Lake District 2011: Day One - Yewbarrow

The ferry left Dublin on time at 8.45. We were in Holyhead at 10.45 and on the road just after 11.00. It is a four hour drive from Holyhead. We stopped at a service station just below Preston to have a cup of coffee. Just as we were leaving I heard a familiar voice behind us - Sheila, on her way from London had stopped at the same services. Its a small world!
The drive from Holyhead is dual carraigeway and motorway for 3 hours. It was a tough final hour as we drove up the Duddon valley and turning left at Ulpha. It was not as bad as the year we went over Wrynose and Hard Knott - but it was slow and winding for the last 45 minutes.

Our plan was to meet at the car park at the foot of Yewbarrow. It was raining as we drove into the valley and alongside the lake. Yewbarrow is often photographed because of its position halfway up the Wasdale valley. More than any mountain it looks like an upturn boat. It is one of the two Wainwrights I am planning to add on this trip. As we parked I thought that we may have to cancel due to the weather. Sheila had arrived five minutes before us. As we were consulting and considering, it stopped raining.
So we set off at 4pm. It is a serious first walk – 2,200 feet. It is a no nonsense climb as the path rises directly from the lake.

Wastwater Uploaded by M+MD

We puffed and panted as we started to get our "mountain legs" but we were encouraged by the sight of the lake getting smaller below us. We started up the spine of hill along a wall. Once we were over the wall the path moved across the hill and towards a gully. We scrambled up the gully, the lake still receeding. After about an hour we reached the first top of the gully. At first we were disappointed because we could see there was still quite a bit of a ridge walk to get to the top. But then as we got to the top of the ridge, suddenly, there was the view. It was breath-taking. The lake was now below us, down a vertical gully. The sky was clear and we could see Great Gable; Scafell Pike, Scafell and all the mountains around.

Up the Gully Uploaded by M+MD

Gaining Height Uploaded by M+MD

Yewbarrow Ridge Uploaded by M+MD

Louie Uploaded by M+MD

As we continued on the ridge the views were amazing. We had a clear view to the top of Scafell Pike, a rare sight. Finally we reached what looked like the top. Then we saw that the real peak was about 500 metres away - though not much higher. Finally, we made it. After a rest and some chocolate we continued down towards the col with Red Pike. We cut down an a path before the col - it was a little rough and a little steep but we made it down to the valley. After ten minutes on an ill-defined path beside a stream we joined the main path down the valley. The rest was easy.

Yewbarrow Summit, Uploaded by M+MD.

Wastwater Youth Hostel
Uploaded by M+MD

We did the walk in just over 3 hours. We headed back to the hostel and checked in. We were all in one big dormatory with the boys on one side and the girls on the other side of an internal partition. It was perfect. By the time we had got ourselves together it was just nine o'clock. We rang the local pub to see if we were too late for dinner – we were! But they took our order on the phone and ten minutes later we were tucking into steak/salmon and chips and pints. A successful first day behind us, a Wainwright bagged and mountain legs getting into shape.