The original plan for Day Two was a two car hike - starting at the top of Wrynose Pass and going to Crinkle Crags. However given the actual challenge of going over both passes yesterday we decided that was a very dodgy option. In addition the sky was low and the tops were misty which took away one of the main features of the planned walk - the panoramic views of the Langdales on one side and the Scafell Range on the other - from the long ridge walk.
So a second plan was devised: Great Gable from Wasdale Head was the idea. This also accommodated Sheila's ambition to swim in Wastwater, England's deepest lake. We drove around from Eskdale to Wastwater and as the lake came into view, it was a most magical sight.
Wastwater Morning, Uploaded by M+MD.
The water was so still that it acted like a perfect mirror reflecting the screes above. It was almost impossible to tell the difference between the waterline and the bottom of the screes. We stopped the car and just took in the marvellous scene. The top of the screes were in mist - the mist was the only blur in the perfect reflection.
We eventually moved on to the car park beside Wasdale Head Hotel. Great Gable and anything over 1,000 feet was covered in mist but it was warm and there was no sign of rain. We set off up the valley with multiple options and variations for the actual route running around in my head. I fancied the spectacular south traverse which is a very well defined path set on scree runs around the middle of Great Gable travelling under the impressive craggy outcrop known as Napes Needles and with views up the dramatic scree runs with the forbidding names; Little Hells Gate and Great Hells Gate. The traverse also gives spectacular views across to Scafell Pike (the highest mountain in England). But with the mist down, which would spoil the view, and a plan which was already ambitious, the traverse felt like an unproductive luxury. I began to think of alternatives.
After we crossed the footbridge the paths diverged and a choice was made - the harder more direct route up and the easier gradual route down. That ended up being the theme for the day: take the tough option! We turned left and started to climb quite quickly - I began to worry that maybe this was too ambitious for the second day. But we had a couple of stops and after a while we were over 1,000 feet and in the mist.
Kevin has an altimeter on his phone and that was helpful and encouraging at first - we could clock up the feet of ascent. But then came the hard questions - "how high is Great Gable anyway?" When you are only just above 1,000 feet and feeling pretty tired the one answer you don't want to hear is "2,948 feet" especially when Kevin has told you that we left the car at 180 feet and so you have completed less than one third of the climb!
The path was good all the way. At about 1,700 feet we were in the thick mist and it was about 12.30 and we agreed it was time for lunch. It had been a strenuous start and there was still a long way to go but a cup of tea and some excellent sandwiches made a big difference. We rested in a pretty precarious spot perched on the path with Great Gable above and behind us and the invisible Kirk Fell in front of us. We could hear the steam in the gully between the mountain rumbling loudly down but we could just see ourselves. It was just as well that no one tried to pass us on the path because it was steep and the ten of us were sprawled all over it.
Lunch Time, Uploaded by M+MD.
After a good feed and a good rest we started up again. It was just a little difficult to get the limbs obeying the brain again - but soon we were climbing and making good progress. We eventually reached the traverse path - but it was very hard to see in the mist. We met a couple who had just come down directly from the top. They described it as very difficult. I finally decided against the traverse and set off continuing gradually upwards. We had 2 choices now - walk around to Windy Gap which I knew was a safe way up or take the direct back route. We took the direct route - despite the comment from the couple. The path was well marked with cairns and that made it safe enough. It's also true that path that are difficult going down can be easier and very efficient going up.
We could only see about 20 feet ahead but we were making good ground. About a third of the way up that section we met a couple coming down. "the boulders are very big" she said - they had turned back. But we were happy with our progress and so we continued.
With just 300 feet to go to the top the boulders did get big and the path became a scramble, climbing over rocks and boulders and looking for footholds. But the altimeter was a great encourager at this time and there was no suggestion of giving up. The scramble continued for about 150 feet and the it returned to a regular rocky path. Greg and Christopher forged ahead and then we could see some shapes in the distance. Christopher was the first to hit the top.
On Top of Great Gable , Uploaded by M+MD.
Because it was so misty the top looked small - my memory of Great Gable is a large platform generally full of people! But we found the commemorative plaque described by Wainwright! It was busy enough for such a misty day. There were at least 3 other groups including one group who had found the front path difficult and were thinking about the back path (that we had just come up) - I advised them to go down to Windy Gap instead. If they found the front path difficult the going down the way we came up was going to put them off the Lakes for life! I'm not sure that they followed the advise. It was time for another food and drink break on top and we got a couple of group photos courtesy of a couple with their dog Bertie.
There was not so much to see. - on a clear day the view is stunning, so after about 20 minutes we set off down the front or breast path which brings us down to Styhead Tarn. This is the main route up and down Great Gable and it is the route we took thirty years ago. That also reverses the ascent of thirty year ago. The way was clearly marked with large cairns and the path which was always good and clear, had been much improved with stone steps built in for most of the way. These stone steps are now a normal on most popular Lake District routes are there to protect from human erosion which was becoming a major problem even 30 years ago. The only problem with the stone steps is that in damp misty weather they become just a little slippery. In the rain they work well but the mist makes them greasy.
We managed though and made pretty good progress down - then at about 1,800 feet the mist cleared suddenly as it often does on these days and the curtains opened on Styhead Tarn below us. Looking across we could just see the needles and the south traverse. After a few minutes the mist rolled back in but it was starting to lift. Soon we were down at the stretcher box above Styhead Tarn.
The idea was to take the fast route home - but we ended up on a slower but more interesting route. The descent from Styhead Tarn was about an hour longer than intended. Greg and Christopher were again leading the way. They even stopped to take their boots off and refresh their feet in the cold mountain stream. The mist was now gradually lifting and we could now see the South Traverse and Napes Needles clearly. By the time we got down the tops were all clear! We made it down in one piece and set off back via Wasdale.
We stopped again at Wastwater and without too much thinking most of us changed into swimming gear. Lead by Sheila, with Greg and myself just behind, we waded in.
It was cold and stony but we took the plunge. As long as you kept swimming it was quite pleasant. Kevin, Katy, Roisha, and Christopher followed in and after much goading Mark also took the plunge. Mags and Senan decide to remain sane, dry and warm! It was very refreshing, clear and clean; and certainly very cold. The only thing you has to worry about was the occasional fly resting on the water - good for fish but not for humans! So we had climbed a high mountain and swam in the deepest lake in England.
We decided to eat early and managed to get a table in the Bridge Inn at Santon Bridge - it was very busy - but I suppose that it was Friday night on the last week-end in August. The food and the beer was good and by 8 we were heading back to the hostel. By 10 pm some of us were ready for bed - more stayed up and played cards for another hour or so - but with another big day planned for to-morrow and with sore knees to worry about, most were in bed before midnight.
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