Back to London tonight

I have time before travelling back to London, to catch the Borrowdale bus again.  This time I get off at Rosthwaite and walk up the delightfully named Puddingstone Bank.  The snow of yesterday has retreated to the higher fells. Therefore the going is easier although there are a few hail filled squalls whipping through which keep me huddled up.

The first hill I climb is Great Crag which is a Wainwright. This leaves 30 Wainwrights to do. I make my way back to Puddingstone Bank which I cross and go up Grange Fell, also a Wainwight, so now only 29 to go. 

I traverse the fell via the subsidiary top of King's How from where there are great views across Derwentwater and pick up the bus back to Keswick at Grange.

So now I am back in an empty house in London, where I am having to do strange things such as run the washing machine and do food shopping.  Well these are strange things to me!

The Borrowdale bus

I sneak away for a couple of days in Keswick where as usual I am well looked after by Steph and Steve at Bramblewood B and B.  I catch the local bus to Stonethwaite as my targets are Sergeant's Crag and Eagle Crag.

The walk up the valley is easy but it all changes when I branch off up the steep snow covered slopes of Sergeant's Crag which makes the going tiring.  I disturb a small herd of red deer stags and also see a buzzard and kestral.  More wildlife than is normal in a Lake District valley.  It gives the day a wild feeling which is enhanced by the rocky tops.

There are great views back to Stonethwaite.

Back at the road I stop for a bite to eat in the smart bus shelter.  

The bus takes me back to Keswick. The road builders never envisaged buses using this route so there are frequent stops while the driver skilfully squeezes us between hedge and oncoming vehicles.  

The bus is busy.  Most passengers are old.  Just about all are wearing quality walking kit so I guess they have been using the many trails in Borrowdale.  There are quite a few dogs on board who seem to have had a good day just as I have had.

Another day, another hill

Cream Thoraraidh is the Marilyn due north of Helmsdalle.  I am on the hill soon after dawn and approach the top via a gully up the main face disturbing breakfast for several deer along for the way.   The summit plateau is squelchy and completely disfigured by 2 communications masts.  The trig point is roughly in the middle but I don't linger as a vicious squalls slices through. 

By the time the squall is in the North Sea and attacking the distant oil rigs, I am well into my descent this time using the service road for the masts.  

Later in the day I catch a train to Thurso and look across the Pentland Firth to Orkney.  The highlight of the train journey is crossing the empty and wild Flow Country which is full of wildlife and full of tempting walking routes for the future.

Now this is more interesting

Yesterday I caught an early train to Edinburgh, changed to a crowded Scotrail train to Inverness through the snowy Cairngorms, and sadly, as it was dark, had my first experience of the Far North line ending up in Helmsdale where Sharon kindly met me at the station.  634 miles north of London.  My return in 2 days time will be in daylight so I can see what I missed.

Helmsdale's main virtue is location.  It is 2 hours north of Inverness by train.  Thurso on the north coast is within reach.  The Helmsdale River drains a vast track of remote land before emptying into the North Sea at Helmsdale.  It is a salmon river.  The surrounding hills are scattered and are either Grahams or Marilyns meaning they have restricted appeal and are quiet. There is abundant wildlife in the area.

My target was Beinn Dhorain in Glen Loth and Sharon's other half, Tommy kindly drives me to the middle of the glen.  Signs at the start says the road is closed for the winter and it probably was a week or two ago due to snow and also due to apolyptic devastation to fir trees which workmen had to cut through to allow vehicles to pass.

Sharon and Tommy run an excellent B&B called Kindale House. Tommy also delivers post, goes fishing and is a keen ornithologist. Insterestingly they moved to Helmsdale 15 years ago from the Scilly Isles, which is quite some move.

Local advice from the estate stalker is not to go directly up the steep faces which are both steep and corniced. Instead I follow a well used deer track into the col to the south of Beinn Dhorain's summit.The going is fairly easy although I do not see a human footpath all day.The wind is strong and blows me to the top.

To the west are the snowfields of Ben klibrek and nearer at hand is the large and very ugly wind farm at Gordonbush.  North is Morven, the highest point in Caithness and a target since I first started pouring over maps as as a small boy.  The wind is calmer in the lee between Beinn Dhorain and the subsidiary top of Ben Uarie so I take a calmer picture of me and Morven which is the distant lump over my right shoulder.

There is plenty of snow up here but mainly in big patches and it is thawing today.  I am delighted to see 5 ptarmigan resplendent in their winter coats and filling thei crops with heather shoots.  This seems low level for these relatives of the grouse which I normally see on the higher tops.

Descending quickly I am soon at the glen road having traversed the hill.  It is a long but pleasant walk to Kildonan station.  Oh what a gem Kildonan is!   Such a contrast to Kings Cross or Waterloo.  62 people used the station in 2012-13 which is one every 6 days.  On the law of averages nobody else will be here until next Tuesday.

The station is well kept and the final gem is that is a request stop.  You cannot do that at Clapham Junction.  A 14 minute train ride alongside the Helmsdale River takes me back one stop to Helmsdale. A great day.

The first hill....

Yesterday I went up Leith Hill which is the highest point in South East England.  The first hill of my enforced break from Philippa.  Actually it is the 151st time I have been up Leith Hill so it is obvious I like the area.

And so my domestic life begins... Philippa has left some unmatchedsocks on the bed, presumabley because she thought matching them is a problem. I see no problem and am today wearing one black one and one brown one. Problem solved.