You Can’t Get Wetter Than A Kentmere Walker…

Day 35 – Tuesday 28 April. Today’s agenda was an extended Kentmere Horseshoe – the usual eight tops plus Gray Crag and High Street for good measure. Joining us was Anne Sweeney from the Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Anne is a keen runner, doing marathons and other long-distance races, and seemed a little puzzled when I said the 14½ mile round would take around seven hours: I think she was expecting to run round in under two hours!

The first hour’s climb to the summit of Yoke (2309’) was easy going and the weather was grey and cloudy. This was very definitely the best the weather would be all day. A few spots of rain arrived as someone kindly took a picture of the three of us displaying a Rosemere T-shirt at the top.

As the rain set in we tramped over Ill Bell (2476’) and Froswick (2359’), getting gradually wetter. By Thornthwaite Crag (2569’) with its massive summit cairn (more like an obelisk) it was beginning to truly lash it down. Anne, used to being out in such conditions but not for so long, was putting on a brave face but must have been wishing she’d chosen a different day.

We had to do a two mile there-and-back detour to get Gray Crag (2286’) – it’s on quite a narrow ridge and I guess the views are quite good when you can see them – all we got was mist and cloud. It stopped raining. For ten minutes, then started again even more heavily and from this point on it never stopped. Tramping along the old Roman Road to High Street (2718’) I couldn’t help thinking that the weather must have been much warmer two thousand years ago, otherwise the Romans wouldn’t have bothered. Global warming?

From Mardale Ill Bell (2496’) there’s a long drop to Nan Bield Pass, where three ladies thought we must be fit young men. Well, you can’t see anything when your glasses are covered in rain. I never cease to be amazed at the number of people wearing shorts in these conditions. Swimming trunks would be OK if it were 20° (C) warmer.

A stiff climb followed to Harter Fell (2539’) followed by a route march (Get us off this hill!) over Kentmere Pike (2397’) – number 200!! - and Shipman Knotts (1926’) before we arrived back at the car like three drowned rats. At least we had the consolation that 10 more were in the back and only 13 left to do!!

Photos: 1. Me, Mike and Anne Sweeney from the Rosemere Cancer Foundation, Yoke Summit; 2. Froswick from Ill Bell; 3. Mike prepares to read a sermon at High Street summit; 4. Harter Fell - how much wetter can it get?