There is nothing more rewarding than a snowy walk through our upland countryside. The contrast of colours, the light, the sense of adventure, physical challenges and breathtaking views are unique in the fells of Britain after a good snowfall.
Last week I enjoyed a splendid walk up Place Fell near Ullswater in the Lake District. It was a cold, clear day with plenty of snow having fallen a few days prior. In essence it was perfect conditions to take a snowy walk amongst the Lakeland fells. Further down this blog I will talk about the differences of walking in the snow, the dangers and what you should take but to start I just want to describe the walk and how good it was.
I chose Place Fell for the walk for a number of reasons. First off it is an excellent Wainwright with a good summit area. The views are always good (particularly down Ullswater) and the mountain felt about the right height for me in the snow. It also has little lurking dangers such as steep cliffs and remoteness from the road. In addition it was relatively close to Patterdale/Glenridding, a popular place where the access roads should be fine. They were.
From the car park at Glenridding I headed towards the Patterdale Hotel and crossed the valley floor to the start of the path at the cluster of farm buildings at Rooking. The views across Ullswater towards Place Fell were lovely and I hope captured in the photo above. The path from Rooking climbed steadily up the fellside as it approached Boredale Hause.
Others had followed the path before me (which I had anticipated) so at this stage there was no ‘breaking snow’ which I thought I may encounter further up. The biggest problem in the initial stages of the climb was the odd icy patch which was cunningly concealed in the shadows. Certainly one of the biggest risks of walking in the snow is not the snow but falling on the ice. As I contoured towards the wide col the views started to open up. Primarily north west over Glenridding to the Helvellyn massif but also south in towards Kirkstone Pass.
Photography wise I have learnt recently that taking photos in to a low sun can be more effective than than the more obvious ones with the sun behind you. With such a low sun the colours were fantastic, there is nothing better than the contrast of white snow and blue sky. As I reached the broad hause of Boredale the slopes flattened out but the snow became deeper. Here it was a little more than 2 feet deep but of course the depth varied constantly. At some points the snow was barely a few inches deep whereas in the hollows it was much deeper. It helped to watch a very excitable Holly racing around, disappearing periodically in to the deep stuff. Her sense of pure enjoyment was contagious.
Ahead though were the steeper slopes leading towards Place Fell. The path had divided (the right hand fork heading towards Angle Tarn) but I took the left fork towards Place Fell. I say path but of course there was no path on the ground to be seen, just a pathway through the snow where others had been. From a navigation point of view this pathway, my previous knowledge of the fell and, of course, the perfect weather conditions made it almost impossible to go wrong.
The climb of Place Fell is steady, steeper in places but nothing dangerous. In places I left the path and broke the virgin snow on the climb. However this was personal choice, maybe it made me feel like a true explorer! The reality was that I was just loving being out in the snow, on a familiar mountain, clean crisp air and spectacular views. It could not be better. At places the pathway wound its way through rocky outcrops but I tended to avoid them as I had not brought my crampons.
Eventually the slopes eased and a cairn marked the southern end of the broad ridge to Place Fell. I could see a few lucky souls already on the summit so Holly duly left me and headed up to check if any had their their lunch out. I think she succeeded as I heard some laughter from behind the finely situated trig point which marked the summit of Place Fell.
I spent some time on the summit chatting to the other climbers and admiring the views. Place Fell is a good view point for both the Far Eastern Fells and Helvellyn and the east. The mountains looked so good with its snowy cloak on, and so very different.
However decision time was upon me. In the warmth of my sitting room I had thought I may carry on north and drop to Ullswater on a marked path heading west from the Knight. As I looked towards the possible route all I could see was virgin snow (a pathway did look to be heading further to the east towards Howtown) and I was not not convinced I would pick the correct route down. Also time was passing so I made the decision to return via the same route I came up. Aside from the vague risks of heading off piste the return alongside Ullswater would be in shadow so the views not great. After all I was only on the walk to enjoy the snow and beautiful light.
However, before I headed back I set off a little to the west to try and get some photos along Ullswater. The views were never perfect but I had great fun floundering around in the snow before it became too steep. The return to the path was through more virgin snow and a shallow trough (obviously a high stream bed) where Holly completely went under. Back on the path I descended very quickly, running down in places and even doing a bum slide for a few hundred feet.
