The wind increased considerably overnight and just after midnight I
was getting concerned about the guy lines. I went out for a quick
look and all was OK though it was very noisy in the tent. I managed
to get back to sleep but the tent was still being battered at first
light. As this is my last day I decided to skip breakfast and head
down as the walk wasn’t far and I could get some food at the car.
Packing the tent away in the wind and rain was far from
straightforward as I had to keep my weight on it at all times or it
would have blown away. It was still thick mist and rain as I set off
but I wasn’t too bothered about finding the route as I was heading
the same way as I did yesterday afternoon on my way to get water at
Hind Gill.
A very windy camp 2
I soon reached Hind Gill which had quite a bit of water flowing but
not deep enough to stop me hopping over. On the far side I reached
the location of the path but there was nothing to see on the ground.
The first part of the descent wasn’t too steep and the ground was
easy. As a faint path started to emerge the gradient steepened and I
had to be very careful on the loose gravely surface and running
water.
A wet path on the descent
Some colour near the valley bottom
Seathwaite - officially the wettest place in England
Seathwaite cottages
I dropped below the cloud level and was
disappointed to see I still had a long way to descend. The final
part of the descent was on very wet grass and always the potential
to slip. I reached the wooden footbridge on the main track and
headed back towards Seathwaite. Through the farmyard I turned in to
the field where the tents and parked cars were. The farmer Peter
Edmondson was there with another man who could have been his son. I
stopped for a brief chat then walked back to my car and some dry
clothes.
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Whittle Wanderer
