" A cheque and Walla Walk "

Date & start time: 6th April 2011, 4.20 pm start.

Location of Start : The Great Wood car park, Keswick, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 272 214 )

Places visited : Cat Gill, Walla Crag, and back to the car through Great Wood.

Walk details : 2.5 mls, 1025 ft of ascent, 2 hrs 10 mins.

Highest point : Walla Crag 1243 ft - 379 m.

Walked with : Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Afternoon sun but a bit hazy under high cloud. A stiff breeze on the top.

A cheque to present on behalf of the OFC and then a walk on Walla Crag to round the afternoon off.

We tried to cut the walk a little shorter, but the going gets steep before we make our way successfully back to the car.

- - - o o o - - -

First we called round to the Calvert Trust stables in Keswick on order to present a cheque that has been raised

through the sale of the 8th edition of " The Lost Sheep", the occasional journal of the On-line Fellwalking Club.

Click here for the on the Yahoo Message Board

The Calvert Centre, opened in 2004 by Princess Ann.	Ann presents the cheque to Henri and Prince.

The cheque will help to buy equipment for their many "Riding for the Disabled" projects.

- - - o o o - - -

Time for a walk - what would you like to do today ?	We'll start by parking the car please !

Myself, setting off with Great Wood ahead . . .	. . . Ann, with the view of Skiddaw Little Man behind.

Wood Sorrel protected by the trunk of an old tree.

Harry crosses the bridge over Cat Gill . . .	. . . but we're not going that way today !

He adopts his 'short leg' posture and 'worried look' as he reluctantly makes the return crossing !

We're heading up alongside Cat Gill . . .	. . . climbing up towards Walla Crag.

That looks like Harry up there, making sure we're following ok.

The upper cascade of Cat Gill . . .	. . . and zooming in on the top part of the falls.

Reaching more level ground at the head of the ravine, we can look back at Maiden Moor.

Forward from the same place as I head for the top.

As we climb we get our first glimpse of the summit of Bleaberry Fell.

The bare rock, the small pool and a view like that means we have reached the summit.

It has a great view down over the Borrowdale Valley and Keswick.

Click here or on the photo above for a Loweswatercam 360 degree annotated panorama.

Time for a photo shoot for Harry and Bethan.

Are we ok here ?

Close up with Skiddaw behind.

Looking south this time to the Central Fells.

Naming the fells (l to r) it's Glaramara, Great End, Broad Crag, Scafell Pike, Great Gable and Dale Head.

Looking down on Calfclose Bay.	Derwent Isle through the gap of Strandshag Bay.

Time to be off . . .

The local farmer is out checking the fences and the sheep using his quad bike.

Our walk continues on down the other side of Walla Crag towards Blencathra.

We see two runners taking a path down through the gate, so we go over to check out the route.

There's a path down which will avoid the longer walk round via the farm and the TV mast.

Down through the open woodland below the northern end of the crags.

The trees are just starting to bud.

The Larch has a very colourful first bud.

There followed a slight intermission from photos, as the path we were following got steeper and more slippery before finally disappearing all together.

This left us searching for an easier way down. If you follow our tracklog on the map, take care on this section and be prepared to find your own route !

The path regained near the bottom of the slope.

The forest track in sight . . .	. . . which is much easier going.

The sun is out as we make our way down through Great Wood. ( Larch, fir, even a holly with red berries.)

The outline of Walla Crag can just be made out through the trees.

Lower down now as we look into the late afternoon sun shining on St Herbert's and Rampsholme Islands.

It's just a short walk back to the car parked in the National Trust's Great Wood car park below.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a better path down through the trees !

Go to Top . . . © RmH.2011 . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 2nd April 2011 Rannerdale Knotts in the Sunshine

A previous time up here - 8th January 2010 Snowy Walla Crag for sunset

Next walk - 9th April 2011 Rest Dodd and The Nab