Winter Bites Back! Freezing Subzero Wildcamp Lake District.

We're just off this summit which is right back here. We're back at Lakes this week in the Wythburn area. Through the forest at the back of Wythburn church parking which is right back here. It's been a while since I've parked here but there's no more ticket machine there. There used to be but for a long time it was broken so you couldn't even get a ticket when It was there anyway but they took it out now so Wythburn church parking, No more ticket machines unless they're going to put a new one in. So, hi, we're making his way up here and I'm out of breath because it's a little steep pull this straight out at the parking lot up onto the track, the forestry track that heads along then We're going up Reysbeck up to Grisedale town and then I got a I still go along with the theme every time I come to the lakes I want to try and So at Grisedale town if we take a left up to Dollywagon that's a wainwright I haven't camped on. I haven't camped on Wainwright but I kind of have a spot in mind on Seat Sandal. But do it from Grasmere side so we might be going up Dollywagon Pike See if we can find a nice spot on there somewhere. I came down here the other week when I met a few friends up on I came down that route parked at Swells parking lot I walked back along this track along here. Now that we're back to Swells parking lot, it's, uh, I bet it's two miles. I bought a load of frog spawn in this A little run off outside the track right here there's like a little there's a little uh I don't know That's little bits of water running down here from the hillside into this little The ditch inside here that you can see it's got clear water running through it absolutely full of frogs First signs of spring, huh? So weather wise for today winds 15 to 18 We're supposed to be at a mile an hour and according to Mountain and MWIS we're supposed to be having There's a little bit of precipitation in here I can feel a few spits on But there's certainly no snow and I haven't seen any on top but the evidence on it is supposed to It's early tomorrow morning. It's saying so. With an 80% chance that every snow shower Tomorrow morning, so as always we'll see if that comes to fruition or not. But as you can see in the minute I mean looking direction up to when it's coming to the west It looks pretty moldy over there but then if we look over this way it's pretty bright it's pretty Nice day actually it's quite mild at minute about four or five degrees but up on top of the Temperatures overnight for Elvellen have dropped to minus four. And obviously with that 18-20 miles an hour wind the wind chill It feels like it's down to about minus 10 I think so it's going to be chilly up there I have a full winter kit with me regarding clothes and that. I haven't brought me there's no need for high socks or crampons or something like that I've got my Micro spikes with me as always I'll just carry them until we start getting to kind of end of March time and risk of any ice and that's past but yeah we're just approaching the bottom end of Reyes bet now we'll cross over the other side the better path is off up the right hand side Getting over this is no small feat either. And there's no obvious way across it as you can see it's quite it's white water so It's pretty fast flowing and you just have to kind of meander around and try and find a decent But this rock and all when it's wet it has like a black moss on it and it's like It's really slippery so I'm going to try and find a spot to get across a safe spot and I'll We're right across the street. Just this little bit here this must work to narrow this part just here I managed to walk across that without any problems. There's just need to get on to the top of here. It's littered because we're a little further up here now get through and it gaps it well Reyes, I bet you can hear me a little. There's a lot of amazing waterfalls coming up here. This big one. As you can see obviously this is heartlake for Grisedale Tarn at the top but walking up here Lots of little punch pools you know it's summer and it's red hot Nice little bearings there. Fresh up whether you're coming up or coming down. I'll tell you. You'd be a cracking walk day walk I've done it I did it in winter a couple of years ago So you park at Whiffen Church where I parked you come up Reyes Bet to Grisedale Tarn Then you go up Dollywagon Pike across to Nethermorsk, Elvellen if you want to Obviously about a little peak at walk high point at walk and then you cut back and come down Berkside which takes you straight back down to Whiffen Church parking that would be a crack Day walk at some of that and coming down Berkside there are some little cascades and Waterfalls down here for you too you know but yeah all the way around come back down here Nice hot summer's day getting one of these these punch pools brilliant yeah it's uh It's cracking looking at