The temperature overnight was around 0degC and it was fairly windy. First thing I had a distant view of the sea across Morecambe Bay but the cloud level was ominously low. By the time I started to pack my gear into the rucksack I looked out of the tent to see nothing but mist. I'd been looking forward to the walk along Walna Scar but today wasn't to give any views so I'll have to put it on the list for a future visit in better weather. I headed north through the gloom with my compass at the ready. I could see far enough to keep on the right route and soon found a faint path which I followed along Walna Scar to Walna Scar track. As I approached the track I could see that vehicles had been driven up the rise of Walna Scar, causing tracks and ruts.

Walna Scar track

Old Quarry Buildings

Seathwaite Reservoir dam.

The Walna Scar road is sometimes used by off road vehicles by enthusiasts who delight in driving over high and remote tracks. At the track I was still in mist. I turned left and descended SW to the large area of old quarry workings. At about 500m I dropped below the cloud level and had a view of the valley below. I stopped briefly among some of the old quarry buildings before continuing down the track. I was now descending parallel to Long House Gill and followed it down to the branch track to Seathwaite Tarn. I'd lost a lot of altitude to get here and I'd now have to regain it by walking up the reservoir access road to regain it. The alternative would have been to cross the open, rough and very wet Seathwaite Fell. There was no competition. I'd come the right way.

The track to the reservoir wasn't tarmac but it had recently been surfaced with shale and was easy to walk along. The gradient was steady and where streams had been crossed the culverts had parapet walls at just the right height to sit on and have a brief rest. The curved sweep of the reservoir dam came in to view with its small stone hut at the base. I followed the path along the top and occasionally peered over the edge to look down in to the clear cold water. Directly ahead was Troutal Fell, my next objective. Only the base was visible as the rest was in cloud. I was expecting a difficult climb through rocky outcrops but was pleasantly surprised to find a faint path heading up the grassy slopes. It was a pleasant climb even though I couldn't see anything. It must be very impressive in clear weather.

Misty camp below Grey Friar.

My planned camp was just to the south of Grey Friar. I'd seen what looked like a small tarn on Google Earth but when I got there it wasn't a tarn but a muddy depression mostly filled with ice and sheep droppings. Certainly not a suitable water supply. There were still a few snow patches around and they would have been a water supply as a last resort. I found a good spot for the tent then set off in search of water. Most of the ground was frozen but I eventually found a dribble of water to fill my container. The weather continued cloudy, windy and occasional rain.