The Ullswater Watershed - Moonlight Winter Round
30th December 2020
The Ullswater Watershed is not new. It was formed after the last Ice Age when a glacier scooped out the valley producing a ten mile long lake. It's a formidable route, and whilst Lakeland Horseshoes are plentiful, this one is very special to me.
More recently, in the last century at least, it was popular with Outward Bound staff as they explored the outer edges of their horizons. Various options exist; the upper valley skyline direct from Halsteads onto Gowbarrow and Helvellyn and around to High Street before descending to Howtown for a lift back across the Lake, or vice versa.
A full moon, post Christmas restlessness, a good snow covering and a good weather forecast are key ingredients a mini adventure. How about the complete watershed starting and finishing at Pooley Bridge, replete with shiny new bridge? Dusk to Dawn would be a worthy challenge for a route defined by twenty principle peaks, starting with Gowbarrow Fell and ending on Arthurs Pike. The remainder are fairly obvious, but it is only right and proper to include Great Dodd, surely the greatest Dodd of all time.
One day to prepare and shared the idea with Mel. Mel is still a bit broken and recovering from her Wainwright Round, but seems addicted to sunsets and the view down the Lake. Sensibly she chose not to attempt the whole thing, but set off with me at 3:37pm, officially sunset at Pooley Bridge. The sun was sinking and the moon threatening, and Mel very keen to get some photos on the first few miles.
So, out and up along the Ullswater Way past Maiden Castle and the first summit of Gowbarrow. All is now properly dark and the sunset had been good. The lights of Penrith twinkle behind us and the moon was looking promising. Icy and frozen down off Gowbarrow through Dockray and start up the road to High Row. Mel, and Billy Dog have done enough for now, Mel had got her sunset fix, and head off home for some dinner and a snooze. Mel might meet me at Kirsktone, with a brew hopefully, and maybe do the last third of the route if her ankle and legs generally agree.
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| Gowbarrow summit with the lights of Penrith |
Dockray and it's associated fell races are dear to my heart. I lived her for a couple of years in my post-OB days and kept the fell races going as long as I could. I never did like the tarmac mile at the start but tonight is different. The weather good, cold and dry and the moon getting brighter as it climbed higher in the sky.
From High Row, half a mile of the Old Coach Road take me to Groove Beck and it's renown ford, partially frozen and just a trickle so safer than the icy footbridge. I was keen to keep my feet dry and thankfully the boggy ground rising to Rannerside was white and firm. I was moving steadily, conscious of not pushing too hard, of building up a sweat and very aware of a stiff Northerly breeze from my right.
The snow cover was near perfect and moon continuing to bloom. Topping out I was keen to keep moving as I was just on the right side of being warm and comfortable in windproof, mid-fleece and one and three quarter pairs of running leggings. Thin gloves inside shell mitts are Ok, as long as keep moving, and I was now heading generally South with the wind behind me. It's surprising how a small rucsac keeps you just that crucial bit warmer.
Great Dodd and Stybarrow Dodd passed easily and I was soon shuffling down to a glowing light near Sticks Pass. As I got nearer, it became a small mountain tent, with the occupant busy preparing for a nights sleep thirty metres off the path, pitched up looking East. Would they get a sunrise?
Raise, Whiteside and Lower Man next. Higher cloud started to roll in, but I was still #Wabjabbing along feeling good but cool. Helvellyn was thick with cloud and I stopped at the trig point to turn my phone on, send a quick text and take a photo. Just in that instance, I could feel my little fingers and thumbs going numb, and my core temperature plummeting, so I scuttled over to the summit shelter to throw on a big Primaloft jacket and extreme mitts. A cube of cheese, a tomato, and stash the olives in a pocket and off I go; let's get warm.
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| Helvellyn Trig Point - Penrith lights behind |
Nethermost, ticked (all three cairns) then Dollywagen and the down the old wall line from the iron gate post to go West side of Grisedale Tarn, where they could be a trickle of running water to fill my bottle. The snow of the descent was quite deep and a little unpredictable, mainly hard but a bit crusty and awkward.
No running water to be found, other than minor seepage from muddy 'under cloughs' so it was a dry mouthed stomp up Fairfield. The cloud had continued to build partially obscuring the moon at times, and needing my head torch to be switch on, and a eye on navigation. The summit of Fairfield is wide and flat and an easy place to mess up. On over Hart Crag and Dove Crag in good snow cover, but tedious on the bouldering summits and then a slow meandering descent down to Scandale Pass once again in deep inconsistent snow, and paying attention to avoid any soft boggy sections.
