~Orrest Head~
5th June 2010
Many, but by no means all, Lakeland fellwalkers are influenced by the work of A.Wainwright. This weekend marks the 80th anniversary of AW's trip to Orrest Head, a visit which helped to inspire the writing of the Pictorial Guides. Peter Burgess decided to organise a trip to the area to mark this date.....
The Famous Signpost
Scroll down for photos and a description of the day
Dog Walkers
In the spirit of Wainwright, I decided that I would travel by public transport to the Lakes on this day and this meant leaving home on foot at 07:30 and heading for Brierfield Railway Station for the 07:58 to Preston. The local dog walkers were out in force.
Brierfield Railway Station
Blackburn Railway Station
This is taken through the carriage window and shows just about all you need to see of Blackburn, birthplace of AW. I changed at Preston for the service to Windermere. In the event I got a lift from Oxenholme to our meeting point.
Rosie ~ Leyland Tiger Bus
The Online Fellwaling Club met at Plumgarth's Farm Shop, near Kendal - see later. This is the bus that would take us to Windermere, probably not one the AW would have take in 1930.
The Troop
We are on our way to Orrest Head, the usual small groups and familiy visitors, already on the top,are in for a shock!
Orrest Head Viewpoint
Orrest Head view to the North East
I don't think we should complain too much about poor visibility, it's warm and dry and we can see the fells, even if they don't come out too well in the photographs.
Fellwalkers
John Paterson (l) describes his photographs from the Hallin Fell walk on the previous day, Dave Brown pays attention whilst admiring John's new boots. Jo Hall (blue headgear) and Ann Hiley listen in.
Peter Burgess
Peter gave a brief commerorative talk about Wainwright and his influences on fellwalking. Entirely appropriately, Peter offered 2 minutes silence in respect of the victims of the West Cumbrian tragedy of this week.
Into The Woods
We took a circular route away from Orrest Head and Peter sat on a fallen tree, only to disappear. Note the pipe. Another try saw a number of our group sit on the tree:
On the Tree
John, Ann and Jo enjoy the view
We completed a round trip back to Windermere and the bus took us back to Plumgarths. As the bus climbed away from Windermere we collected a fine tailback of frustrated motorists, photos of this will appear in elsewhere as the other web writers produce their reports. I'll pop a link here later when any such reports appear.
Scott's at Plumgarths
Scott's is a relatively new venture within Plumgarth's Farm Complex and they provided a great afternoon tea. Lots of tea, scones, cakes and other tasties. Here we see renowned comestible connoisseurs, Roger and Ann Hiley, discussing the texture of the home-made scones.
Gummer's How
There was just enough time left for a little extra and a few of us decided to take a look at another fine summit with good views. Again, the haze was spoiling the photographic opportunities.
Windermere
Windermere and Fell Foot
This is the southern end of Windermere, where the river heads for Newby Bridge. Fell Foot is the NT park on the shores of Windermere - on this side of the lake.
Windermere Railway Station
My train back to Oxenholme arrives ready for the turn around. I would change at Oxenholme for Preston and Preston for Brierfield, getting back to the local station at 21:20. Frantic texting to arrange a lift from either of the boys, both of whom have cars at their disposal (which I pay for), proved fruitless. At this late stage, I had a two mile walk uphill to home.
We left our mark....
That was a little different, very well organised by Peter Burgess and entirely successful. My public transport effort was interesting, but it wouldn't be practical to get to the Lakes using this method every time.
Walkers: Many members of the Online Fellwalking Club
Time taken: 14hrs 20 mins from home-to-home
Route: This report is different to the usual and the above content tells you all you need to know.
Weather and conditions: Warm and Sunny.
Greetings Count: High on Orrest Head, lower on Gummer's How.
Richard's Refreshment Review: I can highly recommend Scott's at Plumgarths. The website here does not show Scott's, but it's there alright. I think they will take last orders around 16:30, which may be a little early for Lakeland leavers.
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2010 ©
Take me back to the start ....