Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Walk & Event Reports

Sunday 3rd August 2014

A Walk

Souter Fell & Bowscale Fell

Group Led

Report & Photos by 

Peter Flynn

Quite a bit has been written recently about driverless cars,  and how they are to be unleashed onto society sometime next year.  Leaderless walks for the Carlisle & District etc. etc. has beaten them to it and today was the first that I have experienced.  We also had the new trick from the Met office of inverted weather forecasts – Saturday was “heavy rain all day” and Sunday was “showers and sunny intervals”.   In fact yesterday was quite pleasant,  with only the odd bit of rain;  today was awful – varying between heavy rain and light showers.  The loudest shout at the Sands Centre came in favour of Blencathra,  possibly with Sharp Edge and what the seven of us,  plus Jess,  the dog, did was Souter Fell,  onto Scales Tarn,  up to Blencathra and down via Bowscale Fell.  The walk started off (cf the photos) through a gate that gave a new meaning,  according to one wit in the party,  to the term “gate crashing”.  We then headed through soaking wet bracken on a little used path and onto Souter Fell.  At the end of Souter Fell we had a conference as to whether it would be certifiable lunacy to continue,  but as the rain at that moment actually stopped,  we decided to plod on.  John informed us that the Lake District Forecast had said that crossing becks might pose some problems,  but with the nimbleness of our extreme youth we virtually danced over Scales Beck.  At lunch on the shores of Scales Tarn,  a sudden gust of wind blew flasks over,  and anything loose into the tarn (sponge seat,  sandwich box with sandwiches inside) but we managed to rescue the various items and ploughed on to the summit.  Some excellent navigation from Joe,  helped by John,  guided us out of the mist and down towards Souter Fell.  By this time the rain was at least easing,  and we headed down the path to an excellent afternoon tea at the pub in Mungrisdale.  Strangely,  despite,  or even because of the conditions,  we all really enjoyed it – great company,  good chat and quite a challenging,  but in the end very satisfying walk.  Thanks to all. 

Peter