The cloud banked in fully on the climb to Red Screes, so out came the map and compass, just to be sure. I'd guessed that I'd be at Kirkstone around midnight, possibly 1:00am and it was great to be on the summit at 11:50pm. Normally 15-20 mins would suffice for this descent but in murky conditions, and with the cairn being set back from the edge of the fell, I lost my sense of direction, zig zagging gently downwards to seek out the steeper ground looking for Kirkstone Pass. Several more minutes were lost in the murk and flat light with nothing making sense and a rough compass bearing needed to provide impetus.
I found the top of the rocky entrenched path but as it steepened it was hard pack ice and required Microspikes. Just another couple of minutes, but worth putting them on, and learning that it is possible put them on inside out. But I then caught sight of a van lit up, and hoped it's Mel's with steam coming from the kettle.
Icy and hard all the way down and consequently slow. arriving a good 40 minutes after leaving the summit. A better line would give less resistance, but Mel had a brew on, plus a flask of her 'special soup' so all was good with the World. I added some cold water to the soup so as to get it down quicker and to up my fluid intake. Mel was up for coming along, as well as Billy, resplendent in his reflective doggy-gilet.
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Billy did 5x the distance that we did
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The rocky stepped path up to St. Raven's Edge was hard packed snow and icy, and the steady ascent to Caudale Moor and Stony Cove Pike went OK. Mel and Billy were enjoying themselves, me not so much on the descent into Threshwaite Mouth as once again it was icy, but we seemed to get a good line.
Mel led up the climb to Thornthwaite Beacon, and I was feeling strong and enjoying big slow deep breaths, which were such a contrast to my Parr61 trip, when I was struggling with breathing difficulties.
There's a great sign by the Beacon: somewhat incongruent but entertaining none the less.
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| 'Unstable Structure' |
From here you get a sense that you are on the homeward leg. All the steep climbs are behind you and with High Street the whale back our next summit it would be a long and generally downhill route from there all the way to Pooley Bridge. Mel and Billy were committed to finishing the trip with me, the weather was OK, and the only unknown was how the snow would be along the ridge. Would it be frozen, deep or soft? Plenty of time for an epic, yet.
The cloud closed in firmly around us near Rampsgill Head just as the snow became shin deep and soft. I tried to follow a slight trod of firmer snow, but it was trending right wards towards Kidsty Pike, so we cut left through a few hundred metres of deep slow going. High Raise seemed bigger and more pronounced then is deserves to be from the map, but again from there on the ridgeline steady descends over Raven Howe, Red Crag to Whether Hill, before the final pull up to Loadpot Hill.
I'd asked Mel on High Street how long did she think it would take to get to Loadpot. 'Two hours?' and despite a few sections of trail breaking snow we did it bang on, although it had been tougher conditions underfoot then along the Helvellyn range. I guess we'd expected to see at least the flickerings of sunrise, but cloud and the clock weren't playing ball.
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| Loadpot Hill |
Arthur's Pike would be the final summit. To be precise, if you were sticking to the true watershed it ought to be Heughscar Hill, which is an outlying Wainwright but we'd done enough to satisfy a 'watershed', especially if you dance around The Cockpit, and a Dusk to Dawn challenge.
We finished comfortably before dawn, and it crept over us as I drove us up to Kirkstone to retrieve Mel's van. Mel just snored gently most of the way.
Ullswater Dusk-to-Dawn 20
So, twenty principle peaks around Ullswater, nineteen of which are Wainwrights, starting and finishing at Pooley Bridge. Use the Ullswater Way to Gowbarrow and the obvious lines to Gt. Dodd and onwards. Best enjoyed solo or with minimal interference. Pacers unnecessary, one, well two road crossings and adequate water supplies normally.
1 Gowbarrow
2 Gt Dodd
3 Stybarrow Dodd
4 Raise
5 Whiteside
6 Lower Man ( not a Wainwright!)
7 Helvellyn
8 Nethermost
9 Dollywagen
10 Fairfield
11 Hart Crag
12 Dove Crag
13 Red Screes
14 Caudale Moor / Stony Cove Pike
15 Thornthwaite Beacon
16 High Street
17 High Raise
18 Whether Hill
19 Loadpot Hill
20 Arthur's Pike
It's a brilliantly simple and pure route. Ok, it could be done much faster in daylight, but Dusk-to-Dawn suits it perfectly, giving you a night time traverse of Helvellyn perfect on a good moon. The later you leave it in the Spring, the faster you'll need to go.
What would be your optimal month? June?
Have fun, have and adventure .... but be safe.
