Saturday 29 October 2011

Dale Head Via Hindscarth

Wednesday, 26th October 2011 We parked up at the small car park just outside Little Town near Chapel Bridge.  As we put on our boots my focus was on the clouds gathering above Dale Head and wondering whether to put my waterproofs on straight away or chance it.  Kel was deciding which 'Rab' product to wear today and would her purple body warmer clash with heather on Hindscarth. 
The five of us set off up past the very white church with its very neat grave stones after crossing the bridge over Newlands Beck.  About 500 metres up the road we took a left over a field towards Low House Farm and then headed for the base of Hindscarth, turning right behind the farm at Low Snab.
Just before the farm the heavens opened and out came the waterproofs, totally messing up Kel's colour scheme, what would the sheep think!?
The ascent of Hindscarth was under way and I'll admit, I was a wee bit out of breath, it's quite a steep start and all five of us were sucking in air from Swindon.  The route has a few cheeky surprises in the form of a few little scrambles, which generally I embrace but the rain had made the rock a tad slippery and the air started to get a bit blue with some delightful expletives from all parties, except Richard who is too young to swear.  We battled through the occasional showers and made it past Scope End and hit High Crags.
It was then where nature though she'd have a laugh in the form of horizontally blown sleet, and it was bitterly cold.  All five heads went down and the chat stopped as the only way to see was looking at the floor and occasionally looking at the water dripping off the person in front.  Luckily the scrambles had finished and it was just the towering figure of Hindscarth to think about, plus the sleet.  A good 30 minutes icy rain and a patch of blue sky appeared and so did some smiles. Now, I love wintry weather as much as the next bloke, but I was glad to see the sleet stop and feel a bit of warmth on my face. 
  
Be warned, the top of Hindscarth has a sense of humour too, this comes in the form of the old false summit trick. Which Sue was finding hilarious, not!!   Kel had learned from climbing Carlside last year that 'you're not at the top, until you're at the top'. So, after about 3 or 4 "ya jokin me's from Sue we reached the sheltered Cairn at the top.  My ham, cheese and salad sarnies were well and truly on my mind now but Dicko, who was on point, decided the next sheltered Cairn was more suitable.  The sun was now beating down but still quite chilly, so I decided to leave on my windproof Rab jacket, which I usually only put on at prolonged breaks, with my waterproof on top just in case nature got bored again and decided to soak us through. 
The short walk to the top of Dale Head was pleasant but boggy, but I had my gaiters on so I just plodded through the countless bogs and puddles until we hit Hindscarth Edge, where I looked right and saw an old friend, Fleetwith Pike which I'd met a couple of days earlier. 

The top was pleasant and it was handshakes all round.  A few piccys were taken and a clothing rethink for some. A lonely photographer was perched against the pile of stones and looked very wet. He looked like he'd been there sometime waiting for the 'money shot' of the Newlands Valley with Skiddaw in the distance. The next point was Dalehaed Tarn which we couldn't see, but a steep descent down towards the top of Dalehead Crags and a right turn revealed the Tarn.

Now at this point Id realised Kel had gone from being a normal (ish) female human to a famous baby deer on ice. The route to the Tarn now has a couple of arse shaped dents in the descent, not big dents (she's sat next to me as I type).  We had a break at the Tarn while Sue caught up as she was taking it slow after watching 'Bambi' hit the deck on the way down.
There is a nice green sheltered area with a wall round for a nice wild camp which is good to know for the summer. 
So the descent was on and this time I made sure Kel was in front of me so I could see any more falls instead of just hearing the now familiar 'thump' followed by the unmistakeable laugh which now seems to be the norm for the way down, maybe get a few piccys of her tumbles for my blog. 
The water falls on the way down are gorgeous will be revisited probably next year for some closer shots, but now the aim was to descend and find hit the Swinside pub. However, the mood was good and got even better when I had the pleasure of witnessing a triple back flip pirouette followed by a bit of Greek dancing that would make Michael Flatley envious.  Yep, Kel had gone again, the outcome could've been A&E worthy but she managed to pull it off with getting only one hand muddy....amazing ha!!  

We began to level off and spirits were high, we even had pleasure of witnessing Kel slip, again, on the smallest rock in Cumbria and fall flat on her face.  As I started to Google the air ambulance emergency number she went again near Barnes Gill.  But as the last few tumbles were followed by the echoing sound of "I need new boots", I started to feel a bit of a scam was unfolding. We finished the walk relatively fall free but entered the car park with smiling faces and the wanting of a beer.   The Swinside Inn has cracking views for a few good beers and the landlord has good craic.

AW compares this peak with Eel Crag for their craggy northern fronts and views of Skiddaw. I really enjoyed the walk and it may be worth the new boots Kel wants for Christmas. 

1 comment:

  1. Excellent description - I did the same route then onto High Spy and Maiden Moor about three years ago but remember the scrambling and steep bits! You have really brought it to life.
    We are all allowed "Bambi" moments....I have had a few (some of which are captured at http://heelwalker1.blogspot.com )
    And I agree with Kelly about making sure you are co-ordinated! Doesn't hurt to look stylish on the fells!

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