Up and Down in the Howgills

I would love to be a lady wot lunches and have all the free time I wanted.  But then, if I was, I wouldn't be lunching, I'd be out, all over the countryside getting sunburn, windburn, rain sodden (but not too much I hope), nettle stung and muddy. I'd try to be walking two or three times a week.  I might even spend so much time out in the countryside that I'd have to lunch more because I'd lost weight.

OK, so maybe that's a pipe dream, but I've still got my fingers crossed every weekend, hoping that the lottery is going to change my life.  Sadly, every Monday I set off for another week at work, but all the time I'm keeping an eye on the weather forecast and planning the next walk.

You could say that I only treasure these days because I can't go whenever I want and that if it wasn't for work, I wouldn't appreciate the walks so much.   I'd say "Cobblers!",  I still want to be a lady wot lunches.

Having said all that, I wasn't so sure about today.  I've been eyeing up the walk we had planned with a little nervousness.  We'd tried it before, and I had really struggled to get up the first hill and in the end we'd had to cut the walk short and return to the car:  A short walk in the Howgills, .  Even though I knew that I was much better now than then, I was still worried about this one.

But I needn't have been.  The first climb is quite steep, and then it eases off and the rest of the walk, whilst hard work in parts, was thoroughly enjoyable.  Here are the pictures: (Click on the images to get the larger version).

The steepest part of the work, up alongside Settlebeck Gill

(Nearly) wild horses in the distance

Looking back  after the steep climb up.  Crook and Soolbank on the left, Winder on the right.

The highest looking lump is Bram Rigg Top at 674m, behind it is real highest lump, The Calf at 676m. The rolling fells here remind me of knuckles and fingers.  It was at this point as we came out of the shelter of Arant Haw, we were hit by the wind.  It kept us "cool" all along the heights. 

The bank over there is Bram Rigg, our route takes us along the right, (off the photo), to just the other side of the fell. We then turn left onto the ridge, and follow it down to cross Bram Rigg Beck that you can at the bottom. 

This is my favourite photo's of the day.  I love the windswept grass, and the way the fells roll and fold into each other.  

Coming around Bram Rigg Top onto the ridge that we're going to descend.  You can see Morecombe Bay in the distance.

We were lucky, the moody looking clouds waited until we'd left the heights before burying the tops under clag.

Looking back up Bram Rigg. 

A view from the bottom. 

Near the end of our walk, looking across to the Shap Fells.

As you can see, we spent the day under moody clouds that threatened to drench us most of the way.  But it didn't rain, and most of the time it was very warm.  The route is up and down and bit, which tires the legs, (it took three days for my thighs, and five days for my calves to recover).  We walked 8.4 miles with 2570ft of up.