Sty Head with Cleo

It would be a pity to let this splendid weather pass us by without at least one decent fell walk. So I thought a gentle amble to Sty Head would be in order. It was harder than I remembered – what used to be a stroll in to the start of Great Gable tourist route, now assumes for me a major climb. The steep gradients had me gasping, but we finally made it and stopped for a cheese sandwich by the by the mountain rescue box. Several parties of hardy walkers came down from Great Gable and headed off for the Scafells, probably on the big Wasdale Round that starts in Nether Wasdale and goes up one side, over Seatallen, Pillar, Kirk Fell, Gable, then down to Sty Head and up the other side via Great End Scafell Pike and Scafell, Ilgill Head and Whin Rigg and so back to Nether Wasdale. Or the other way round. I used to do that every year at about this time of year. The last time I tried it, some 25 years ago, with my dog number two, Tess, who was three quarters Labrador, age then I think about twelve. Poor old Tess, it was a bit too much for her. She had struggled all day above the Screes, over the Scafells and Great End, down to Sty Head and up again to Gable and on to Kirk Fell. Near the top of Kirk Fell she collapsed and could go no further. We had to abandon the last quarter of the walk. She was too heavy to carry, but I managed to persuade her, with lots of stops for rest, to stagger down to Wasdale Head. My car was at Nether Wasdale, so I has to phone Lois to get a neighbour to give her a lift to where it was parked and then come to the rescue. All that was years ago, today it was a cardiovascular struggle going up and an orthopaedic struggle going down, the thought of a pint at the Inn keeping me going. One good thing, Cleo came all the way though the intake fields, which were full of sheep and lambs, off lead in a very responsible Labrador way.

Mike