this lot coming up here I really like coming up this route this Reyes I'll keep going. Not much further. Top of the ridge. And then we'll head off up Dollywagon Pike so this is another series of those cascades or Just there cracking little punch pool here It's freezing this time of year. It's summer. down there if you've had a big day on the fells in the middle of summer when it's red hot Absolutely beautiful to cool off in one of these all right then we've uh sort of topped out We've got it flat going now we've got the climbing out of the way This is Seat Sandal behind us looking up to Fairfield and obviously this is Dollywagon Pike up here at uh Fairfield looks like it's got some clog on it there we'll get a little bit Follow the source of this outlet from Tarn and obviously I need to collect water so We'll get a little further so to jet did you hear that didn't see it but I heard it Yeah yeah yeah filter water we'll get a little further on and then uh filter some water And then we'll make a decision. I'm still sticking with the plan to go up Dollywagon Pike. It might change it I don't know we'll we'll see let's get up here fill some water first and Then I'll have a look all right then we've reached Grisedale Tarn and I've kind of dropped a I'm a little bit of a boob I've kind of totally lost my mind like I usually do when I walk and look And totally forgot about me. No water on that. So we've reached Grisedale Tarn and that. That bit raised back into the outlet from Grisedale Tarn it's a lot lower down than I thought it was But we've wandered away from the kind of feeds for raised back so I'll walk along this top path I'm gonna go up here and see if I can find a decent water source. I don't really want to go down there. I'll have to do it, but we'll see if we can find some water up here. It's currently half past three, so plenty of time for sunset. I think so much time a little bit of a drag zigzag path to get up Dollywagon but it's not too strenuous it's what it's right I'm gonna See if I can find some water. Well, I found a little spring here that's not marked. Mark it off it's a little further up just there I don't know if you can hear that just I'm gonna get my water here I'm gonna get my pack off get some uh get some water filtered Pull your head up there all right three liters of water filtered let's crack on now follow this path Get to the bottom of the zigzag path for Dollywagon and then we'll get off up there Right we're on the path to Dollywagon now a bit of a stone staircase let the climb begin Okay, Dollywagon Pike 858 meters not much of a summit on here it's just like a bit of a There's a little bit lower down here. This is tongue heart. Cairn just back there follows round up on Nethermores Pike up there that's Nethermores Pike and then of course Elvellen up there so I'm gonna have a little bit of a look around I've checked the forecast again and through tonight tomorrow morning the Wind is forecast to be a southwesterly at the minute it is due to switch to a northeastern So I'm gonna take that into consideration and see if I can find a spot that kind of gives me Some reasonable shelter with that wind change direction in mind as well because it is due to Now up to 40 miles an hour gusts about nine tomorrow morning it suddenly goes for some reason It gets a lot worse. I just noticed as well. I don't know if you'll make it out on GoPro. But does anyone recognize that little tarn on the hillside there hard tarn I'm just Looking at that as well when I when I camped there back end of last year September time I climbed from hard tarn straight up face of that looking at that from here you wouldn't think that That looks bloody steep from here. That's the route I took off. I'm going to do that with that in mind. Looking at that thinking yeah there's no chance but I did I did it and I know there's some that's Come down from above and all down to that which by Christ I will not want to be doing that either I'm gonna find a spot and I'll come back to you in a little while when I've found somewhere right I might end up going you know finding another spot somewhere else But in this general area that's like I say Dollywagon Pike this will be another away and I'll pick you up in a minute when I have if I find a spot All right, well, I just had a little walk out on this tongue. They actually call this the tongue. You can actually come up from guysdale valley side up the tongue and up here So it's there's a couple of potential spots right here but that's like I've just been saying The wind direction is due it's a south so it's a southwest at minute so Obviously we're looking straight north here straight to El Valley south behind us so It's coming southwest. It's coming this way. So it's due to turn south. To the south, east by tomorrow morning, it's gonna be east. It's gonna be 40 miles. An hour of winds at nine in the morning so if I camp on this ridge here I'm