Cautley –The Spout and The Calf and TGO Route Stuff

Me and the Dawg met Fight Club Hikers  Paddy (T-Dude) Burrows and Gillian Mott at Cross Hall campsite just a little way up the road from Sedbergh for a weekend of TGO routing stuff and a bit of walking.

They brought their senior dog Woodstock and I, of course, had Bruno the Superdawg.

Friday was for camping and a bit of light boozing and Saturday was for walkies on the Howgill fells.

It was a nice day and we set off hopefully, around lunchtime up into the huge corrie at Cautley and up the huge 700 –foot path to the top of Cautley Spout. And then, on the theme of “huge”, we followed edge the huge Cautley Crag and over huge moors to Calders where I had a huge pasty and Pat and Gill had a huge cheese butty.

After visiting The Calf (second time in a couple of weeks for me and the Dawg), we descended to the upper bits of Bowderdale and back down into the huge corrie and this to huge Sedbergh for pub scoff and a visit to the well- hidden Spar shop for more supplies (i.e. booze)

The walk was just about six miles and 2000 feet of upness and, more than enough for the gently senile Woodstock and, although Bruno was still apparently unaffected, he fell asleep immediately in the back of the car.

Later, we went through Patrick’s TGO 2014 route, pointing out foul weather alternatives and the whereabouts of shops and so on.

It rained and got windy overnight and was mizzly drizzle on the  Sunday morning, so we visited the Cross Keys at Cautley for Egg and Bacon rolls (me and Paddy and probably the finest bacon rolls I’ve had in a while, and cheese on toast for Gill.

And that was that.

Bruno’s medication is making him  happy, hungry and thirsty all at the same time and I did lose him twice in the darkness of the campsite and located him firstly in Woody’s food dish scoffing Woody’s doggy bics and the second time in the beck. He mithered for a while and wouldn’t settle but finally got his head down till 9:00 a.m. after two full dishes of fresh water. For myself, my little nightcap was a nip (or , rather a NIP) of blended malt.

Zzzzzzz…..

Good luck to Paddy on his second TGO Chally……

Click logo to donate!!  (Bruno’s not doing my mental health much good by the way…..)  And thanks to Chris Matthews for his, so far unacknowledged but generous donation…  Ta!)