Wed 3rd July 2019 - Carrock Fell, High Pike, Knott, Great Calva

Up in the lakes again and we were so lucky to have such amazing weather, blue skies for this beautiful ridge walk, we really couldn't have picked a better day.

We followed Route 25 from the Stuart Marshall book and apart from a (slight!) mishap at the beginning it was a fabulous days walk.

Just don't do what we did and end up going the wrong way up Carrock Fell unless you're really up for some scrambling practice, in which case then go right ahead!

We ended up probably adding an extra hour on to the walk scrambling up the scree slopes and then wading through knee deep heather and gorse(my legs were cut to ribbons!). 

Once we'd finally got to the top it was really easy going, a lovely ridge walk with great views of the surrounding fells. We carried on crossing the Cumbrian Way(the only time we saw any other hikers all day) and onto the summit of High Pike with its memorial bench to a local boy ' He is a portion of that loveliness that once he made more lovely".
From here it was a steady walk on the Cumbrian way track, past the Lingy hut and down to Grainsgill beck which was pretty dry and easy enough to cross. A short uphill to the summit of Knott and then a fairly straightforward hike up to the summit of Great Calva.

The route down to the river wasn't the most pleasant as the path is very overgrown with heather so took longer than anticipated but once we'd crossed the beck it was a good track through the Caldew Valley along the river. We even ended up having a little paddle in the river...very nice at the end of a long days hike. It was about 14 miles or so by the time we arrived back in Mosedale bridge where we'd parked by the road, a fab walk on a beautiful day in the lakes. 4 more Wainwright's in the bag too!!