what I decide to drop)
-
It was warmer than I expected - I could have carried less layers. (Even allowing for getting stuck on the hillside I still had more than needed).
-
Im 61 not 21 and my recovery time is longer, however Woody and Jet (4 and 5) seemed to be fine!
-
The 7km road walk from Wasdale Head was beautiful as we headed towards sunset, but it did seem a very long way.
-
The camper was brilliant, staggering through the door to a warm shower, a cold lager and homemade lasagne was great.
-
The dogs are fitter than I am - although it was noticeable that Woody was much quieter by the time we reached Pillar. They are both asleep behind me as I type….
-
I have 13 LD summits still to activate, the biggest being High Raise, although Hard Knott is probably harder to reach without driving up the pass. (I don’t really want to drive up Hard Knott - even in a car due to other traffic and there is no way I would attempt it in a van). Thoughts anyone? My current idea is walking from the Eskdale campsite…
-
The InReach mini I carry was really useful to keep the family in touch as there was no signal as soon as I got into a valley (EE). If I did have an accident and it wasn’t on the top of a hill with coverage it may be a life saver…
-
I don’t like the InReach software, it took me ages to get the tracking off the device. Two pieces of software just to connect and sync and a web interface (complete with error messages) that I have to re-learn every time I visit. Almost as intuitive as Reverse Polish notation or managing to get a NHS GP appointment. The device and safety it adds is brilliant, in my view the website isn’t.
-
My watch (Suunto) tries to measure my exercise. It has Low, Inactive, Moderate, Vigorous and Intense. I now know that I don’t want to see intense again….
(25km 12220m ascent)
Don’t you just wonder what (if anything) goes through the minds of some people.
happy days.
