Fell Walking
Lynn loved fell walking, particularly in the Lake District. We met in Grasmere in 1979 when I was leading fell walks for Countrywide Holidays, got married in Eskdale in 1983, took many holidays when living in Kent, and moved to Hesket Newmarket in 2004 when I got a post in Carlisle with Cumbria County Council.
We loved sharing and exploring the Fells together. We loved the pull of the fells and the exhilaration gained from being surrounded by such magnificence and grandeur. We seemed such a suited pair of walkers, matching each other in how we delighted in the Fells and looked after each other. I would so often turn to give Lynn a hand and she was so understanding of my diabetes. Descending on easy ground Lynn was a really strong walker and we complemented each other in so many ways.
I find when I’m walking, I’m closer to Lynn, remembering the walks we loved - the exhilaration of the first time we visited Burtness Comb, and our scramble up the gully by Grey Crag, emerging on the High Stile plateau. Other times we loved visiting the crags high above Buttermere at the top of the High Stile north east ridge or the views from the broad ridge of High Crag above Buttermere and Burtness Comb. We would sit be-next each other just down from High Crag summit, with that fabulous view to Pillar, the climb from Memorial Bridge to Robinson’s Cairn and the High Level Route to Pillar Rock before the scramble to the top.
I'm always reminded of Lynn’s love for the mountains: the joy she found from reaching a summit, cresting a ridge, coming across a favourite viewpoint, the exhilaration of the new, our last shared new objective was Randel Crag below Skiddaw, the insatiable appetite for a further exploration, that view from one extra outcrop.
I'm taking a leisurely approach to illustrating some of our favourite walks, drawing on our walking log going back over many years and thousands of photos, most of which Lynn took although thankfully I did borrow the camera and have some special photos of Lynn on the fells. I'll be adding further walks as and when and no doubt find a way to organise them a little better. Meantime the Walking tab takes you to a few favourites.
We also planned to walk all the Wainwrights every year and had put together our suggestions for covering all the fells so as to include the best approaches and have time to enjoy all that the fells have to offer. Unsurprisingly our list of walks was forever subject refinement and fine tuning. No doubt the set of walks will continue to evolve as I walk the fells. Indeed, it's been wonderful spending some time in Buttermere seeing the progress on Dubs Bridge and climbing High Stile and High Crag from Burtness Comb - High Stile's North East ridge, the gullies between Grey Crag and Eagle Crag, and Sheepbone Rake for High Crag. These ascents aren't included in our current set of Wainwright walks so there'll be some further fine tuning. I've got the structure in mind and will aim to add content when time allows.