Day 1 - St. Bees to Ennerdale Bridge
23.06.13
DISTANCE WALKED: 16.3 miles
If I was hoping for an easy walk to start me off, then I was wrong! Tough climb today, but what excellent views as I left the coast behind and started to head East into the lakes.
Left the B&B at 9.30 and headed down to the start of the walk via the Priory to get a couple more photos. Dipped my toes in the Irish Sea, saw the RNLI lifeboat being launched, said farewell to my darling hubby for the next 14 days and set off up the cliffs towards Whitehaven. I was really pleased to see large numbers of Razorbills at the cliffs which form part of an RSPB reserve beyond St. Bees lighthouse, I was also jolly pleased that the westerlies were bringing clearer skies. As you get nearer to Whitehaven you can see the giant nuclear power plant at Sellafield to the north, and some equally conspicuous chemical works to the south, but they don't detract from the coastline. I left the coast and its industrial scars behind and turned inland to cross through the pleasant village of Sandwith and the rather non-descript old mining villages of Moor Row and Cleator. I spotted my first Yellowhammer of the year (tick).
From Cleator the long, long climb up Dent Hill starts, initially through forest tracks and then up on to open hill country. Looking back from the summit (353m) you can see across the whole of the Cumberland coastal plain, to the Isle of Man and over the Solway Firth to the Galloway Hills of Scotland. Thank goodness for a clear view! But the real winner is the first view of the Lakeland fells that is the reward for the long climb, even if some of the higher peaks (Scafell Pike included) were under cloud. It was cold and windy up there; wet and boggy underfoot. My attempts to capture the peaks were thwarted as I couldn't hold the camera still in such high winds. I contoured Raven's Crag then reached what can only be described as a precipice. The descent was exceedingly steep, so much so that irate readers of the Stedman Guide apparently still write in and complain about the gradient (have they not used an OS map?)
From there it was a simple case of following the charming Nannycatch Beck along then a slight climb out to meet the road to Ennerdale Bridge at Low Cock How Farm. I wondered if that was a rhetorical question. There is a fine example of C2C signage there! Is the farm sign like a gong so as to call the sheep to dinner? I also wondered if Nannycatch was so called because someone's grandma fell over and rolled down the hill. Swifts, swallows and house martins flew so close you could almost reach out and touch them. Downhill all the way to my quaint B&B "The Cloggers," a bath, with Radox provided (hurrah), then a light supper and a pint of Thwaite's Wainwright's Ale at the Shepherd's Arms. I met up with some people that I had seen walking earlier to compare ornithological and walking notes. Tomorrow is set fair, I think. I was very glad to have stayed dry today and hope it continues. My legs are feeling that steep descent though. A good night's sleep will restore them ready for tomorrow.
And now for the stats bit:
Odometer
16.3 miles
Cumulative Miles
16.3
Total Ascent
1124 metres
Total Descent
1065 metres
Moving Time
5h 32 m
Stopped Time
2h 12 m
Moving Average
2.9 mph
If I was hoping for an easy walk to start me off, then I was wrong! Tough climb today, but what excellent views as I left the coast behind and started to head East into the lakes.
Left the B&B at 9.30 and headed down to the start of the walk via the Priory to get a couple more photos. Dipped my toes in the Irish Sea, saw the RNLI lifeboat being launched, said farewell to my darling hubby for the next 14 days and set off up the cliffs towards Whitehaven. I was really pleased to see large numbers of Razorbills at the cliffs which form part of an RSPB reserve beyond St. Bees lighthouse, I was also jolly pleased that the westerlies were bringing clearer skies. As you get nearer to Whitehaven you can see the giant nuclear power plant at Sellafield to the north, and some equally conspicuous chemical works to the south, but they don't detract from the coastline. I left the coast and its industrial scars behind and turned inland to cross through the pleasant village of Sandwith and the rather non-descript old mining villages of Moor Row and Cleator. I spotted my first Yellowhammer of the year (tick).
From Cleator the long, long climb up Dent Hill starts, initially through forest tracks and then up on to open hill country. Looking back from the summit (353m) you can see across the whole of the Cumberland coastal plain, to the Isle of Man and over the Solway Firth to the Galloway Hills of Scotland. Thank goodness for a clear view! But the real winner is the first view of the Lakeland fells that is the reward for the long climb, even if some of the higher peaks (Scafell Pike included) were under cloud. It was cold and windy up there; wet and boggy underfoot. My attempts to capture the peaks were thwarted as I couldn't hold the camera still in such high winds. I contoured Raven's Crag then reached what can only be described as a precipice. The descent was exceedingly steep, so much so that irate readers of the Stedman Guide apparently still write in and complain about the gradient (have they not used an OS map?)
From there it was a simple case of following the charming Nannycatch Beck along then a slight climb out to meet the road to Ennerdale Bridge at Low Cock How Farm. I wondered if that was a rhetorical question. There is a fine example of C2C signage there! Is the farm sign like a gong so as to call the sheep to dinner? I also wondered if Nannycatch was so called because someone's grandma fell over and rolled down the hill. Swifts, swallows and house martins flew so close you could almost reach out and touch them. Downhill all the way to my quaint B&B "The Cloggers," a bath, with Radox provided (hurrah), then a light supper and a pint of Thwaite's Wainwright's Ale at the Shepherd's Arms. I met up with some people that I had seen walking earlier to compare ornithological and walking notes. Tomorrow is set fair, I think. I was very glad to have stayed dry today and hope it continues. My legs are feeling that steep descent though. A good night's sleep will restore them ready for tomorrow.
And now for the stats bit:
Odometer
16.3 miles
Cumulative Miles
16.3
Total Ascent
1124 metres
Total Descent
1065 metres
Moving Time
5h 32 m
Stopped Time
2h 12 m
Moving Average
2.9 mph