Joss Naylor Challenge reccy

[RobW]

My favourite day out for this section was to leave the route at Fairfield, go over St. Sunday and have a pint in the White Lion before getting the bus back from Patterdale to Pooley Bridge.

Dug out the (weekend) bus times in case anyone's interested for future reference
Bus 508, Patterdale Hotel depart 1009 1219 1509 1719, 27 mins to Pooley Bridge Crown Hotel

So the challenge for an 0500 start is to get down for the 1009 bus, or take a very long drink...

[Splatcher]

Thanks for the info. I supported Leg 1 a few years ago and have been up Red Screes recently but the info from there to Fairfield is appreciated. I'll see if I can find a way past Ravens Edge.

Next point is I suppose Great End - is down the gully best, supposing it can be found?

Scoat - Haycock - Seatallan any surprises?

Seatallan descent I did a while back, maybe keep a bit L of the beeline to the col?

Middle Fell - some scope for getting tangled in little outcrops IIRC...

The route off Great End has been covered in an earlier thread. The SE cairn is the summit, so go there first. Then go to the NW summit, head slightly E of N over boulders into a shallow gully (cairns). A cairn just before the gully gets steep & serious shows the point to go left round a rib. The trod is clear from here: steep but reasonably easy to follow, with the occasional cairn. This takes you down to the saddle at the head of Skew Gill. Go straight on to pick up a trod that continues along the shoulder & follow it down, Don't get tempted into a gully: the path is to your left on the shoulder, still with the odd cairn. Eventually it is clear you can easily drop down a short distance to your right to join the path from Sprinkling Tarn, near where it crosses the stream.


Scoat - Haycock - Seatallan no surprises. The climb up Seatallan is hard if you're on your last legs though.

I doubt it makes any difference where you drop down off Seatallan. The route over Middle Fell is on a path all the way.

[Mike T]

The ascent of Bowfell is tricky in poor visibility; the descent off Great End is rough and steep - both need a good recce so that they do not surprise you on the day.

[Splatcher]

The ascent of Bowfell is tricky in poor visibility; the descent off Great End is rough and steep - both need a good recce so that they do not surprise you on the day.

I agree completely. Make sure you know how to find the trod off Seat Sandal too.

[RobW]

Thanks chaps! Great description of the GE descent Andy - I'll take a slow look Sunday - if 12h pace hasn't put me off completely! Thanks also to GeoffB who's just sent me Phil Hodgson's detailed description.

I'm reasonably familiar with the BG parts of the route from supporting over the last few years, including the Seat Sandal descent.

[RobW]

Leg 1 - which Wether Hill summit? The 671m Wainwright at NY 45597 16767 or the 674m Nuttall 660m further S at NY 45463 16307 ? Not difficult to visit both as they're near the path...

[Splatcher]

Leg 1 - which Wether Hill summit? The 671m Wainwright at NY 45597 16767 or the 674m Nuttall 660m further S at NY 45463 16307 ? Not difficult to visit both as they're near the path...

You'll have to ask Joss!

[RobW]

The route off Great End has been covered in an earlier thread. The SE cairn is the summit, so go there first. Then go to the NW summit, head slightly E of N over boulders into a shallow gully (cairns). A cairn just before the gully gets steep & serious shows the point to go left round a rib. The trod is clear from here: steep but reasonably easy to follow, with the occasional cairn. This takes you down to the saddle at the head of Skew Gill. Go straight on to pick up a trod that continues along the shoulder & follow it down, Don't get tempted into a gully: the path is to your left on the shoulder, still with the odd cairn. Eventually it is clear you can easily drop down a short distance to your right to join the path from Sprinkling Tarn, near where it crosses the stream.

Well, nice day for a recce!! If we are sure that the ESE cairn is higher (the authoritative http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/mounta...p?qu=S&rf=2364 agrees although no survey is cited), I'd say forget the WNW cairn, just run NW, pass the 1st gully; on reaching the 2nd gully (cairn) follow the directions as above.

Alternatively, if visiting the WNW cairn, just head NNW and pick up the trod directly as it's quite obvious at that point (heading NNE then back W to pick up the trod is fiddly).

Anyway, I found the way down to the Sty Head path, in poor vis, admittedly with a few false leads and back tracking but that's what recceing is for. Is it known who devised this ingenious route?

I also found the line down off High Raise (admittedly not difficult, and in good vis late morning), and the mostly-grassy route off Esk Pike which I don't think I knew about - quite neat.

Looks like tomorrow's weather should be more conducive to a proper run of JNC Secs 1 and 2, assuming I walked slowly enough today....

Rob

[Mike T]

Wainwright does suggest this - or something like it - as an ascent; I suspect few other than JNCers use it as there is little evidence of traffic and it is rough/steep.

[Mike T]

Thanks chaps! Great description of the GE descent Andy - I'll take a slow look Sunday - if 12h pace hasn't put me off completely! Thanks also to GeoffB who's just sent me Phil Hodgson's detailed description.

I'm reasonably familiar with the BG parts of the route from supporting over the last few years, including the Seat Sandal descent.

Any chance of seeing a copy of Phil Hodgson's description?