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Winter snaps back!!

10/5/2019

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#scafell-pike-summit
A snowy summit today
This week has seen an number of postponements, mostly due to the rather inclement weather that descended on us a few days ago.
2 trips to Pillar Rock for the classic climb of 'Slab and Notch' route were definitely off the menu as very cold northerly winds brought snow to higher ground. Such a shame, Pillar is a magnificent place and a favourite of ours. Hopefully by July all will be more settled with the weather, fingers crossed.

But a pretty last minute call from Andy saw us out on Scafell Pike again. For Andy this was a recce mission to get a feel for the mountain before going for a Three Peaks over Three days later in the year. In a way we had ideal conditions for a training and recce day. Very very cold, almost certainly the coldest May ascent I've ever done. Rain and strong winds in the valley, with the rain turning to snow from about 600m. A damp airflow ensured we enjoyed some quality suffering, with numb fingers and toes, hot aches, and an all round mountaineering feel to the weather / day - totally brilliant of course.
Whilst neither of us were quite expecting such conditions, we were well prepared. So yes we felt discomfort at times, that's all it was. There were plenty folk up there rather less prepared for the elements. Think Jeans and trainers. Now that's a whole new level of suffering, crazy!

Summit views were limited to no more than about 50m and this added so much to the drama and atmosphere. Even though I was absolutely freezing during our summit breather, I couldn't help soak up the start beauty of the snowy summit. We met a couple of other guys who had made their way up from Borrowdale, but otherwise had the summit to ourselves.

Soon after we began the descent the views opened up and we could see to Derwent Water and out to the Irish Sea, so pretty good for a cloudy day. More walkers were now making their way to the summit, I was pretty glad to be going in the opposite direction and somewhere warmer.

Within no time at all, even with a few photo stops and no rushing, we were back at the Lake Shore car park and getting ourselves warm and dry.

A cracking day out, Scafell Pike delivers again. Andy has now built up a familiarity with the route and can relay to his team of walkers what to expect on this big rocky mountain. Thanks Andy and good luck for the summer trip.

Mark

#do-i-need-a-guide-for-scafell-pike
Some days navigating can be a challenge!
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Busy weekend on Scafell Pike

6/5/2019

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#view-from-scafell-pike
Glorious day for a walk
Another bank holiday and another busy weekend here in the Lake District. Not quite the weather we had during the last bank holiday, but still pretty good, certainly very good for walking.

Over the Saturday & Sunday we were looking after 3 walking groups all with their sights set for Scafell Pike and all achieving it.
With the help of two more local guides - Richie and Iain - our Saturday teams enjoyed good times and epic views during the walk. Iain had mentioned to me later how busy the main paths had been and this was to plant a seed in my mind for my trip up there on Sunday.

The forecast for Sunday was not as good as Saturday, less sun, a little rain / hail / snow!! But overall was still looking pretty good. We cruised up to the summit in a quick time and managed to find some shelter from the light, but cold breeze for lunch at the top. It was busy up there again today and as we descended it became apparent that many more walkers had set off late and hundreds were now making their way to the summit. The little seed from yesterday was sprouting in my head. I suggested we make a slight detour onto the flanks of Lingmell. This would bring soft, springy grass to walk on and very few other walkers. All were in favour of this alternative.

As we continued our day in complete tranquility whilst being able to gaze over to the masses on the Brown Tongue path, I think we all felt a little bit smug.

There are many benefits to hiring a local guide for the day, be it for a walk, scramble, or climb. Letting someone else deal with route finding and navigating is big part benefit. But also to give you the choice to get off the beaten track, get to know the mountain better, and explore where many won't.

If you'd like help with a walk or other mountain activities in the Lake District, please do get in touch.

Thanks to Richie, Iain, and our 3 awesome walking groups :-) 

Thans for reading

Mark  


#guided-walks-to-scafell-pike
Happy walkers on the summit
#wasdale-route-to-scafell-pike
Wast Water
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It's not just about the walking!

3/5/2019

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#gorge-scrambling-esk-gorge
Bowfell from our approach walk
Alongside our popular guided walks to Scafell Pike, we offer multi-activity days in the Lake District via our Mountain Journeys website. As well as many other walking routes, we can provide: Rock climbing; Scrambling; Abseiling; Adventure Days; Navigation training; Gorge scrambling; and Canyoning.

A recent enquiry led us to have a revisit of one of our favourite venues, the Esk gorge. The biggest and best gorge trip in the Lake District, by far. Well that is quite a claim. It's not like we're short on gorges in this part of the world.

What Makes the Esk the best?

The long, but gentle approach walk of around 45 minutes leads to a place of real tranquility, and wilderness.
The pools are all crystal clear, and most are very deep.
Large, deep pools make for much safer jumping.
The jumps are big, some are very big!!
Even in a drought (yes it does occasionally happen, even in Cumbria) there will be plenty water in the Esk. 
On a warm summers day it's easy to forget this is Cumbria, it really can feel like a Caribbean paradise. Well, this is paradise too you know.
And very close by there's Lingcove Beck too, should the Esk not be enough. This also has beautiful clear pools and cascading waterfalls.

As an activity venue it offers many possibilities, and getting the time to explore these can be difficult. This week we made the effort and the yield was good.
Not only did we find, set up, and test and brilliant and exhilarating Tyrollean traverse across the gorge. We also found a stunning abseil location, the best I've ever seen!
Anyone who's been gorge scrambling or canyoning will know that standing around waiting is not a good thing as likely you're soaking wet so will become cold quickly. So these additional offerings we have found have been chosen specifically with that in mind. So not only are they in stunning locations, you won't be waiting long until it's your turn...are you ready for the adventure?

A little more about the Esk, its humble origins. High up above the Great Moss in Upper Eskdale there are many small streams cascading down from the mountains, mostly from the Scafell range. These small streams by themselves seem so insignificant, but gather them all together in the Great Moss and these turn into the mighty Esk. The main source is Calfcove Gill which I ran passed yesterday. A babbling brook of crystal clear waters that were very welcome to a tired and thirsty runner, I drank freely from a cascade and it was delicious. Calfcove Gill is pictured at the bottom of this blog post.

For more information about any of our activities, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We really do love chatting about the mountains and sharing what we know with you. 

Thanks for reading

Mark

#canyoning-esk-gorge-lake-district
Sam checking out a Tyrollean traverse over the waterfalls
#lake-district-gorge-scrambling
One of the many beautiful pools we jump in during an Esk gorge trip
#scafell-pike-guided-walks
Calfcove Gill high up on Ill Crag. This is where the mighty Esk begins
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