KYQ4: The Ennerdale Three

Thursday, 13 February 2025

The Ennerdale Three

Grike Summit

Tuesday, 11 February 2025

w Grike 488m 50min
w Crag Fell. 523m 1hr 18mins
b Whoap. 511m
w Lankrigg Fell. 541m. 2hrs 36mins

Our winter few days in the Lakes promised low cloud, below-freezing temperatures on the fells and stiff easterly winds. I collected Keith from Glasgow during the morning rush hour, adding an extra 20 minutes to the journey. We still made Ennerdale Bridge by 11:30 am and John. arrived from Selkirk 20 minutes later. The three low hills to the west of Ennerdale were the most remote hills left on my Wainwright round and the most westerly and therefore the most likely to be cloud-free. They would allow Keith to collect an additional 6 Birketts of the 541 peaks in the Lake District National Park over 1000 feet).

The forecast proved true, our hills were cloud free but to the east, almost all the fells had their heads in the clouds. We parked at Scally Moss on a road over the moor that acted as a rat run for traffic to the Nuclear Power Station at Sellafield. It was after 12 noon before we started walking, there was a bridleway heading towards Grike. Keith took a less direct route to collect the Birkett of Blakeley Raise on the way. We met some environmentalists testing soil samples for Natural England and arrived at the summit of Grike to some shafts of sunshine and a white bank of clouds to the east.

It was an easy trot over to Crag Fell where we had some food and peered down on Ennerdale Water before the cold wind prompted the next leg over to Lankrigg Fell via a dog leg over the curiously named Whoap. Despite it being February, the ground was not too boggy. The final climb to Lank Rigg was the only steep climb of the day, just as well because I was well short of hill fitness after the grey wet days of recent weeks. We were served some wonderful light conditions on the summit of Lank Rigg although it was difficult to see Sellafield.

John and I took a direct descent from Lank Rigg towards the River Calder but had some difficulty finding a crossing point and had to walk back to a Ford before the final kilometre towards the road. Keith meanwhile had shot off to climb three more Birketts and still arrived at the car ahead of us. It was 4:30pm, Sellafield was out and a caravan of Teslas and vans were racing back along the rat run.

It was almost 6pm by the time we signed into Keswick Youth Hostel. We decided to eat out and found a Wetherspoons brimming with ccustomers and providing a surprisingly good meal with a pint of b eer thrown in. I have not previously been imporessed but this was a well run establishment that had caotured a significant clientele amongst young and old alike. It had been a far better day than we had expected but the forecast for the next day was dire.