A final taste of freedom – A two day wild walk via Buckden Pike.

Rumours abounded that Lancashire was going to become yet further restricted and trips outside the county were not just ‘advised against’ but actually illegal. I’ve no moral qualms going for a wild walk against ‘advice’ a little away from home… …because by design I keep within the spirit of the (wise) guidance as I’m well away from other people – the idea is to be not just ‘socially’ but splendidly isolated!  However I’m no law breaker so I wanted to grab the last chance for a micro-adventure before COVID Tier 4 / 5 came into force.

The air was clear, the amount of sunshine exceeded the forecast and there was a good amount of snow above 300 m so I’ll keep my words brief and allow the pictures to tell the story of the glory of the Yorkshire Dales on a clear winters day.

My route, starting / ending at Kettlewell

Day 1 (Kettlewell to Buckden Pike)

• 

  Great Whernside Summit

• 

  Frozen Fenceline

• 

  Looking back at Great Whernside from Top Mere

• 

  Boundary Marker on Starbotton Fell

• 

  Last light

Day 2 (Buckden Pike to Kettlewell)

• 

  Trusty Soulo after a cold night

• 

  Sunrise from summit of Buckden Pike

• 

  Fire & Ice

• 

  Wharfdale & Old Cote Moor

Lessons Learnt

• My Grivel Spider micro-spikes were excellent for these conditions – full review here.
• My water reservoir didn’t freeze but the filter did.  Must prepare enough water for the following morning next time
• I should upgrade my Thermorest for a thicker model for next time My Prolite 3 is good down to single digit temperatures, but if I’m to get the best from my -15 C bag I need a mat to match it.
• Grabbing opportunities like this one is well worth the effort.