exposed straight I'll take a little walk around like I said. I'll find a place to crash and I'll bring you back. Hopefully we can find a place to crash. I can take a little wind tonight a little of this southern This southwest it's only kind of going to be 18 20 miles an hour and obviously like I said If we're on this side by tomorrow morning we're going to get them 35-40 miles an hour east. So we'll have a look we'll keep looking We found a spot and as you can tell it's gotten a little rough We're just off this southern which is just back over here Oh, as I was saying, just as I was starting to pitch the tent, I could see that weather front. Coming in so we've had a little bit of hail here like snowy type hail and of course winds I got up a lot with that as well that come in it come in really fast that being a matter of about I just threw my bag in and jumped straight. Yeah, that's coming pretty fast right. I'm gonna get out of here. Get my gear sorted. It's five to five now. Like I was saying earlier. Well, about five to six, so it's a good one. I could afford that. Hopefully, it might calm down a little. A little it's supposed to do but as we as we very full well know that uh what the weather The forecast is that it's not always true what you get on the top so I will uh it's what it is Hi I'll fix you back in a short while a little later on when I'm all set up All right, then it's twenty past five. Finally got everything out. Got my bag out. I just need to put on my guard bottoms but I've changed my top me I've got my stove set up, got some water in there boiling at the minute, ready for... A brew has a coffee bag in there ready to go I've hunted sky watch just on to guy line just out there and once when I when I got set up I just Zip this door down from the top stuck my head out I think we got something like an eye The eye goes to 32 miles an hour and uh I think the temperature was something like minus two And I think it was minus 10.9 or something like that in windchill at that height in that eye August it's averaging around minus six minus seven but in that eye August I think it was 52 miles an hour uh yeah about 10 minus 10.9 or something like that I think it got to windchill It's bloody bitter I tell you what this uh I think this is the worst wind I've had this I threw it head-head-and-head-head end into the wind and it's uh It's solid. It's doing really well. There's no flapping. Business shedding wind so yeah pretty happy with that it's quite a strong little shelter this I'm gonna settle down and hopefully this wind resides a little later I might be able to get out there like I was saying earlier on I think sunset is about five To six and see if we can see any color it's sky out hopefully this cloud clears and like I said The wind drops a little. Fingers crossed. I'll catch up with you in a little while. I've got my uh sentry bottoms on and my down down leggings on So now I'm all cozy It's bitter out here Bitter this cloud keeps coming in and out It's blue sky above us I don't know if you'll make it out just look there so it was supposed Our visibility was supposed to be good until about 8: 00 tonight. But like I said, it's what it is in the mountains, isn't it? So yeah. Earlier on the uh summit uh dolly wagon pike is just there so this is campton this is still Dolly Wagon Pike Summit's just here like I was saying I'll show you our tent it's dealing with These winds pretty well say we got kind of 20-25 miles an hour winds I got like a 32 miles an hour high gust so it's it's barely moving that absolutely solid Hey, I got a nice warm brew in there. I'm gonna dive back in. I want to. I'm gonna get back in there now and get That nice warm brew right well it's knocking on a bit now it's uh ten past eight just got I just nipped outside we got some snow earlier on about an hour ago it's like that Polystyrene stuff if you know what I mean like it's like ale it's like ale stroke snow it's like It's them when you look at it on the ground it's like those polystyrene ball things so we got I got a boatload of that coming through. It made a right racket on the tent. It was deafening. That's uh that's calmed down so let's put a coating of that down winds have dropped off a A little like I said I just nipped outside uh and we got kind of 18-20 miles an hour winds Current temperatures are minus three and we're still getting below minus 10 wind chill in that Wind we've got a coating of frost on there I don't know if you can see through there We got frost all over it inside it fly so yeah it's a cold one so don't be long before I'm I'm getting my tea once I've had that brew and uh oh a little bit I've got a little information for you as well Um tent wise obviously as you all know I'm really enjoying using this Chinook at the minute So you've seen the last of the Voyager the Terranova Voyager and the Trailstar has moved On to the pastures again as well obviously the Voyager