Little Dale Horseshoe

I let Bruno drive to the Lakes this morning as I was still a bit tired from the wife’s Uncle Joe’s funeral yesterday. he’s quite good and he does mirror-signal-manoeuvre, but not in that order…

Anyway, I put him in the back at the Threlkeld roadworks and we arrived at the appointed spot at chapel bridge in Newlands where we were pleased to meet Gayle and Mick. Martin and Graham arrived late having parked somewhere else. they will, of course, have their pay docked or they can make up the time on Christmas Day (mwhahahah) – Just a little Human Resources joke, there…

And so, in blazing sunshine and slowly melting frost we embarked on the Little Dale Horseshoe, or, as its known in Bill Birketts Book “great British Ridge Walks” – The Little Dale Horseshoe by Scope End to Hindscarth anad the Littledale Edge to Robinson descending via High Snab Bank (draw breath…)

Which is what we did.

I have to report that the felltop conditions today were nothing less than superb – easy underfoot with a thin cover of new, specially fluffy snow, blue skies, light winds, big views. Big, big white views.

Bruno took to Mick and jumped for snowballs and, generally did his charming bit (in the hope, no doubt of The Ultimate Motivator – Food) Mick needs a dog.

I was lucky in that the group seemed to instinctively wait for me to heave my way up the hills Its the beta blockers. the cardiac nurse says I could stop taking them but the chances are that I could penk out and take the stairway to heaven. Its up to you, he said. Otherwise, just put up with it. So I plod upwards.But I think that more steep stuff like this, together with a move towards my ideal weight (current weight minus 10kg) – I might be able to go uphill a bit quicker. As it is, frankly, its a torture. I’m really much better off without any company at all. I can do the thing with the really small steps and Bruno doesn’t whinge on about being left behind. But for the time being at least, I’ll bash on being sociable….

And so, after bagging Hindscarth and Robinson we descended by High Snab Bank – the icy/slippery rocksteps providing some excitement and entertainment. I was planning a rocky landing, but managed, in the end to slither off in a fairly undignified scitterring and dithering semi-frantic series of lurches and scrapes.

Afterwards, we repaired to the pub at Braithwaite for a short period of reflection and recuperation and, maybe the odd sniftah.

This was a fab walk, today – thanks to Martin Banfield for the notion – and thanks also to Mick and Gayle and Graham for the company and the location of crucial footholds….

TIts very possible that other versions of this walk will shortly be appearing on Mick and Gayle’s blog http://gayleybird.blogspot.com/ and Martin’s blog at http://phreerunner.blogspot.com/

It may well be that the accounts will all be different this time.

You should of know this would appen. Innit?

We did 6 miles and 2500 feet of uphill. See map. We went clockwise. Bruno went clockwise and anti-clockwise and described various inner circles too….. we know a song about this..