The Nab from Patterdale
Date: 24-Mar-2010
Map: Landranger 90 OL 005
Weather: Hazy sunshine.
From Patterdale up to Boredale Hause, along to Angletarn Pikes, then around Angle Tarn. Detour out to Brock Crags, back over Satura Crags. Up towards Rest Dodd, then contour around to The Nab. Back from the Nab and up to Rest Dodd, then downhill all the way to the end of Hayeswater. Along tracks to Hartsop and contour around the hills to Patterdale: 11.1 miles as measured on Satmap GPS
the first glimpse of
Angle Tarn
Angle Tarn
The views down over Hartsop and Brothers Water were getting better as I gained height, whilst behind me St Sunday Crag was a little more prominent in front of Helvellyn. A little further around from Angletarn Pikes I stopped to chat with a couple who were retracing their steps from a coast to coast walk 16 years ago - their smiles said it all. Oddly enough we had a good chat about Beddgelert down in Wales, as that was where he hailed from. As I rounded the corner from the pikes another one of the Lake Districts iconic views was before my eyes - Angle Tarn, a delightful body of water that sits in a bowl of hills. It's a photographers dream in the right conditions and I'm sure there is a perfect viewpoint to take a great picture up here. A few Barnacle Geese couples were making a bit of a honking racket as they squabbled over breeding grounds, but even that couldn't disturb the peaceful feeling you get up here - a fine site for a picnic if ever I saw one. The path gently ascended as it worked it's way around the tarn, with Helvellyn becoming more distant and hazy, and next on the list if ticks for today was Brock Crags. I realised as I looked across that we probably hadn't reached the summit that Wainwright talked about although we did reach the highest point on Brock Crags, the last time we walked here in the gloom. There is a nice cairn marking the farthest point out on Brock Crags, that has the best views down over Hartsop, Deepdale, and Brothers Water. So I sat down here out of the wind and had a pleasant interlude and a graze on some snacks. Suitably refreshed it was just a case of retracing my steps back to the main path which is marked by a gateway of two wooden posts. Beyond the posts is Satura Crags and the first glimpse of The Nab across Bannerdale. At the end of the crags the path over to The Nab rises up the hillside, whilst the main path up towards The Knott drops away a little to the right. It's not a well trodden path over to The Nab, but it is marked out on the ground ok. The path makes it way up towards Rest Dodd, but as I crested a rise the way across becomes clear. There is a wall that runs down below Rest Dodd to the east and this is the way I followed, dropping steeply down a grassy slope before crossing the wall through a broken down section - probably due to the passage of the deer herds going back and forth. I suppose you could cut the corner off and walk down a little ridge before crossing many peat hags, but that would seem to be hard work for little reward, so I just made for the higher ground which would take me across to The Nab.
This is the oldest deer concentration in the country I believe - and apparently may be the only pure blooded Red Deer left in the country - there were plenty of them around today, but always just out of range from my small lens. The approach from this end to The Nab does away with any problems about access through the estate grounds from Martindale, the keep out signs are a bit off putting from the other way. The ground across to The Nab is fairly boggy and there are several peat hags to cross, but as it had been dry for several weeks it was just about ok for keeping dry feet - expect to have a good splodge in wet weather though. I took lunch here to get some energy for my final climb of the day, back along the ridge to Rest Dodd. There were plenty of the Far Eastern Fells in view from here and there are a few walks which tick off plenty of Wainwrights in one go, starting over in Martindale. I returned the way I had come and approached Rest Dodd on a distinct path that rises steeply up for the last 400 odd feet. But it doesn't take long and I could stop and stare at the Red Deer grazing away on the adjacent hills - obviously used to walkers by now. At the top of Rest Dodd I had a good view up to High Street and a few more like the Knott, High Raise and Kidsty Pike - but I had done those before and had good views, so didn't feel the need for another romp up there - a hill too far today. I picked out a route down off the top of Rest Dodd and followed a few sheep trod down to the main path, before cutting across the hillside to intersect the path dropping down to Hayeswater.
I met a few lost souls today confused by the many paths and pointed more than one couple back towards Hartsop. Thirlmere itself was quite peaceful, with only a moderate amount of water flowing out through the outlet valve just below the end of the reservoir. The path took me across Hayeswater Gill and followed the side of the gill down towards Hartsop village. I could have saved myself a little legwork and taken some good pictures of the falls if I'd dropped down off the main track to the filter house on the other side of the gill - but then I would have missed the knackered cyclists coming up the main track. They were all pushing their bikes and walking on stony ground with those cycle shoes with the pedal clips on the bottom. The last guy looked pained and asked how far up it was to the top - he wasn't very happy with my reply. Lower down the slopes are more mining relics of times past, including the remnants of a long old building. The view up Pasture Beck is superb, with Grey Crag on one side and Hartsop Dodd on the other, and Stony Cove Pike at the head of the valley. Noticeable to the side of the track are many small fields with drystone walls, built with a layer of big boulders at the bottom - very interesting. A short stroll through Hartsop - no pub to tempt me into the Inn here - and it was out onto an old track that would lead me all the way back to Rooking and across to Patterdale. Another fantastic walk with some fabulous views, very peaceful and relaxing.