this this has replaced the Voyager I love using it, but I haven't used it in so long. So it was a shame for it to be sitting on the shelf I'm one of those that I don't like having your sat Uh you know multiple tents not being used I'd rather move it on I'll let it go for a Fair price and someone else will get joy out of using it. It's such a big footprint you really have to be mindful of. Where you're going when you take that out and obviously I got the inside for it as well But one thing I found using that inner the mesh inner I'm six foot one and laid I was so uh because it's such a kind of sloping side on it my feet were touching And my head was touching so it kind of didn't put me off but it was a slight inconvenience if you I don't know I did like it I really enjoyed using it cracking shelter lightweight but I said you just had to kind of be mindful of where you were going out and where you were I'm gonna pitch that you really need a pretty nice flat open area so yeah that's two shelters I've got another one coming. I'm not gonna tell you what it is. Until it makes its debut it's going to take a couple of weeks to come so that might give you I have no idea where it's coming from, but yeah, it's gonna be more of a three-season shelter. That's definitely very very lightweight we'll put it that way so yeah you'll have to Wait for that one. It'll be a few weeks before it comes like I said. And yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I've been looking into it for a while and I I thought to myself I really like that so yeah that's about it for now like I said I'll be Finishing this stream getting my tea out go once all that hard at work I'll be seeing what time It is and probably getting my head down and seeing what kind of night it brings see if this wind Change of direction, see if we get any of this heavy snow forecasted through the night and tomorrow. And we'll see what tomorrow morning brings so yeah I'll probably catch you just Before I'm ready to hit the pillar I'm gonna sleep catch you in a bit the usual nice cup of Hot mint chocolate there it's one minute past 11 I've got a couple of well I've had a bag of I've been watching a little bit of YouTube and I've got a couple of sightings to have before I Quick update before I go to bed. I just got back from the outside. The winds are coming and going a little bit of snow coming in and going out I bet there's about a Inches of snow down there's a tent completely covered in frost as well as you know inside And outside or guy lines and poles I bet there's about a good inch of uh kind of rhyme ice on it You know the wind blown ice that sticks to stuff that's it's absolutely covered in it so it's It was very cold out there so I snuck out took a leak and jumped right back in here so yeah I said a little hot chocolate like a couple of sawings and I think that'll be about it for I'll catch you this morning. Good morning. It's 20 to 7. Five past ten past seven or something like that but I've been up about 20 minutes The light was illuminating the tent obviously being orange and just look at that my feet made that The other day obviously when I was saying last night that change of wind direction it is coming Southeast so it's hitting this side it takes it's certainly not the 40 miles an hour But that's due to get up about nine o'clock I think and there's some snow during that nine As you can see it's snowed overnight put a dust down there's about half an inch I was just gonna get out of the tent and show you that I just... Just look at that covering sky the sun's due up there in about I don't know 20 minutes or so Just look at that. Absolutely magical. Isn't it? It's bitterly freezing. Look how thick this windblown rim ice is on to the poles look how thick that is it's minus 2.8 And in that wind it's going down to minus 12 at wind chill I think it might have even hit minus 13 at one point but with wind coming this way on poles on that side it's been blowing that rhyme Ice that wind blown ice off those poles and I heard it scraping down tent at one bit I don't You know what time it was and I just turned around and wrapped myself back up in that sleeping bag nice and Oh warm look at that look at the color of the sky there like I say old time GoPros never do it That's amazing. That's absolutely amazing. I'm going to get myself a brew on. And take rest from that morning sky because that is absolutely amazing Winter morning skies there absolutely beautiful wow so we're just having a little walk up to the This is the summit of Dollywagon's tent on it right there about 150 meters Dollywagon's 8.58 look at that I'll tell you what it's minus I think it well I just checked My skywatch is all frozen. It's thick with ice and rim. The propeller is frozen so it's not even going round so I think the wind speeds at maybe 20 miles an hour no more than 25 gusts it's absolutely freezing I've got all the right gear on I'm