Following completion of the Consiton Round, (The Old Man to Wetherlam) yesterday, I walked up from Coniston village to the Walna Scar Road following that for about a mile or so before branching off north to reach Goats Water where I camped for the night (picture) In the morning my plan was an ascent of Dow Crag.
I camped here once before in 1983 with a friend for rock climbing on Dow's dark east face so I was condident of finding a place to pitch my tent, there is however, not an awful lot of choice.
On Tuesday morning the cloud was down almost to the level of Goats Water! so I climbed up out of the lakes glaciated cwm and left round to the top to Dow Crag in 25m visibility. On Dow's craggy summit I recalled being here on New Years Day, 1984, (or perhaps 1983). I was staying in the Climbers Club Hut in Seathwaite and after seeing the new year in half a dozen of us set off to climb to the top of Dowin the wee small hours of the new year. So never doubt the foolishness of youth! From Dow I made my way over the top of Buck Pike to Brown Pike and down to the Walna Scar Road. The cloud was right low, and my spirits were as well, on top of Brown Pike I tripped and fell heavily on my right elbow, precisely on top of the slowly healing injury it sustained on 18/06/09 when I was knocked off my bike by a speeding car. It really hurt and with no visibility I had a lessened appetite for the further hills in Birketts route. So I thought "I am off down the Walna Scar Road to Consiton and back to Keswick". That's what I did, so my tally for the outing was one complete Birkett route and a half but with another nine tops completed I am well on my way and feel inclined to give the Birketts a bloddy good seeing to over the next few months, finish the lot in 2010 should be easy with a bit of commitment and brio.
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