A short solitary walk made epic by one missed turning and a wet summer’s bracken crop.Route: from White Moss car park, along a footpath south of the main road to cross and join the rocky path up to the Coffin Route. Then turning left along the tarmac road and right at a brand
new fingerpost to Alcock Tarn. Shortly after somehow missing the main path ahead and veering right up a smaller path, steep and muddy and much damaged by rain. Following the path (occasional boot marks, evidence of sheep tracks) up between two good walls, narrowing and then diverging, but finding it soon impossible to follow through waist-high bracken swept about by constant high winds. Eventually bushwhacking up through shoulder high-bracken and occasional patches of bog too wet even for the bracken to grow, and following the subsidiary streams running into Dunney Beck, until finally – and with great relief – crossing to a visible path contouring round below Lord Crag to a cairn on the Fairfield horseshoe ridge above Nab Scar. Running down the main largely pitched path to Hart Head Farm, Rydal and the Badger Bar. Later walking along the south side of Rydal Water, busy with families swimming and sunbathing, with Tim, back to White Moss.Conditions: Hot and sticky but breezy even in the pub garden and wild and windy (but still hot) on the ridge.
Pub: Badger Bar, Rydal, joining Tim, for OSB Golden Ale (after an attempt at Hesket Newmarket Skiddaw, just on the turn).
