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| Date & Time: Monday 12th March 2007. 2.15 pm start. Location : Whinlatter Forest Park, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 204 245 ) Places visited : Whinlatter, Barf, Lords Seat, Ullister Hill and back to the start. Walk details : 5.2 mls, 1450 ft of ascent, about 3 hours. Walked with : Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan. Weather : A reasonably sunny day but with clouds on the high fells. A strong, cool, westerly breeze. Our start point at Whinlatter Forest Park. |
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Wainwright noted that this was a strange 'fell walk' because 5/6th of it is completed within the forest, and consequently without the normal wide open views. We decided to walk this area today just so that we would get protection from those same trees. It was a route we hadn't actually been on before even though the summits have been visited several times. Also, much has changed in recent years with the forestry cover too, so it would be interesting to see whether that 5/6th statistic has changed since he wrote his North Western Book.
Below is the Old Sun Inn, the white rock is the Bishop of Barf, and there on the A66 road, an Eddie Stobbart lorry . . . Three points for me I think !
Barf has never been subject to forestry cover. Maybe it's slopes are just too steep, it's shale rock just too infertile, or perhaps the Forestry Commission never acquired the land in the first place. Either way, today it allows us to have a natural and unobstructed view of the Skiddaw Massif opposite. Wainwright's 5/6th woodland estimate is taking a hammering.
From Barf we cross the heathery slopes and the climb towards Lords Seat, our next summit.
Here too the route is clear of obstruction, and we can gaze on Grisedale Pike and a fine patch of sunlight on Hobcarton Crags.
Lords Seat Summit. Harry refuses to face the camera and show his recent injury. It is healing well though, and he is as bouncy as ever once more.
Our route turns for home now as we head back into the Whinlatter forest area. A nice graded path has been constructed from an adjacent forest road to the boundary fence, presumably to aid access. Pardon me for being "naive", but what do the less mobile visitors do then ? With Lords Seat summit within sight they are effectively "stuffed" as the path makers have built a stile not a gate. Having come so far, couldn't someone have negotiated permission for the path to be extended the last 50yds over the open fell to the summit and offer the disabled, and those people with otherwise impaired mobility, that last little bit of assistance after all the effort they must have put in to get this far ! They are planning wheelchair access onto Latrigg at vast expense, how about access to this one too for a fraction of the cost ! How about just a little bit a bit of "joined up thinking " in the first place ?
Chill out - hug a tree - how about these nice trees, with Skiddaw in the background.
In an attempt to maintain a view and stay out of the trees we climbed the open ground to Ullister Hill.
From this relatively lofty position we had a nice view south and west over to Grisedale Pike and Hopegill Head. The clouds were just high enough to clear the tops. If we had followed the fence line we would have reached Whinlatter Fell, but we decided to head back into the trees, to the delightfully names Tarbarrel Moss, and from there head back for the car using the forest tracks.
Grisedale Pike and it's north eastern spur which is a delightful, more or less straight climb from the Revelin Moss car park on Whinlatter Pass.
The setting sun now appeared from below the clouds and shone wonderful rich colours through the trees.
Back to the car - with only one slight navigation error in all those trees. Oh, and that 5/6th figure I think should be reduced to more like1/2 now that the Forestry has cleared trees and opened up the pathways. (Our deviation to Barf and Ullister Hill have helped the percentage too)
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- - - o o o - - - Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon G7 Digital camera. Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . a few more of these nice sunsets. © RmH.2007 # Email me here # Guest book (on the front page) Previous walk - 9th/10th March 2007 Two local walks with Bethan and 'Scar-face' Harry A previous time up here 26th January 2006 Barf, The Bishop and the Clerk Next walk - 14th March 2007 Hen Comb and Melbreak for Polly's 200th
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