Route: Parking at the NT car park and taking the main valley path to Wasdale Village Green, including a couple of beck crossings deeper and wider than they should have been, and, after a brief stop to enjoy the sunshine beside the river at the bar, taking the bridleway north along Mosedale Beck to ford Gatherstone Beck and bend up right to Black Sail Pass. There turning right before the cairn to follow the fence posts up Kirkfell Crags (mistakenly veering left into a wet screey gully before turning back to take the rockier, drier route up) and across the stony summit plateau to Kirk Fell. Crossing the saddle to the left of the tarns to the second top and then heading down rocky Rib End in increasing winds to pass the tarn (dry when last passed in April 2017) at Beck Head and climb up to Great Gable. Taking the pitched path initially N and then switching back SE down to Styhead Pass and then (abandoning the plan to take in Lingmell as the weather quickly deteriorated) heading down Toad How and on to the valley bottom, past St Olaf's and out to the road. Returning along the road in persistent rain to the car park.
Conditions: Initially a balmy (hazy, even!) spring day, strong winds from Black Sail Pass and the haze thickening to full cloud cover by Styhead Pass and raining sweeping relentlessly in before St Olaf's for the rest of the walk (followed by thick fog driving back on the Cold Fell road).
Pub: (at the 2km mark) Ritson's Bar for half pints of The Carlisle Brewing Company Flaxen and Citadel and (after the walk) The Screes for Strands Brewing Company Green Bullet and Low Flyer.
