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| Moss the Hyperpup on the Summit of High Rigg |
I suspect that very many walkers in the Lakes, wanting to
make the most of what for the majority will be a short visit, head for the
honeypot higher fells, to the Helvellyns, Langdales, the Scafells, Gables and
the likes. I do not knock this. When I used to hitch hike up to Cumbria regularly
in the 1970s, in my holidays as a sixth former and university student, that is exactly
what I did. Although then it was Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire.
I was fortunate enough to later live and work in Cumbria for
several years, and although I am now based in North Wales, I have managed to
keep on my cottage just outside the National Park. This, and semi-retirement, means that I can still get plenty
of days out on the fells. Having done
all the Wainwrights, and some many, many times, I am no longer a slave to tick
lists, and so my walking is now a mix of those much loved higher fells and some
of the lower hills. Indeed, I also find
great happiness in just wandering the lower paths without heading up to any
summit.
As an aside, I have often wondered whether anyone has walked
methodically every single mile of every right of way in the National Park
area. I have no idea what mileage that
might entail, but the idea has a certain horrific fascination for me. The horror would be determining to do this, for
I fear it would become an all-consuming madness. I will leave it to someone else. I will, wont I?
Today, with just the morning available, was a day for a less
ambitious target. High Rigg is a delightful
little fell, standing above St John’s in the Vale, a few miles outside Keswick,
at just 357 metres above seal level. I
have walked this hill 4 or 5 times I guess, and it provides a lovely 2 or 3
hour circular walk away from the crowds.
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| The lower slopes of High Rigg |
Moss the Hyperpup and I set off from Legburthwaite at
9.30am. As I parked the car the clouds
were slightly menacing and a few spots of rain were in the air. The weather looked like it could go either
way; fortunately it went the right way. Incidentally, if you do this walk you can park
for free on the verge of the A591 at approx. GR 315195. I tell you this because of my pique at the
outrageous parking charges that United Utilities try to sting you for at their
nearby car park. In the days before a
well-run public monopoly was flogged off, so that the shareholders of the newly
created private monopoly could fill their boots with champagne and their faces
with caviar (ok, I exaggerate but you will understand my sentiments, even if
you disagree with them), this car park was free.
A hundred yards or so up the A591, a gate and stile, you takes
your choice, gives access to the fell.
The narrow path splits soon after this and Moss and I headed upwards
through the trees and bracken. Our first
stop for breath was where a super view of Castle Rock comes into view on the
other side of the Vale that is St John’s.
Back in the 1990s I used to rock climb, most ineptly, and I had a few
great days on Castle Rock. My nadir was getting very stuck on a grey, windy
evening on a relatively easy climb (ie one graded “severe”) called Via Media. The
second pitch, I think it was, involves climbing a crack. The guidebook says that the “crack is hard to
enter”. Too right it is. After faffing
about for almost 40 minutes, Al had to abseil off from the top and give me
instructions in words of one syllable as to the right sequence for getting the holds
and I felt a right plank by the time I got to the top, not least as an audience
had gathered at the foot of the crag to watch the fun.
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| A grainy picture of Castle Rock; North Crag on the left, South Crag on the right |
The path opens out on to a very broad, grassy ridge which
provides easy walking of the lovely variety.
After about 40 minutes a small stile is reached over a wire fence. Hyperpup squirmed and fought me as I lifted
him over. After the fence your instinct
tells you to turn right and go upwards; experience of this route takes me left
and downwards on a path that directionally feels just wrong. But it isn’t, unless you want to be purist
and follow the ridge to a small summit and a steep little descent. The left hand path avoids this minor
obstacle.
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| Nice easy walking once you reach this ridge |
A few minutes further on there is a ladder stile across a
dry stone wall. You never notice these
things until you are a dog owner. Hyperpup
now knew what was in store and he was not going to make it easy for me. As I picked him up and climbed over, without
hands to steady myself as I went up, over and down the steps, he fought me like
his life was at stake. He had been about
11 or 12 kg at the start of the walk; by this point he had put on another kilogram,
I reckon, as he had been grazing on copious quantities of sheep dung as we
walked. Chomp, chomp, yum, yum, now let’s fight the bossy old sod and make him
fall off a stile. That’ll serve him
right for all this “sit”, “stay”, "heel" and “come” crap he spouts all day long.
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| Try carrying 12kg of squirming collie pup over this |
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| Hyperpup checks out the North Western fells for when he is bigger |
After a longish plod along the ridge the summit appears all
of a sudden and then it was snack time and admire the fabulozy view in all
directions. Close up of the western slopes of Helvellyn and
the Dodds to the east and south east; over towards Grisedale Pike in the north west;
Skiddaw and Blencathra to the north.
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| Basic instinct |
There are a multitude of sheep tracks from the summit. I tend to head off north-west in the
direction of Bassenthwaite Lake, towards a tiny little valley or depression
between High Rigg and a rocky knolly thing, and then down to the minor road just
up from the field centre. This is only 15 minutes from the top on this side of the fell. A little passed
the field centre is the beautifully simple St John’s Church. In the church yard is one of the loveliest
war memorials I have seen. It is a pillar of Lakeland stone
with the names of the ten local men who lost their lives in the Great War and
the four who died in the Second World War. Its simplicity makes this even more
moving than such memorials normally are.
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| Beautiful little St John's |
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| The St John's in the Vale War Memorial |
A hundred yards beyond the church a gate allows access to a
path that runs along the base of High Rigg, just above the valley floor. Hyperpup
and I wandered along this, eating sticks and other stuff (well I didn’t partake,
actually) until it finally climbs steeply above the river. Tight lead for the pup at this point as the
drop is high and very steep. He didn’t appreciate
this and made several kami kaze type leaps to our left and potential doom, but
I bribed him with Cheesy Bites to stay close to me and with that we were back
at the car.
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| The path along the base of the hill |
Two and a half gentle hours all in, with the summit after
one hour and ten minutes.
