My Arnside Knott Habit

Kent Estuary and Eastern Fells.

A bright and sunny winter Saturday. The boys had already had their grappling fun, and I’d had a brief excursion around Lancaster whilst they were ‘rolling’ (that’s the official term apparently). I managed to persuade TBH to join me on what has become my regular weekend afternoon pilgrimage up the Knott.

Coniston Fells in the background with Cartmell Fell in the middle distance.

For once, I remembered not to leave it too late, so that we could enjoy the views of snowy Lakeland peaks whilst the light was still good.

TBH taking her own photos.

Arnside Knott pano (click on this or any other other photo to view a larger version on flickr)

Looking South. Warton Crag, Forest of Bowland, Silverdale, Far Arnside, Morecambe Bay.

Ingleborough zoom. The substantial landslip know as ‘The Falls’ shows well here. I explored the cliffs at the top of that feature last Spring.

Later, I was out again, on another oft repeated route via The Cove and The Lots. I wasn’t quite in time to catch the sunset, but the aftershow was pretty good.

Due to the lag between what appears here on the blog and reality, currently running at a little over a month, I know that the current slew of posts about the Knott is not about to come to an end any time soon. In fact, I’ve been heading that way increasingly often.

My current fixation with the Knott is not entirely without precedent. In the late nineties, when I lived in Arnside, there was a period when I aimed to climb the Knott every weekday after work. I was in training then too, preparing for a special holiday after an unexpected windfall.

---

In the summer, I shall be attempting to complete the annual 10 in 10 challenge. Briefly, the idea is to walk a route over 10 Wainwrights in 10 hours or less.  You can find out more here.

The event is a fundraiser and I’m hoping to get some sponsorship for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. My Just Giving page is here. All donations, however small, will be most welcome. I should add that the sponsorship is not a condition of my entry and that I’ve already paid a fee to enter which covers all costs, so all sponsor money would go directly to charity.

Little and Often: In Training

A three walk Sunday, all part of my Little and Often campaign. First, a familiar wander to the Cove and across the Lots. The sun was shining and the light was lovely.

Then I dropped S off at his climbing lesson and drove up onto the edge of the Forest of Bowland hills, walking a brisk out and back route to Grizedale Dock Reservoir…

…via Holme Wood…

When I have more time to spare, there are definitely some good walks to be had in that area, so I shall be looking to go back, probably one summer evening. The weather had deteriorated and there were flecks of rain blowing in the wind, but it was good to be out.

Later still, I was out again, past Arnside Tower…

…hoping to catch the sunset from the Knott. Sadly, although the weather had improved again, a bank of cloud over the Irish Sea smothered that idea. I’ve made similar mistakes since, leaving it a little too late to get out on a sunny afternoon and thereby missing the sunshine altogether. I shall make a mental note not to be so tardy in future.

Humphrey Head and last signs of the departed sun.

---

 

In the summer, I shall be attempting to complete the annual 10 in 10 challenge. Briefly, the idea is to walk a route over 10 Wainwrights in 10 hours or less. This year the route starts at the Swinside hotel, goes over some of the Northwestern Fells, down to Buttermere and then back over Dale Head and High Spy, among others. You can find out more here.

It’s not the sort of thing I would usually do, but I shall be joining my old school friend John and frankly I’m relishing the challenge. Whether I will still feel that way on the day remains to be seen. It’s more than a little Quixotic for me to imagine that I can tackle all of the ascent involved in the time allowed, but I shall give it a go.

The event is a fundraiser and I’m hoping to get some sponsorship for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. My Just Giving page is here. All donations, however small, will be most welcome. I should add that the sponsorship is not a condition of my entry and that I’ve already paid a fee to enter which covers all costs, so all sponsor money would go directly to charity.

Plug over, for now at least, although I will probably add links to forthcoming posts too.