With Anna. There is a big car park on the A593 a bit to the south of Yew Tree Tarn. From here we followed the busy road to Yew Tree Farm round the corner. There is actually a way signposted through the field alongside to get to the farm avoiding the road but we only spotted this as we were getting back too late to take advantage. From the farm a track leads up and left where a path branches off and leads very pleasantly and easily through woods to the top of Holme Crag. We followed this up and we followed it down again. It was nice.

With Anna. Starting in Grasmere we walked up the Easdale Road and the path up towards Easdale Tarn. About ½k before the tarn the path bends left and it is here that Wainwright suggests breaking off to cross Sourmilk Gill to get to the path up the east ridge of Tarn Crag. But the Gill looked  pretty big at this point and we didn’t fancy wet feet. So we carried on to the Tarn where we were able to cross the Gill and make our way up what was almost a rough path following a tiny stream steeply uphill to reach the east ridge path which we followed easily to the very pleasant top of Tarn Crag. Down from here, pathlessly at first, towards Codale Tarn by where we were on a path which took us back to the main path from Grasmere via Easdale Tarn to Sergeant Man. From here we climbed about halfway to the Sergeant, picking up his SE ridge but turning left instead of right to get on track to our next Wainwright, Blea Rigg, which hardly feels like a hill at all being downhill more or less all the way for here. There are a lot of wee thingies around here that might be the top of something.  I think we visited both the thing Wainwright says is the top and the spot a bit to its west that the Hillbagging website says is a little higher. From here it feels quite a long way but mostly on good paths over delightful terrain to Silver How. To get off this towards Grasmere the map shows a path going SE (after a very short NE descent) from what looks set to be a pretty unpleasant scree gully. In fact after a short distance it turns into a staircase – someone has done a lot of work here – and leads very straightforwardly down to less stepp ground where we turned left and headed easily back to Grasmere.

There is a layby on the A592 a bit south of Limefitt Holiday Park. I parked in it and walked south. Left up the track that leads up by the Howe and then swings left to climb the hillside. A stile off to the right from the track indicates the start of the path that leads straightforwardly to the top of Sour Howes. Many things up here might be the top. I visited a few of them. Then easily round to Sallows, back down to Garburn Nook and back down the track.

I parked my car off the B5292 at the start of bthe track leading to Darling How. A path leads down from here to the lower track to the north by Scawgill Bridge. I was looking to follow the fence atg the edge of the forest straight up Graystones. THere is a path up here but it starts some way off to the west and skirts the foot of the old quarry before joining the fence and following it up. It is a brutal, steep, unrelenting, but merfcifully short climb. I found many lumps that might have been the summit of Graystones so visited all of them to be oin the safe side. Then a good path leads effortlessly and very pleasantly along the ridge over Broom Fell to Lord's Seat. Here I ballsed things up rather badly. Without taking time to look carefully enough at the map I breezily headed off in the direction of Ullister Hill thking it was Barf. It isn't. By the time I realised waht I had done I had wasted eough tie I decided to leave BArf for another day and so returned to the top of Lord's Seat. The map shows a dotted green line going from here back down to Darling How. On the grond this was pretty faint. It also seemed at first rather closer to the fence than the map suggests. I don't think this way is much used. Descending tghrough the woods was rather rough going in places. But I was soon down and back at my little car.

I was staying in Rosthwaite at the Scafell Hotel. This walk starts and ends there so I had the pleasant experience of a driving free day. Right out of the hotel and north up the road a short way then right along the drive of the Hazel Bank Hotel. The path skirts the perimeter of the hotel grounds than heads up the fellside to Watendlath, an utterly delightful and pleasant climb. Reaching Wadentlath brought a measure of heartbreak as I had forgotten about the little teashop there wnd had neglected to carry any money with me. I watched the people happily sipping their tea with envy and longing then picked up the path south towards Stonethwaite. The main path passes the summit of Great Crag some way to the east but there is motre than one minor path on the ground to take you thereand it was easily reached. After that short detourv the maion path carries on past the beautiful, lonely Dock Tarn and then bend southwest to Lingy End where it falls very dramically and steeply through the woods towards Stonethwaite whence a patyh leads easily back to Rosthwaite. THis is a really delightful short walk.

This was basically the circuit suggested by Wainwright on p5 of the Blaeberry Fell section of The Central Fells. I parked at the foot of Springs Road and followed the road then path that leads very delightfully, mostly through or alongside woods, to Rakefoot. I could have parked here and shortened the walk. Some people had. But it scarcely needed shortening. Soon after Rakefoot the crowds turn off for Walla Crag. I would come back that way. But now  I took a left fork and stayed closer to Brockle Brook following it to the ruined shepherd’s hut where it turns.  I turned with it and followed it up towards my fell. There is a path most of the way, albeit a rather faint one. It had been a hot dry summer. I suspect had it not been it would have been a bit boggy hereabout but as it was it was fine. Towards the top it got a bit steep and rough but I was soon on the summit admiring the views east to Helvellyn and south to the high fells around Great Gable.

