Back o’Skidda and Terrible Toothache

Day 16, Wednesday 1 April and today we were joined by Bill Barker. It’s been a very sociable week! I thought the BBC news was running an April Fool’s joke but apparently Alan Shearer really has gone to manage Newcastle United. I’d been suffering from toothache for a while and it was getting progressively worse, to the point of distraction at times.

Today’s itinerary is unique in that the fells are a bit widely spread so the car needs to be used to cut down the walking, which would in any case be along the road. So first up was Binsey (1466’), a lone hill, the most North-Westerly of all the Lakeland Fells and probably the easiest summit to reach across gently grassy slopes. The sun was shining, skylarks were singing and to the north, the Solway Firth was wreathed in mist like cotton wool.

Returning to the car it was Mike’s turn today for a navigational faux pas, taking me up the wrong track: we wanted the Skiddaw House road but went up a parallel access road which ended in a padlocked gate and a long way to reverse back as there was no room to turn. Once on the right track we parked near Dead Beck – two vehicles were there, with their occupants: if they had wanted to, they could have shuffled around and made room for us, but despite being asked it seemed like they couldn’t be bothered so we just went on the grass further down. They were transferring ‘plumbing equipment’ from a van to a 4x4 and I’m still not convinced there wasn’t something fishy going on.

Then strenuously up the steep slope by Dead Crags and on to the top of Bakestall (2189’), coming down an easier way along Birkett Edge with Red Grouse, Wheatear and Ravens putting in appearances. Lunch was a quick affair at the car – we’d seven fells to do today and by 12.30 we’d only done two.

Parking at Longlands we set off for the wonderfully named Great Cockup (1720’) (this isn’t an April Fool joke either). There was a phone signal so I rang Val from the top (she thought Great Cockup was a wind-up) to ask her to ring the dentist and make an appointment for me tomorrow. The next four fells were quite straightforward – rounded grassy fells with no outstanding features, but pleasant walking in the fine weather. Meal Fell (1770’) has a shooting butt on the summit. Then the highest of this group of five, Great Sca Fell (no relation to Scafell) at 2131’, followed by Brae Fell (1920’) and finally Longlands Fell (1580’). Mike was setting targets for each one so we ended up doing the round of five in only 3½ hours. Then we were off back home again, with a total of 86 fells done, 128 to go – getting nearer the hundred mark, and tomorrow’s a day off. Hooray!

Perhaps I ought to annotate the photos. The first one is Dash Falls, near Bakestall. The second shows how true mountaineers eat their lunch. No 3 - The two Bills (Barker and Honeywell) at the summit of Great Cockup, and finally Mike and Bill B approaching Great Sca Fell.