Wainwright Outlier Bagging Is Just Wrong – High Lights and Low Lights

AKA Blawith fells and Bethecar Common

The other day (I’m on a blogpost catchy uppy thingy at the mo…) me and the dawg decided that it was time to go and bag a few more Wainwright Outlying Fells and, since most of my remaining ones are in the South Lakes, I colected th bro on the way and orf we jolly well went to a muddy and severely sloped parking spot just the other side of Blawith Knott. This, we bagged in fairly short order, it being not very far from the parking spot and there being a lively, some would say over-enthusiastic, maybe mischievious following wind wot pushed us up it. Its a very nice hill as it happens, a bit rocky just like proper Wainwrights often are, and with a cracking view of bigger Fells over there ------>

Since Tottlebank Height isn’t all that far away from Blawith Knott, we strolled over and bagged that one too. Going well so far…..

We wandered Eastwards as a cloud, noting various crowds of daffodils on the way, down to Cockenskell and along paths and lanes to Water Yeat where, for the injured, there’s a box of first aid stuff fixed to a wall. More paths and lanes took us to High Nibthwaite (no parking, don’t park here, just bugger off and park somewhere else will ya…) and then steeply  up by Caws beck and then an almost-scramble using a short rocky rake to the dramatically-placed cairn on Brock Barrow and thence, by a short ramble, to the summit. For some reason, this top is listed as “Unnamed (Top o’Selside)”. This is odd since it seems to have a perfectly good name of it’s own. Never mind.

A broad ridge heads North-East and this contains our final two Outlying tops for today – Low Light Haw – a little bit pointy and High Light Haw – odd holes in the summit boulder, both of which are charming and with equally nice views as al the other tops around here. We went no further, mainly because I’d already bagged the other tops around here and also since it was a long way back to the tilted car park.  (Except to say that there’s a very inviting top a bit further North-East called Arnsbarrow, apparently ignored , or at least missed by Alf (what’s that lass doing with my pipe?) Wainwright.  I should also add that Wainwright’s route of ascent of the so-called nameless Brock Barrow is too full of gorse for comfort and a better route heads off to the North (left) a bit higher up the hill. This heads towards an unlikely-looking slab which is avoided by a short step up and a brief but exciting traverse of a short rake. Wainwright also advises drivers to park by the phonebox. All I can say is, i wouldn’t try this if I were you. I get the impression that parking is a bit of an issue in the village ever since the bacon slicer at the shop at Broughton was done-away-with and all the locals have to think about nowadays is identifying those cars which are local and those which aren’t.

Shudder included Arnsbarrow, really…

Our return was a ramble to High Bethecar, Stock farm sheepdog pup decided barking frenzy would be better timed when we were well on our way), Hill Park Farm (manic spaniel made feint attacks on Bruno at first, but wriggled when stroked) The Red Lion at Lowick Bridge, Everard Lodge ( mongrel pup wanted to play), the Cumbria Way, Kiln Bank and Tottlebank farm.

All of this return ramble was resisted by a strong and bothersome headwind, so arriving back at the car was a bit of a relief

11 and a bit miles and 2000 feet of up.

Five tops ticked – only 8 to go…..

Here’s a map