At Boredale Hause on the descent I met a chap and his dog heading up towards Place Fell. I think he had misjudged his timing and I was surprised to see him heading up. He asked me what the conditions were like higher on the fell. I said they were fine but suggested he was pushing it time wise. To be fair he acknowledged this and said he would turn round at 3 come what may. I am not usually keen on offering unsolicited advice to those who are on the fells. However he asked which was sensible of him. One of the reasons I am not a fan is I think walkers learn most from making their own decisions even if they prove mistaken. We have all made mistakes (see my Ben Macdui story below) but we all should learn from them.
I ended up having a fine pint in the Ullswater Inn before heading home.
My first bit of advice is that you should not be put off by the snowy fells. Just learn the differences and start with the easiest options. Experience is everything. The rewards of being on a fell top (it does not have to be a high one) in snowy conditions are multiple as I hope I have demonstrated on Place Fell. However I have a great deal of experience in walking in the snow and, in addition, on Place Fell the area I was walking in.
Here are my tips to get you to a stage where you can climb a Place Fell:
However there is simply no substitute for experience on the snowy fells and the ‘inner voice‘ this brings to your decision making. Start small and safe and then as your confidence and experience grows push yourself further. Listen to that ‘inner voice’ though. Do not fight it, go with it.
My final bit of advice, like my first, is to ‘Go Out and Do It’.
Over the years I have enjoyed many walks in the snow. Some of them I have catalogued on the website. If you like photography of some excellent walks I have done in the snow just look at these:
I love walking in the snow but I can also accept that many are put off by the apparent dangers that lurk in our snowy mountains. Maybe I was fortunate but snow was part of my upbringing. Every winter it seemed to be there; sledging on the Town Moor in Newcastle was normal as was snowy walks whether in Northumberland or over in the Lake District. Climate Change and opinionated Social Media posts are both to blame. Experience gained young is invaluable to breed confidence.
In my younger days I also skied a lot, not only in the Alps but also in Scotland. Snow was always my friend not an adversary. Some of the skiing we did was off piste, exploring the back country of the Alps. Scottish skiing meanwhile is a challenge in itself. Each time I have been the weather has been challenging as anyone who has done it will know. Whistling winds, low cloud, little differentiation between piste and non piste are the norm not the exception.
On one occasion in Aviemore many years ago I was on a 3 day ski break with some friends. I was in the middle of my obsession with climbing the Munros so announced on one of the mornings I was going to skip skiing and head off to climb Ben Macdui. My mates were utterly indifferent (probably delighted to get rid of me), they were going to ski and left me to it. To be honest my decision defied every modern health and safety rule (even then) but I was in my 20s, daft, obsessed and untouchable.
Its a long way to Ben Macdui from the Aviemore car park . It is roughly a 12 mile round trip but I was fortunate and the ground conditions made for, in the main, good winter walking. The weather was benign and the snow on the high plateau wind blown so easy to walk on. On the return from Ben Macdui I tried to cut the corner (a map reading error) and had a steep climb in deep snow. It was exhausting, slow and by then I was tired. Light was not much of an issue (mid March) and I was most concerned that a late finish would mean I encountered fed up mates who had their pub hours shortened. The reality was if I had an accident I would have been in big trouble.
However the confidence I had gained from this and other winter walks held me in good stead in the future. One occasion was a Winter climb up Jebel Toubkal in Morocco a few years later. At the high hut we were benighted by heavy snow for 2 days but on the 3rd the weather improved. One of our Moroccan guides had already bailed out so myself and the other guide took turns in breaking snow on the steep climb from the hut. I was utterly determined to climb the mountain and it was fantastic. If ever there was a case of ‘give it a go’ this was it. The rest of the group were happy as well as they may not have gone up without the local guide’s little helper.
Maybe I was fortunate at times or maybe the fear of snowy walks is just a modern phenomena. I have written this blog because I am keen that walkers should enjoy the same snowy walks as I have. if you do not you will have missed out. Over the past weeks there has been some dire warnings about avoiding the fells and the usually suspects on social media have claimed anyone going out is irresponsible. They are not, they are just out to enjoy the mountains at their best. Take the advice I have outlined above, gain experience and be positive, the mountains are to be enjoyed. However keep your ears open to your own ‘inner voice’.
Enjoy your walking
Jonathan
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