warm I'm cozy I'm toasty I'm up here doing this and you get to see things like this Oh my word look at that what a day what a morning to be at the mountains oh my word look at that Oh I say it over and over again don't I I'm like a kid in a sweet shop and stuff like this It's absolutely amazing looking over at uh Dethermors Pike Hellvelling It's just, oh, it's amazing, absolutely amazing. Wow, wow, wow, wow. I think I'm going to go and get some. I'm just sitting there on that little ledge there. What a cracking spot that is. Look at that sun coming up. Incredible. And it's supposed to be pretty nice until about nine o'clock but then after that 10 o'clock Then the winds do get up to 40 miles an hour gusts and there's some heavy snow due in So I think what I'm gonna do is get some breakfast a brew maybe a brew or two start Getting packed up and getting off at the mountain for the uh visibility because from I say If the visibility drops at 10 o'clock, we'll get off before that happens. But whatever it is like this I'll make the most of it Let's look at that brew time I was just about to tell you I just got my center brew on but just as I was setting up the camera That wind that wind is getting up as well by the way yeah just as I was setting up camera I tipped a full pot of coffee all flowing so now I'm making another one 20 to 8 now so yeah when I get this other brew I got a couple of breakfast bars As I just said that uh that wind that wind is really getting up now although it's an eastern Wind as well uh if you look to the east it's blue sky some nice cloud but looking over to the west It's looking pretty moody as it is if to kind of suggest there's some snow That snow that's coming in about between nine and ten o'clock that looks like that could I don't know, we'll see about that. I'm hoping to be kind of getting packed up after this brew. I'll sort it in between uh past eight and nine o'clock for uh being packed up and getting Get off we'll uh we'll see how that goes so yeah re-boil the kettle let me send another brew Or first brew in the morning let's see if I can't spill it all right we'll try again water boil water Try not to uh on coffee bag knock it over this time and it it's actually lasting Yeah, I'm gonna let that brew brew for a minute or so and then I might take that outside with me. Enjoy it lost it uh I want to say lost it views and enjoy the views before I start packing Enjoy that rest of that morning I think so yeah let that brew and get outside for a bit Cheers did knock this one over a fantastic morning a lot different once uh once that Sunset or sunset sun rises up into the sky we will lose that color that color we had this morning I've been almost like a perfect morning. Dusting the snow down icy sunrise I'm gonna get this puddle right because the wind is blowing it about blowing it all over Right well that's me one and only morning brew sumped right that uh that wind it's supposed I'm trying to increase it or it feels like it does intention or it has done but then I come out And it seems to have dropped a little bit It wouldn't be the first time forecasters I got it Ah so we got a couple of other wine-makers that I got to camp on see at Sandhill behind me There's a set of Sunday Crab right there I've got them two to camp on I don't know if I was saying last night My plan going forward I've mentioned it before is to every time I come to the lakes try and head up a different route a new route and camp on a wainwright that I haven't camped on So along this Helvellyn range now I've camped on Dollywagon I've camped on Nethermost Helvellyn I've camped on Stybarrow I keep forgetting which one is the Wainwright Reyes or Whiteside I can't remember if they're both winemakers then I'll have to check that out But I haven't camped on either of them. I've camped on Stybarrow. I haven't camped on Watson Dodd. Great Dodd and I have camped on Cluffhead so depending on whether Whiteside and Reyes are both I don't remember. I got about three or four wine-makers along this. Helvellyn range to tick off see at Sandhill and set Sunday Crag that's see at Sandhill there This is at Sandhill Fairfield set Sunday Crag I've camped on Fairfield What a morning this has been. What a morning right. We're gonna jump back in the tent now. We're packing up and we'll get off before this... uh, heavy snow forecast 40 miles an hour. The winds arrive time to de-ice the tent defrost it see these uh these lines look like they're I'll show you on this one round here they look like they're bagging lines as if as if they are loose but look how thick that is as soon as you break that ice As soon as you break the ice off tightening back up so it's it's literally with weight That rim of ice that wind blown ice that's sagging lines down look how thick that is on there Look how thick that is so what's that about an inch in it surreal I was saying earlier on I was in this moor earlier I don't