Raven Crag & Seat Sandal

Date: 25-Apr-2010

Map: Landranger 90, OL4, OL5

Weather: Very low cloud and a fine wet mist.

 

Raven Crag from the car park at the end of Thirlmere, up and down : 2 miles as measured on the GPS

Seat Sandal from near the Travellers Rest up a broad ridge and back down to Grisdale Hause, and Tongue Gill: 4.6 miles as measured on the GPS

 The choice today was a wet walk in Wales with some forum chums or a lung bursting walk in the lakes with Paul. Both forecasts were unsavoury so we decided to conquer our arch enemy Seat Sandal. Now I've looked at this hill from all angles and it's steep from whichever way you go up - even on a good day the views aren't fantastic in my opinion. I've decided to name it 'The Bastard Son of Alfred Wainwright' - not funny, but nor is Seat Sandal. But that comes second, first up was the delightful Raven Crag - another of Alfred's mini fells. We drove through Windermere and Ambleside, past Thirlmere to park up at the end of the dam wall, in a small triangular car park - we parked up against the gate so they couldn't shut us in. It was really dreich weather and we couldn't see anything bar a few gloomy, eerie shadows through the mist. All of this dampened the sound and made for very relaxing surroundings.

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 gloom over Thirlmere at the start

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 Helvellyn is nowhere to be seen

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 the mist weighing heavily on the valley

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the start of the steep ascent 

The path took us up through an old Scots Pine plantation that had plenty of light beneath the canopy, and plenty of chaffinches scurrying around - probably scared of the Peregrine Falcons that nest up on top of Raven Crag. There is a sign posted by the BMC to stop climbing during the nesting season. There was no warm up for the legs today, so the calves were complaining straight away up the steep path. We could have used the forest ride to make the gradient a little less taxing. The wet mist swallowed us as we crossed a deer fence and out the other side. Not much conversation going on as we ascended due to huff and puff, and the camera was in and out of the bag - mostly in as there were very limited views. I must return when it's nice and clear. It was pretty steep all the way up to the summit so we were soon there, on a small flattish area amongst the trees.

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 not much to look at

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steep and steady 

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 up through the gloom

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 still gloomy

It must be a great vista over to the Helvellyn range, but we couldn't see a thing, not even the drop below. We had a snack or two and wandered through the woods to get a look at a fort. But it was way across the valley so we didn't think it was worth the trip. Back down on the forest ride below Raven Crag was a hugely impressive bluff - great for climbers and obviously great for Peregrine Falcons. We were soon back down at the small car park and as it forecast to slightly lift later we slowly steamed up the car windows and sat in the motor munching mouthfuls of Marmite snacks.

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 pleasant in the woods

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 silence in the woods

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even the trees weren't up to much 

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Raven Crag appears through the mist 

We could only wait so long before we had to set off for the Bas....I mean Seat Sandal, but the B was unseen, just the lower slopes taunting us. Seat Sandal is in a strange position at the head of a valley, a tarn behind it, Raise Beck one side and Tongue Gill the other, and surrounded by bigger fells. It gets it's own back by being steep from whichever way you go up. The weather didn't clear and we parked up just up the road from the Travellers Rest pub. Making our way up an old bridleway that is part of the C2C route (there's a sign on the house that says - St Bees 40 miles, Robin Hoods Bay 150 miles) we came across a gate in a wall with a rusty padlock on it. So we nipped up the short flight of steps and jumped over to make our way up to a grassy ridge. This is the most gentle ascent of Seat Sandal, but it was still steep enough for me.

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 looking back to Grasmere

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 the start of the long haul up to Seat Sandal

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 gloomy

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 eventually we dropped down beneath the clag

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 the route down from Seat Sandal

This way was also a hill of many false summits, and it's a good job I had the Satmap with me or I would have been disappointed several times over. On the way up we saw some negative lambs - black with tufts of white on their ears - very comical looking. I didn't really feel like this one today but it was a Wainwright all on it's own so I just got on with it. It was an unrelenting slog, and I ended up walking like a penguin. This hill doesn't seem to have any redeeming features, well not today it didn't, but being a Wainwright it must have good views to somewhere, just not today. Eventually wet and weary, but not cold we got to the top, but the sneaky B still played tricks in the mist - first a cairn, then a lump, then another lump, and eventually the summit cairn. I posed for a picture and we decided not to hang around as it was uncomfortable in the wind and drizzle. I took a bearing off to the east and trotted off down a very steep loose path that zigzags in tight curves downhill. We passed a few couples and we were glad we were going down.

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 spot the looney

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 looking down to Grasmere

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 not much to see across the valley to Steel Fell

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 i hope they were late for their tea and nothing else

Very quickly we were down above Grizedale Tarn, but we couldn't see it, then turned south down Grisedale Hause towards Tongue Gill. There wasn't a whole lot of water in it despite the weather. It was just as unrelenting coming down this way on a repaired path combining steps and stone, but we didn't drop out of the clag until nearly down the Gill. When we did get out of the gloom Grasmere was lit up in a patch of sun and so was the pub. There was a slight view across to Helm Crag but not a lot else. I was glad to have ticked off Seat Sandal - it's a right bar steward and I won't be coming back - ha! If you would like to see some more slightly flattering pictures, go to the wobbly coast to coast walk.

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