Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Walk & Event Reports

Sunday 20th April 2014

A Walk

Hart Fell, Moffat

10 Miles Grade 1

Leader: Peter Flynn

Reports by John McKay & Peter Flynn

Photos by John McKay, Lauren Sarasini & Peter Flynn

John's Report

Easter Sunday and seven of us at the Sands for the A walk. There were four for the B walk which was going to be led by, I believe,  Heather. The forecast for the day was very good, lots of sunshine. I wasn’t going on the A walk myself as I don’t think I could manage it but I was going up to the Moffat area and I was just going to potter around while the others did the walk. We arrived at Blackhope, the starting point and I watched the A party heading off up the very steep start. I strolled leisurely along the dirt track which went along the valley, a nice flat path and very easy going.  When I got to the end I sat and had a coffee and saw the A party appear against the skyline way above me. Feeling quite good I decided to head up the other side to the ridge where eventually the A party should arrive on the homeward leg of their walk. I took it very slowly and after what seemed like an eternity I made it to the top and sat down to wait for the A party and I would join them for the last couple of miles.  The weather was brilliant but there was quite a cold wind, I sat in a sort of hole, out of the wind  and had a long relaxing lunch. Eventually the A party appeared on the skyline heading in my direction. They were still quite a long way off and about ten minutes later I lost sight of them.  I left my hole and strolled about a hundred yards to catch sight of them again. This was when disaster struck. I had left my rucksack lying in the hole and when I went back for it, I couldn’t find it. Was this a first, in the history of the club has anyone ever lost their rucksack while out for a walk. For about the next forty five minutes I scoured the hillside but my rucksack was nowhere to be seen. The A party was by now quite close but a bit to the east, I waved to them, I was going to need a search party. We finally met up and feeling rather foolish I explained what had happened, I wasn’t too bothered about the rucksack but my car and house keys and my wallet were in the rucksack. It’s sods law I suppose, almost immediately after explaining what had happened, I found it. I was very relieved.  We set off for the final stretch of the walk and came across a few wild goats, I think they are a type of sheep but look like goats. We stopped on the final descent to roll and eat our hard boiled eggs, it was Easter Sunday after all. We arrived back in Moffat quite late, just after 5pm and the Rumblin Tum had just closed so we had to settle for coffee in the hotel next door. A great day, I hope the others enjoyed it as much as I did. A big welcome to Lorna and Roger, two new members and a big thank you to Peter for leading the walk.

John

Big decision with the photos, what comes first, the chicken or the egg.

Peter's report

Some walks are hard work.  Others are very pleasant.  Others are brilliant.  Today was a mixture of everything.  We started off at the Sands  with John,  who was due to lead the walk but could not because he had been ordered to do nothing strenuous for a couple of months, presenting each of us with chocolate eggs and announcing that he would come to the start,  see us off in the right direction and have a gentle stroll up the valley. The first discussion was the odds against him following this plan of campaign.  We were joined by Roger and Lorna,  both on their second outing with the club.  The start was  the hard work bit.  Really hard work.  Health and safety would have had the hillside covered in scaffold,  but this was Moffat Dale in Scotland,  and not only was it steep but we had to climb over an electric fence.  Half way to the top we had a break for a drink and Easter eggs and heard Lorna’s chilling stories of travelling as a single woman in India.  Once at the top of Swatte Fell,  the walk was a long,  undulating ridge with stunningly beautiful views and in brilliant sunshine.  It was breezy but as the wind was behind us nearly all the way to Hart Fell that did not really matter.  Lunch was at the summit of Hart Fell and we then followed the ridge round past the beautifully named Rotten Bottom (what a lovely address if one could build a house there) till we a) heard and b) spied a demented figure waving and shouting from near the summit of Redgill Craig.  It turned out to be the tartan bandit,  and he was attracting our attention not only because he was pleased to see us,  but also,  he had lost his rucksack!  We searched the hillside and he went virtually straight to it.  I say virtually because first of all he searched another area and claimed to see a white hare coming out of the hole where he thought it might be.  We wondered about Alice in Wonderland and whether she was there,  but did not see her.  John was also accompanied by a herd of goats who were clearly happy with his company but scattered when they saw us.  We finished the walk by John,  Lauren and Lorna rolling boiled,  beautifully decorated eggs down the hillside and then eating the remains (I helped out in that department) and arrived at The Rumbling Tum just at kicking out time.  A brilliant walk,  the sort none of us will forget in a hurry. 

Peter