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A bit of a rush this
morning as I had to judge a photo competition as part of a local
craft and flower show. Steve gave me a lift there while I did the
judging and then on to Chorley Railway station. I bought a Penrith
saver return for £23.50 and as I was in plenty of time caught the
next train through to Preston. It was the Blackpool train and was
packed full with no seats spare and standing room only. It was just
after 11:15 and a group of young teenagers were eagerly drinking
cans of Fosters and swigging vodka. A fairly bad way to start the
day and also their lives. In Preston the 12:25 Glasgow train left on
time but that was quite full as well, but I did get a seat and
everyone was sober. But one annoying thing is the selfish people who
sit down and fill the seat next to them with their stuff so that
nobody will be able to sit next to them; this is while people
elsewhere had to stand. It was pleasant travelling through the
Howgills and seeing the mountains from a different viewpoint than
the M6 nearby. |
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It was warm and sunny
when I got off the train at Penrith so I had a pleasant wait of over
an hour for the X5 bus to Keswick. My destination is just short of Bassenthwaite village and I was able to buy a direct one way ticket
for £4.60. It was 3:29pm when I got off the bus at the branch road
to Uldale. I walked up the road to the gate on the right then
followed the track up the fell and then on to the green path to Southerndale and Barkbethdale. This is the same route that I walked
2 weeks ago on my way to Skiddaw summit but I'm not planning to go
that far today. With a full load I took it easy as there was plenty
of daylight left to get to my planned destination on Randel Crag. My
only concern was water. When I was last here I left a 2lt plastic
bottle of water on the level bit at the top of the crag. But I
didn't know if the bottle would be intact as some rodents have a
habit of gnawing away at plastic bottle tops. To be sure of water
I'd need some more. |
Penrith Railway Station |
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An old track runs up Barkbethdale and
crosses the beck high up. I followed this, left my pack for a while
and collected some water. It was a particularly clean stream with
clean boulders, no sign of slimy coverings and bright sparkling
water. The only down side was that I'd have to carry the awkward
water bag with me for quite a while. I started by carrying it in my
hand like a shopping bag but it kept dragging on the ground and I
didn't want it catching a rock and puncturing. By placing it across
my shoulders and balancing it as best I could it was less of a
problem, though it sloshed about quite a bit and kept moving. The
stony path was quite steep up Randel Crag and soon I was in swirling
mist. |
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Camp above Randel Crag |
When I got to the top
and the large area of flat fell I left my sack and went in search of
the water. I went straight to it and thankfully found it intact. So
I returned to my pack and pitched my tent. I am using my Aztec
Esqina Solo which is a new one and the first time I've used it. I've
had one of the same make for some years but this was on sale for £65
and I thought I'd better get it ready for when my old one starts to
fall apart, if it ever does. The weather was a bit hazy but warm and
some patches of sun broke through. Unfortunately these conditions
seemed to encourage the midges so I spent the rest of the evening in
the tent. |
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Whittle Wanderer