My plan now, still following Wainwright was to head down the northwest ridge as far as the old sheepfold before swinging right to Walla Crag. I was pleased to find there was a proper, well constructed path on the ground now to help me do this so the descent was much more straightforward than the ascent. The top of Walla Crag is on the wrong side of a big fence but there are a couple of stiles to give access. It is a beautiful spot that deserves its popularity with a lovely view up Bassenthwaite Lake past Skiddaw. From here I was soon back at Rakefoot from where I retraced my steps.

With Tim and Jane. Coing back from Scotland after my mother's 90th birthday, I interrupted my journey south to catch up with old friends and we went for a stroll up here. It is only a stroll but, hey, it's a Marilyn. We parked by the cattle grid on the B6362, plodded up - 90m of ascent over about a kilometre - and plodded down again. After we got back to the road we wandered up to Burgess' Cairn on the other side and along Brown Rig for a bit.

With Carl and Jess. We found this walk on walkingworld.com where it had been contributed by one William Tulip. Not having a 1.25,000 map with us we were pretty reliant on his instructions. We parked on Fairfax Road, crossed the canal at Five Rise Locks and walked along it to the footbridge over the Fred Hoyle Way. Over the river then up Ireland Terrace past the Brown Cow pub and steeply uphill to meet and follow Altar Lane along the high ground to meet Keighley Road which we crossed to follow the continuing track. A track goes off diagonally left to approach Hethers Glan Farm. We took this but when it turns left again towards the farm we took and unsignposted footpath across horsy (it is all rather horsy round here) fields to a crossroad of tracks at the NE end of Cradle Edge. We then took the track along Cradle Edge which let to another crossroads where we headed downhill following the Bingley Road towards Haworth. We didn’t follow this for long however taking a track right towards Ashcroft Farm. This turned into a path that led steeply downhill nearly reaching aroad when we turned left and followed another path to the edge of Haworth at Barcroft. Crossing the A629 we followed a track up onto Sugden Brow where we crossed Brow Top Road and carried on over a moor to meet another road. We turned left and followed this until we reached the entrance to a caravan park on our left.  The track here led us out onto Black Moor and down onto a road where we turned left to follow it to meet the A629. According to Mr Tulip there was once a pub here. There isn’t now.

Across this and down the B6429 a very short way to find a footpath signposted off to the left which led us to meet yet another road on the edge of Cullingworth. Here we took a short detour into the middle of the village to find some refreshments at the Fleece Inn. Retracing our steps back to the village edge we headed down Hallas Lane to a footbridge just after which we took a left onto a path following the east back of the river through Goitstock Wood which took us past the rather fine Goit Stock Waterfall then on down a lane to the Malt Shovel where we decided to have a little more refreshment. Heading south from here down the road there is a footpath marked off to the left which we took. Navigation needed a little care hereabouts. The way goes along the footpath that heads north of Bank Top Farm through Ruin Back Wood. It is marked on the map as a path but not as a right of way. Look for a hole in a wall then another hole in another wall is my top tip. The path passes the interesting St David’s Folly before a path off to the left leads down to and across the golf course.  This is close to home. A right and a left brought us to Myrtle Park. Heading north from here along Main Street we decided to investigate the Shama Indian restaurant. This proved a very good idea. I ordered the Balti Murgh Hydrabady which was extremely tasty.

With Martin, Tommy and Joe. Walk 31 of Paddy Dillon’s nice Cicerone guide to the North York Moors is a ribbon walk from Blakey Ridge to Battersby Junction. As we had two cars, it seemed we might as well take advantage and do a ribbon. We met up at Battersby Junction. The empty station carpark had a sign saying only for passengers so we parked my car in the main – OK the only - street outside a house with a dog in it who got very agitated by my presence outside his window while I transferred self and key belongings to Martin’s car which he drove  over Westerdale to the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge. It had been dry a long time and the fords which can make this road exciting in certain conditions were all bone dry. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the Inn was busy with early lunch customers. We couldn’t resist joining them ordering some light and rather tasty things to eat. We then moved the car to the car park a little to the south where a road branches off down toward Farndale. Just here at the junction a track goes off northwest through a gate. This walk is fabulously simple to describe. You follow this track, an old railway line, all the way to Battersby. So we did. It is a great walk. First it winds over the moors for a few miles. Over Dale Head and Milled Head to Bloworth Crossing. It was a beautiful day and there were wonderful views down into and over Farndale.

Eventually we reached the incline down Greenhow Bank. Just before we got to this we met someone coming the other way by bike. We were quite impressed when we saw what he had just climbed. It is a fierce, unrelentingly steep – about 1:5 according to Dillon – climb of around 800 ft down (for us, up for him) a long gravelly track. The view changes here and is dominated by Urra Moor, Hasty Bank and the great flat plain that stretches away north of here towards Teesside.  At the bottom of the incline the path flattens out again and easily follows the edge of the woods as far as Bank Foot from where a very short road walk returned us all to where we had left my car which I now made use of to return Martin and the boys to theirs and so home.

Parked on Black Hill. Followed the fence and a faint path till the fence turned left. After thatg a short walk over rough ground to the tiny cairn. Another not very challening day. Another Nuttall.