| Name of walk | Black Crag with Blue Skies and Snow! |
| Date of walk | 2010-12-08 |
| Distance walked (miles) | 7 |
| Duration of walk | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Weather | Blue skies |
| Peaks on walk | Black Crag |
| Walked with | Ged and blind Kas |
| Parking | Lay-by beside Yew Tree Tarn |
All the schools were shut again yesterday and as it was a blue sky day Ged and I were determined to go somewhere. Especially since due to the weather it had been over a week since our last fell walk. Finding somewhere with access to park would be the most difficult decision, as most of the car parks and side roads are under a foot of snow. There was supposed to be 40mph winds on the high fells so I thought we would go for Black Crag (1056ft), parking in the lay-by next to Yew Tree Tarn. The road is on a bus route so it should be clear. I had a shovel and grit in the boot just in case! Thankfully the lay-by was reasonably clear which was more than could be said for Tom Gill car park where you couldn`t even make out the entrance!
We walked to the dam of Yew Tree Tarn. No chance of sitting to admire the view!!
Looking along the frozen tarn.
We walked back along the road for a short way to the Tom Gill car park and headed on up the gill that leads to Tarn Hows.
This little guy kept making an appearance.
Tom Gill waterfall with metre long icicles.
It was all fresh snow and no ice as we headed on up.
We kept stopping to feed some Robins that followed us all the way up the gill.
Kas likes the snow providing it doesn`t go over his head! It was -6C today, but wearing my thermal trousers I was warm. An ideal day for wearing microspikes too!
Just about to reach the Tarn Hows path
A frozen Tarn Hows. As the car park for Tarn Hows is inaccesible it was totally devoid of people. If only it was always like this!
The Robins were very tame. They would take food from my hand!
Winter wonderland!
Not many available perching places!
The path alongside the tarn.
He kept following us zipping from tree to tree.
We head for the stile at the far end of the tarn.
The stile is just behind me which leads across the field to a gate for the track to Iron Keld.
Heading up through Iron Keld. Some bullocks on the path. Ged takes Kas on a detour. I`m happy to walk through them.
......closely observed!
We head up the fellside eventually reaching the view to the two summit cairns.
Windermere.
The wind is quite strong on the summit and is blowing all the snow.
Looking across to Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and the Langdale Pikes.
The south cairn. We stop for lunch behind the cairn out of the wind.
The Fairfield Horseshoe.
We head back. We would normally do a circuit via High Arnside and Holme Fell, but time was getting on and trudging through deep snow is tiring! It was knee high in some places!
We return the way we came to continue the Tarn Hows circuit.
Looking back down the length of Tarn Hows.
Kas leads the way.
View across the tarn to Wetherlam and Holme Fell.
The Robin is back again.
We return back down Tom Gill.
Finishing with a circuit of Yew Tree Tarn. Looking across the tarn to the car in the lay-by. The sun is starting to set.
