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" Surprise Mellbreak with James and Clare "

Date & start time:       27th January 2024.   9.45 am start.

Location of Start :      By the red phone box, Loweswater, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 143 211).

Places visited :           The Negative signpost, Mellbreak (North & South tops), The Kirkstile.

Walk details :              4.1 miles,1875 ft of ascent, 2 hours 30 mins.

Highest point :           Mellbreak, 1,666ft - 512m.

Walked with :              The extended Archbold Family, Loes and the dogs, Dylan and Dougal.

Weather :                     Overcast and cool, but dry.

                     

                     

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number PU 100034184.

 

There we were, laying the table for breakfast after a leisurely morning lie in and the phone rang !

Were we free and did we want to join in on a walk up Mellbreak in half an hour's time ?

Well . . . what are friends for ?

How could we refuse . . . and after a quick breakfast we set off from home for this walk with the extended Archbold Family.

This was most of us us at Wainwright's Negative Signpost outside the Kirkstile Pub.

Only Dougal was out of photo as it was hard enough to get ten people and one dog to stand still for the photo !

In fact we were one car short as four of the family were still on their way over from Keswick.  They would catch up with us shortly.
We chatted our way up the farm track and bridleway to the firebreak.
From there we started the ascent of the northern end of the fell.
   

- - - o o o - - -

 

Dylan and Loes are both on 'light duties' at present

and so they left us at the top of the woods

and headed off for a low level walk to the lake.

We would meet up later at the end of the walk.

 

The faster members of the gang headed straight up the

rather indistinct path up the front of the fell.

The obvious way for them was straight up the scree slope

but the easier way is actually to find the zig-zag path

that climbs to one side of it.

 

- - - o o o - - -

It was hard work to fit everyone on the ledge at the "Peep round the Corner" and still see Buttermere in the distance.

A task neigh on impossible if they wanted me in the picture too !

A cold, windy north summit meant no photo today (that's it in the distance)

and by the time of this photo we had crossed the fell and we once again climbing to the reach the higher southern summit of Mellbreak.

Rather than take the main path which follows the skyline, we took a lower route across  the side of the fell which seemed to be more protected from the wind.

The route brought us round nicely to the rocky outcrop on the southern high point of the fell.

However Mellbreak is a mountain where metres make all the difference as this end is just three metres or ten feet higher than the north top.

Therefore no summit photo yet . . . the true top is one metre or three feet higher than those rocks and about fifty yards this direction.

A flat rock outcrop and grassy mound found us gathering at the true summit of the fell.

You can see by the hair and hats how blustery and cold the wind was.

- - - o o o - -

 

Clair and Junior stop for a photo

to celebrate new boots and a great climb.

 

We took the top path back from the summit

and headed down into the dip in the centre of the fell

that we had walked past earlier.

 

We had two options now, the steep, grassy descent off the side

or to find the top of the traverse path

which takes an more gradual route across the face

before reaching the track in the Mosedale Valley below.

 

- - - o o o - - -

The path can be found in the 'V' caused by a dry valley that starts to the right of the main descent path.

Where it suddenly steepens, the path heads off to the right above a steep drop, to starts the more gradual descent.

As we work our way round the fellside the views open up once again.

Below and behind us we saw the Mosedale Holly tree, but ahead our attention was now drawn to Carling Knott, Loweswater and Darling Fell.

Yet to come into view was the Kirkstile Inn, waiting expectantly at the end of the walk.

- - - o o o - - -

A suitably time phone call meant Loes met us at the pub where Clare and James had pre-booked lunch places for fourteen.
Lunch was served in "The Barn" a very sociable room for a larger crowd.
Try holding your cursor over the picture and say "Cheers".

- - - o o o - - -

A big thank you to James and Clare, Meg, Molly, Maisie, Junior and Jacob and the extended family and friends,

Jordan, Sophie, Tom, Sam and Jake, who dragged Loes and myself out of the cottage into the fresh air today.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with my iPhone 11pro mobile phone camera.

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

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Previous event - 23rd January 2024 - Burns Night Supper 2024

A previous time up here - 2nd June 2011 Mellbreak with my Family

Next walk -  6th February 2024 - Stanger Holy Well, Lorton