Dropping Clangers in Borrowdale

Day 29 – 20 April, and another glorious day with lots of cars already parked at Seathwaite by 9.00. I was walking on my own and the plan was to do Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Great Gable, Breen Gable and Base Brown. Easy=peasy. But one can get over-confident... First of all I looked at Base Brown and thought it was Grey Knotts, so ended up going ¼ mile out of my way after reaching the fell top before realising my mistake. Half a mile, 250’ of ascent and maybe half an hour wasted, so no big deal. Climbing the fell side there were interesting old mine shafts, spoil heaps, and for birdwatchers, Redstarts and Tree Pipits.

Finally, after skirting Raven Crag, I arrived at the summit of Grey Knotts (2287’) and had a quick look at Mr Wainwright’s book. Much too quick a look. I set off in the right direction and went straight past the top of Brandreth (2344’) without realising it, went downhill a bit and then back up, on auto-pilot, and before I knew it I was at the top of... Green Gable, which I wasn’t due to do until after Great Gable. Two problems – I didn’t know if I’d actually visited the summit of Brandreth, and I would still have to revisit Green Gable after Great Gable as there was no way of altering the route without missing out Base Brown. Aaaghh!! So I retraced steps to Brandreth (which I had visited, just never noticed) and then cut across to get on the lovely pony trail of Moses Trod after wasting another two miles and probably 700’ of ascent.

Kirk Fell looked very close and I thought it would save time off tomorrow’s Mosedale Horseshoe if I were to do it today, so I did. It’s a steep pull up from the col and then a long trek over the top to the summit at 2630’, after which I had to go all the way back to the col again before the even bigger ascent to the very stony top of Great Gable, a monster at 2949’ looking in every respect and from every angle like a real mountain. After that it was a steep, rocky descent to Windy Gap (not at all windy today) and a five minute climb back for a large portion of déjà vu at Green Gable (2603’).
It was an easy stroll to the top of Base Brown (2120’) but not so easy a descent – it’s a really steep drop back down to Seathwaite and it looks spectacularly so, but I finally finished the day at 5.00, having run out of liquid (I’d taken plenty, but it was a warm sunny day) which I am, as I type, in the process of topping up. If you know what I mean. 164 down, 50 to go, Mosedale Horseshoe tomorrow.

Photos: 1. Yes, this really is Brandreth, with Great Gable in the background; 2. Buzzed by a Hercules; 3. A hazy Wastwater from Beck head; 4. Great Gable from the summit of Kirk Fell.