Fieldfare, Pikes and Peaks

Well everything I had planned for the weekend came off!

My Friday afternoon birdwatching walk was lovely in the sun and I had an enormous cornet from the van at Barden Bridge. Still no sand martin but most of the usual suspects were out on or by the river plus I saw a flock of around 30 fieldfare in the field behind the path into the Strid Woods

On Saturday I met Geoff near Kendal as arranged and we climbed Harrison Stickle from the new Dungeon Ghyll then picked up the Bob Graham route as far as Scafell Pike before returning down the pony track by Rossett Gill. We worked out we'd done 15miles and 6000ft of climb plus we'd taken the correct line over to Rossett Pike and up Billy Bland's rakes on Bowfell and memorised a few useful landmarks on these. On the way down to Mickleden we spotted a very smart male wheatear, surely a sign that spring is now here

Yesterday after meeting Dave at his home around lunchtime we headed over to Three Peaks country and ran over Whernside and Ingleborough. We got back to Ribblehead in time for a tea each at the famous Fourth Peak burger van. I felt great climbing Ingleborough and am very satisfied with my 39miles and just shy of 12000ft of climb for the week