This may sound a very dumb question, but....i was just looking at section 1 on a O.S map.
There isnt a path linking Skiddaw to Great Calve, or Great Calve to Blencathra.
Do you just make your own way across from summit to summit, or is there a path that simply isnt on the map.
From my own experience of leg 1 in the dark, its a boggy, heathery trog up Great Calva, a steep heathery, falling over descent down to the river Caldew, up Mungrisdale common, then onto Blencathra. That's why it pays to have a good navigator. It also helps if you don't twist your knee going up Great Calva, lose contact with your group going up to Blencathra, and come down Halls Fell Ridge by yourself, on your arseOriginally Posted by Al Fowler
Sometimes you've got to make your own paths
As you drop down beyond Skiddaw, at the first flat bit, head right, cross the fence and make for Hare Crag. With a bit of luck you'll find the BG trod that's now developed, which cuts down left at the end and heads across to the main valley path. The route up to Calva is then a decent path through the heather.
From top of Calva there are various options. I've tended to cross the fence and then head diagonally down towards the fence going downhill. Follow it down to the stream, turn right and follow a trod all the way to the main path. Cross that on a trod heading for the Caldew, cross it.......and then it's pretty pathless!!
Only been there once... no proper trail paths as such but once you've done it once you know where you went wrong!
Don't know what Blencathra's like in nice weather - when I did it it was thick clag. I remember standing at the summit, looking at my compass, looking in the direction of Halls Fell and thinking "Oh."
(Bear in mind in run on my own.)
I think that the direct route from the track is now much better defined than it used to be - I headed right to gain the south ridge, which apart from about 100m is all on paths.
My preference from Great Calva is to head back down the south ridge for a couple of hundred metres or so then make a direct line for the cairn on Mungrisedale Common. There is then a path for most of the way onto Blencathra. All of this is much easier underfoot than following the fence etc. I reckon about 10 minutes quicker.
My God?I remember standing at the summit, looking at my compass, looking in the direction of Halls Fell and thinking "Oh."
Don't know about that but 'leap of faith' came to mind!
If you've got Memory Map I can send you my track on my bg for the first leg.
We hit the path spot on off Skiddaw and to Great calva. Heathery bash to the river and if there is light enough when you do it head just left of two rocks on the skyline. this takes you to a quad track which goes a good way up Blencathra, before cutting off under the scree slope to head for the summitt. Halls fell is easy Its the vertical bit over the edge.
Im afraid i dont have memory map. But cheers anyway.If you've got Memory Map I can send you my track on my bg for the first leg.
We hit the path spot on off Skiddaw and to Great calva. Heathery bash to the river and if there is light enough when you do it head just left of two rocks on the skyline. this takes you to a quad track which goes a good way up Blencathra, before cutting off under the scree slope to head for the summitt. Halls fell is easy Its the vertical bit over the edge.
well Irish Carol and myself survived our Leg1 recce on Friday
we dismally missed the Hare Crag ridge off Skiddaw in the clag/driving hail and ended up somewhat off target at Whitewater Dash!
on the plus side, the weather was brightening right up, and the cloud-base lifting,
we trotted back down the path to Dead Beck, and the path from there up Great Calva is pretty well worn
we then hacked randomly across to Blencathra without any sign of even a minor trod - we did it in 90mins, compared to 70mins schedule, but I was slowing IC down a bit, and I suspect she would've managed 75-80mins on her own, and, having done it once, we would both be quicker next time.
we had a howling gale at our back on Blencathra, and when I pointed forwards and said to IC "Believe it or not the approved route is that way..." pointing into the abyss ahead, she looked at me like I either had no idea what I was talking about, or had gone mad.
I then pointed left towards the Doddick ridge and she said "that looks much more sensible"... so we went down Doddick!
just like publicly to thank Irish Carol (and her friend who accompanied us up to Skiddaw) for her company, and a great day out
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