Issue #86 Solstice Greetings and Fleetwith Pike

A little adventure in a brief weather window and signing off for the holidays...

Greetings!

This is a confusing time of year isn’t it? It’s the Solstice on Saturday, which we call Midwinter yet which also marks the beginning of astronomical winter but also the beginning of the end of winter as the darkest days slowly begin to wane and grow lighter ever-so-slowly. In my eyes and mind, it is also the end of the year and the beginning of a new one, for the full cycle around the sun is complete. Yet we don’t celebrate New Year until January. Maybe that’s why I never really liked New Year’s eve - it is out of step with the universe. Plus there’s Christmas in the middle of it all.

Anyway, confusion aside it is also the darkest time of year and we eagerly await the forthcoming tilt towards lighter days. The change is imperceptible at first, but the knowledge that a shift has occurred is powerful.

Although it looks like the setting sun will be hidden from view by cloudy, drizzle laden skies and winds will be howling, we plan to head out to watch the light fade at the end of the day and spend the evening back at home with only the warm glow of candlelight to light our way until the sun rises again the next morning.

If conditions were going to be better I think we’d camp out or at least eat dinner or cook breakfast outside, but you can only work with what you’ve got, which incidentally is the key to surviving winter I think - embracing the ebbs and flows of the season and making the most of each faint glimmer of brightness however you can…

How will you be celebrating Solstice this year? Let us know in the comments or send us an email!

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Fleetwith Pike

Last week on our hike around Buttermere, the narrow, craggy ridge leading up to the summit of Fleetwith Pike caught our attention as being a small but rugged mountain that looked fun to climb. With a single bright day sandwiched between several stormy ones we drove back to Buttermere on Saturday to see if we were right.

The day did not dawn as bright as we were expecting, and with ice on the roads on our journey in we knew we were in for a cold day but it felt good to be headed out on a small adventure for the first time in a while - snatching a window of opportunity and seeing what we could do with it.

Strong winds dragged low clouds across the tops of the surrounding peaks, yet the summit of Fleetwith Pike stayed cloud free as we made our way steadily up and around the bulging mass of Low Raven Crag. We passed by a white memorial cross that marks the spot where Fanny Mercer slipped and fell to her death in 1887 - an ominous reminder to not take risks in the mountains for granted.

This was one of those hills that goes straight up from the start and we gained height quickly. Sheltered from the wind behind a rocky outcrop, we watched a buzzard circling ever upwards whilst we ate snacks and warmed ourselves with coffee and hot chocolate. It was too cold to stop for long, so we shouldered our packs and continued to climb upwards - from here the route became rockier with a series of short but steep scrambles where hands and concentration were needed. These are my favourite bits, and Benji seems to like them too - a little bit of risk to keep things interesting, each section a small test of ability and nerve.

Here we go, heading up the nose of Fleetwith Pike

After a few false summits we made it to the top just before the weather started to move in - white, ghost-like sheets of sleety rain were rapidly approaching so we didn't linger long at the summit cairn and made our way over the back of the hill and off the ridge towards Warnscale Beck and our route down the steep and rugged valley between Fleetwith Pike and the near vertical walls of Haystacks which tower ominously above. Just before the rain hit, we ducked into Dubs hut - a bothy managed by the Mountain Bothies Association- to put on our waterproof layers. Grateful for the refuge and fully geared up, we braced the icy, wind driven rain and marched down the long but easy path towards the end of our hike, stopping every now and then to glance up at the steep walls of rock all around us and marvel at the mountain scenery. It had indeed been a fun hike, and one we’d like to do it again but hopefully in better weather…

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Well, we are signing off for the festive season although we may write again before the New Year depending on what happens. We are hoping for a few small adventures over the holidays - including hopefully a big hike on Christmas Day- and a little time to refresh and restore after a year of ups and downs. However you celebrate, we wish you wonderful Solstice, a magical Christmas and a joyous / reflective New Year and as ever we are grateful for all the comments, feedback, sharing and support throughout the year.

With warmest wishes from the three of us,

Andrew, Emma and Benji

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