Thursday 17 July 2014

Hopegill Head & Whiteside - Holding on, just

My friend who has recently took up walking has caught the 'bagging' bug, he even suggested an evening walk, with the excellent weather we had been experiencing this seemed a great idea and the next convenient evening was picked. Despite another day of summer conditions, this walk unfortunately also coincided with a change in the weather. As we traveled through Cockermouth it was beginning to cloud up & by the time we reached the tops it was near gale force, not the best conditions for an enjoyable evening stroll!!

Parking on the gated Hopebeck Road...



a quiet piece of tarmac, Graystones to Broom Fell...

Whinlatter Pass...

the path climbs up the side of Swinside, Hopegill Head is obscured...

the view back to Swinside...

Ladyside Pike's summit cairn, clouds just licking our heads...

an easy obstacle, but the wind was starting to buffet us violently...

not much to see!!!

the final steep bit to Hopegill Head, we were hit by one of those freak howling gusts that come from no where & last an age just as we started...

Hopegill Head, nothing to see here...

a brief clearing on the Gasgale ridge, the wind made walking difficult...

Whiteside's Wainwright summit...

out of the cloud's but not the wind, descent to Dodd...

Hope Gill, neatly back at the car, thankfully...


5 comments:

  1. Yeah, it has been quite windy today hasn't it - I don't think it was as bad as that here though... I was supposed to be climbing tomorrow and had taken the day off but, due to the forecast thunderstorms and heavy rain, it's been rescheduled until Sunday now. It was on limestone which would be lethal in the wet, if not impossible...
    Carol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm pleased to see you still climbing even after conquering the Inn Pinn :) Hopefully you are overcoming your 'cowardice'!!

    Sorry Carol, due to a busy June I'm about two weeks behind with my trip reports, I think I'm four walks behind currently. Hopefully I'm heading North on Sunday so expect a wild flurry of posts next month!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did my limestone climbing - I did 3 'severes' - apparently, although I thought I was cr*p, for a first time on limestone that wasn't bad really. They did have to shout a lot of advice up though. The hardest I'd done outdoors before was only Diff so it's 2 steps up...
      Carol.

      Delete
    2. Well done on reaching Severe :D - you are certainly working up the grades!!

      I haven't climbed since my teenage years (managed an E1 once but I was comfortable with HVS) doubt I would manage much past a VDiff these days especially with the dog. I do admit to preferring single pitch routes hanging around on a rockface never appealed with me.

      I will catch up & post a few TRs - didn't get much done North of the border only managed two Marilyns on North Uist and never got to stop in the Cairngorms!

      Delete
  3. This is a great post. I like this topic.This site has lots of advantage. It helps me in many ways.Thanks for posting this again.Hotels Frankfurt-Oder

    ReplyDelete