know what time it was because I didn't look but Wind obviously changing direction it was blowing some of this off and scraping dark tent I knew I knew what it was like but like I said I didn't check what time it was earlier I was There's enough at Gavid we'll jump in here and start packing all right that's it We're all packed. I've got my bags packed. I've got my boots on. I just need to get out now get this tent dropped pack that up and we'll head off I think I'm I'm not going back down Reyes Betway I'm going down the route which I We were on about when we were on our way up yesterday I'm going to drop down to this Lower path you kind of head over to Nethermores Pike a little bit and then pick that Berkside I think it was Berkside path up it drops down drops back down to that forestry track and Then we just drop down that lower path through that little bit of lower forest and straight back into Wythburn church parking lot from there so it saves us going back down Reyes Betway and walking back along to the bottom then so yeah that's the route we'll take so yeah we'll jump out now Get this tent dropped pack up and we're off right and we're packed I'm back That's where I'm at. You know the squatterweed. No trace. Other than in this instance of Humphrey away in Templar that's been a cracking morning like These winds have picked up now I think when I was checking the tent down there was a cracking It must have been a 45-50 miles an hour gust came from right let's get out but it gets Any worse than I said we'll go back over to Nethermore Pike way and then drop down that Berkside path drop start hillside down through the forest back to Wythburn church parking That's the route we're taking. Let's go right. Then we're on this lower path looking back. Well you can't see it now but like I was saying back up there you kind of head back over towards Nethermores Pike and there's a lower path that picks you up so you go across and then you switch I don't know if you can wind the path out here. This is Berkside below us. I just had to put on glasses up there and all I might be able to do is take them off now but Just at the top end there as well coming across and starting to cook down here Obviously the wind is coming off at the top and whipping spin drift up it was going straight in my eyes So pop these on like I said I might be able to take them off now it's uh it's not too bad So it got pretty bad there that spin drift for a few minutes or so I'm glad I always Get these in winter and ground as well it's really quite frozen there's a little wet The melted snow is from last snowfall where where is where is where is water not melted away All that's iced really solid then there's this fresh uh dust and a snow top on it And it's rather icy underfoot or stones you know stones in the path are all It's pretty hard and compact and uh slippery as well so I've got my spikes on me but I don't think I'll I don't think it would be worth it to put them on just be a little careful as we make I think I'm gonna take these glasses off. That spin drift uh stop blowing about now all right then we're on the kind of lower side of Birkside where the cliffs are we've reached the uh stone staircase as I'm uh looking at it it's been It's pretty similar. There's water on it. Obviously, it's frozen. I'm really careful going down here not my paws on me and that really it's certainly warmed up now now Without a twist of that wind there's only a little gust coming through I think I'm definitely I think I can take my gloves off and my snow dry my neck or something like that I'm Definitely warming up so yeah we'll carry on down this stone staircase because we're off down into The bottom down into the forest steady as we go if it gets any worse if it starts getting any Thicker ice on the pass I'll have to uh I'll have to put my micro spikes on don't want to be slipping I'm looking at a lovely view. I've come down this. route probably about four or five times now but I've never come up with it I always kind of like to You're walking straight down into that view. It's a beautiful view. Right here let's crack on down there down here be careful all right then we're not far from hitting Forest only about another five minutes down this track down this path and you can see forestry track just down there if you can see it you cross over that down at the bottom and then it's literally Two minutes walk down then into Wythburn church parking so well we got that fantastic view I'm going to wrap this one up I hope you've enjoyed that one that's I've been a total belt of that I've loved that this morning one of those mornings that you kind of sacrifice that little bit of wind or you put it with that little bit of wind that we had this morning I hope you enjoyed the view. Watching anyway so yeah I'll wrap it up here thanks for watching as always stay safe out there And I'll catch up next time and leave you with that view.