Windy Place Fell

Saturday was the occasion for possibly one of CLOG's windiest walks ever. Wind at probably 40 mph with strong gusts exceeding that! This was on top of Place Fell (657 m). Good views, much wind! Once off the top, conditions were much quieter. A steep climb from Patterdale via Boredale Hause and a windy summit were followed by a much more tranquil descent. The good views from Place Fell summit were complemented by more good views on the afore mentioned tranquil descent to Sandwick. The path along the shore of Ullswater provided yet more nice scenery.

We Rise to Higher Things

The steep ascent to Boredale Hause was the one I had made when I arrived on Thursday. This time, the hillside was swarming with Beagles out for their hunt-free exercise. Views towards Ullswater, Helvellyn and Brothers Water made this a very scenic ascent indeed.

On the steep climb up to Boredale Hause, a bench appears - just like that.




It looks as if this bench has been here since Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, serving the recuperation needs of walkers for well over a century.
Not a bad innings for a cast-iron bench!




As you might expect, from the bench there's a nice view down-valley towards Ullswater ...




... and a nice view up-valley towards Boredale Hause.




Having reached Boredale Hause ...




... the distant view towards Patterdale, Helvellyn, and many points west can be enjoyed.

It's Windy Up Here!

Some walking and scrambling further on and we have reached Place Fell. We sheltered in the lee of the triangulation point to try and have our lunch in the midst of a right old gale. The pictures show rocks, clouds and scenery, but not the wind - and what a wind! It brought to life the real meaning of the weather forecasts which talk about windy conditions on mountain tops!

Rocks, triangulation point and clouds. The wind must be imagined.




Two of our party have still to make the final scramble to the summit.




There are some nice views up here ...




... but we seek shelter in the lee of the summit in order to have some lunch.

A Much Quieter Descent to Sandwick

The path along the top but slightly down from Place Fell was much less windy, the slight reduction in height making all the difference. There were excellent views to the north and to the west. Some sun on the mountains added that extra bit of colour to the landscape.

Ullswater stretches out into the distance, while a pool of water close by looks like a large lake.




Ullswater and Hallin Fell.




More of Ullswater and Hallin Fell.




Looks like Gowbarrow Park on the west side of Ullswater.




On the descent to Sandwick, here's a view looking back to Place Fell ...




... and here are two more views across ...




... to the west bank of Ullswater. Very nice too!

Along the Shores of Ullswater

From Sandwick back to Patterdale there was a pleasant path close to the eastern shore of Ullswater. Nice scenery without too much physical effort! No ferry boats today - choppy water stopped sailings.

Autumnal scenery ...




... with a dash of sunshine ...




... unfolds on the way to Patterdale.




There's yet more nice scenery ...




... embellished with ...




... autumn tints.




Here is a north westerly view from the slopes of the Devil's Chimney.




The ferry boats ride at anchor at their Glenridding base. Patterdale is near.




It's back to the hostel. Outside the hostel is a "For Sale" sign, out of view here. The YHA is giving up many of its rural hostels and concentrating on the fierce competition in the cities with the likes of Travel Lodge. This business model seems to make sense to the YHA but not necessarily to those that enjoy the traditional YHA facilities in the Great Outdoors. Anyway, we enjoy the YHA facilities in Patterdale while they still are in Patterdale.

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