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.

This was a simple, easy walk. I parked at Vair Bridge and followed the well signposted Southern Uplands Way to the top then came down the same way. It was a wonderful late spring day. Horseshoe vetch. Meadow Cranesbill. Bugle. Wonderful flowers everywhere.

Started between Allenheads and Cowshill at the top of the B6295 where there is a big potholed car park. An easy bag from here. Follow fence to tiny summit cairn. To make it a bit more of a thing, I followed the fence a biot further to the trig point. Then retraced my steps. Thick weather. Not much to see. If done by itself one of the easiest Nuttalls.

There is a place to park at the top of the Fell Road. So I parked there. A path leads easily up onto0 the top of Stoneside Hill. Next target: Stoupdale Head. In the first instance this entailed crossing the low ground around Black Dub which was very boggy and unpleasant. But eventually it was just a case of following a fence nearly to the top where a short walk to the south leads to the tiny cairn. There followed a heavenly stroll in what was perfect spring weather to the top of Black Combe where I sat about and took in the oh my goodness what a view. More or less retraced my steps back but didn't bother to reascend Stoneside Hill.

I parked in the National Trust car park at the top  of the Lake and headed straight up Lingmell. It’s a bit of a slog. It would be nice to be fitter. Eventually I got there and had a pleasant collapse for a bit. I set off again at first down the path towards Scafell Pike but veering left after a while with a view to picking up the Corridor Route near the top of Piers Ghyll. This bothered someone a bit. “OI! YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” I heard someone shout. After a minute or so, once again, “YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” from some chap who had passed me about halfway down to the col. The third time I was in no more doubt that this what directed at me and the fellow was convinced it was a LAW that everyone going this way was on the way up Scafell Pike and all the other paths scattered around the place going off in other directions were just for decoration. I am sure he meant well but really… Anyway I shouted back something hopefuly reassuring and he desisted. Just below the Corridor Route I met a large party of very friendly folk who were also going the wrong way. And so on across the top of Piers Ghyll were the rock scenery looking down it is really very impressive indeed. Middleboot Knotts was the next target, one of the few Nuttalls that is not a Wainwright and so spectacularly dwarfed by its neighbours that is seems a bit surprising it is anything. But the view from the top, especially of the eastern crags of Lingmell is pretty special.

From here I went back to the Corridor Route and followed it as far as the foot of Greta Gill which I used to get access, easily enough, to Round Howe, another non-Wainwright Nuttall dwarfed by its surroundings. ASfter that another bit of strenuous exercise as I made my way the rest of the way up Greta Gill to the col between Ill Crag and Great End, steep but perfectly easy. The top of Great End is bog and flat so I wandered round it a bit to be sure of visiting the top. Next I took the good path leading to Scafell Pike. Only a few daft peak collectors bother to collect Ill Crag and Broad Crag so the path by-passes both and detours were required, first to massive slag heap that is the top of Ill Crag and then a short but awkward ay across the mass of huge boulders that make the top of Broad Crag. From the col after Broad Crag it is a bit of a steep pull up to the summit plateau of Scafell. At this point the route described in the Nuttall guide carries tirelessly on to Scafell and Symonds Knott. But ‘tireless’ was not an accurate description of me by this time so I just headed straight back down the Brown Tongue path to the lakeside and my car now almost alone in the once crowded carpark.
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I parked in Keld opposite the Countryside and Heritage Centre or, to give it its much classier older name, the Literary Institute. At the bottom of the hill past the church where there is a car park on the left there is a track off to the right that leads to left run down to a bridge over the river. From here quite a steep climb up leads to East Stonesdale Farm. After passing the farm the way forks. Right is the Pennine Way and my outward route, left the way I would return. On uphill to pass Frith Lodge then gently downhill to cross Lad Gill, then uphill again over Stonesdale Moor to the Tan Hill Inn with great views west along the way to Nine Standards Rigg and South to Great Shunner Fell.

From Tan Hill I followed the tarred road back towards Keld for about 300m to where a footpath set off to the right signposted to Ravenseat. This makes for extremely pleasant walking up to and over Stonesdale Beck then along the side of the dramatic gash of Thomas Gill, left at a signpost along Thomas Gill Ridge and over Robert’s Seat (visiting the top of this was a short detour from the path). The path now crosses the fence and heads swiftly down to Ravenseat Farm. Just before the river crossing, there is a permissive path off over a field to the left that bypasses the farm policies. I took it and was soon past the farm making my way down Whitsun Dale. The path became a track and led to a bridge joining the B6270 but, just before the bridge a footpath heads off left that keeps one’s feet off tarmac. It leads to the road heading north to Tan Hill which I crossed and then continued along the access track to East Stonesdale Farm to rejoin my outward route.