~Outerside and Barrow~
4th November 2022
Molly on top of Outerside
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It appears as though we have awoken from an Autumnal slumber but in truth it's been a difficult time with Molly suffering from a mobility issue and during her time on medicine from the vet, she became ill and didn't eat for a few days; maybe the magic potion had affected her deleteriously or maybe she picked up a bug somehow. This walk has been postponed a couple of times but now we can press on; parking on the roadside in Braithwaite at 0940hrs. Down a little path to the footbridge and up past The Coledale Inn for the track leading to the fells.
Looking Back at Skiddaw
The weather has not quite met our expectations, but it's better than yesterday and tomorrow's forecast. Outerside is one of a small number of Wainwright Fells which Molly has not summited and my so-called second round of the "214" has been realigned to match Molly's list.
Stile End
Between us and Outerside is Stile End, a significant peak which can be circumnavigated to the right (as we look here) en route to Outerside. However, whilst it's not mandatory to get to the top of every felltop you come across, this one looks well worth the effort. A farmer has cut and baled up all the dead bracken on the left of this path. I'm not sure for what purpose? Foodstuff, fuel, mulch???
Up & Up
Molly and Peter on Stile End 1,467ft asl
They both look across at Barrow and I point out that we aren't going there today; it's not on the agenda, I have other plans. What can possibly go wrong? Peter's apparel reflects the conditions up here; shorts and t-shirts have been wardrobed.
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To Outerside |
Stile End |
A rare sunny interval joins us for the next part of the walk. Looking back over Stile End, you can see Barrow (centre, right) and a bit of Derwent Water.
Molly on top of Outerside 1,863ft asl
One day, I'll bring a tripod and we can all be in the photo. Molly glances across to Grisedale Pike and such is also not in today's walk plan. I always had it in mind to get up the zig-zgs and onto Sail for a final ascent up to Eel Crag (Crag Hill on Ordnance Survey Maps). We would then take an easy route down to Coledale Hause and the miners' track back to Braithwaite.
To Sail Col
Evidence of the old cobalt mine is faintly present to the left of this path; all the rocks now have a reddish appearance. At the col, we will take a short break and have a biscuit, or two.
The Sail Zig-Zags
From our grassy seating point, we observe the two ladies take on the man-made path up Sail. It has lessened the gradient and allowed much of the previously eroded landscape to recover. We noticed they had almost matching coats; then observed that so did me n' Peter! Kindred spirits, no doubt.
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Just here, Molly started to walk awkwardly and preferred not to put her front left paw on the ground. This is the limb which has been somewhat troublesome recently. I didn't want her to endure any undue difficulties, so we decided to cut the walk short and return down the path; Sail and Eel Crag happened to be in cloud and the breeze was quite strong.
High Moss
Hmmm, not long before Molly was ahead of us. It would have been unwise to compel the party to continue up to Sail, always better safe than sorry in these circumstances; it could have been a huge mistake. Molly's first Wainwright, Binsey is distant; Barrow is closer and just maybe we'll head over the top on the way down.
To Barrow
We presumed this path would contour around to Barrow and a view of the map confirms such. The main path heads down Stonycroft Gill and a branch then heads of to Barrow; the distances will be more or less the same, but this one maintains much the same height.
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Barrow |
Barrow Top |
A couple were atop Barrow when we arrived, the man looks towards the cairn as Molly awaits instructions.
Molly on top of Barrow 1,494ft asl
6th September 2016
Nearly Back
Walkers: Peter, Me n' Molly
Time taken: 4hr 20mins over distance of about 7 miles; 2496ft of ascent.
Route: Braithwaite roadside parking, Coledale Inn, High Coledale, Stile End, Outerside, High Moss, Sail Col, back to High Moss, contour round to Barrow Door, Barrow, down the nose to Braithwaite Lodge, Braithwaite and back to the car.
Weather and Conditions: Mainly dry, dull and quite breezy up at the col. We stayed in the clear but higher fells were in cloud.
Refreshments: We headed into Keswick and most cafes were either full or closed. We ate in The Royal Oak and it was, as always, very good. The prices have been modernised to reflect higher input costs and overheads; I had an immense portion of chicken with french fries etc. £16.50 or thereabouts. Peter had a fine plattter of meaty treats with dips and sourdough bread. Molly had a few "Shapes". Warm, welcomming and relaxing.
"New" Word: Deleteriously...recently I read a TripAdvisor write-up for a pub and the author had managed to fit this word into his/her report and I challenged myself to find a place for the word in my next report. Why use a short word, when a longer one will do??
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2022 ©
Take me back to the start ....