i arrived at the parking area above Underscar Manor at 08:15 to find that there was all ready a lot more cars there than i expected the temperature gauge in the car was -2 . i geared up and set of for Skiddaw the walk up the first steep lower section was calm no wind and the sun just coming up over Great Dodd
across to Grisedale Pike Eel Crag and Grasmoor
Keswick and Derwent Water with a little mist on it
on reaching the gate below Little Man i was now right in the teeth of a strong biting cold wind but the path levels at this point so it was time to open up the legs and get a move on
the summit comes into view with one guy all ready on the top i had passed a man with a small rucksack and 3 females in what looked like ordinary dress coats and pom-pom hats
i was on the top at 09:45 well ahead of the time i had planned so took some photos, this one is looking over Bassenthwaite Lake and out to the west coast
over Mungrisedale Common to the Pennines
over the Solway to Scotland
i took out the anemometer and measured the wind speed at 20 MPH and wind chill -8 so i put on another fleece and my mountain equip duvet type jacket balaclava 2 pairs of woolen gloves and settled down in one of the little stone shelters at 10:00 i made 14 contacts one a s2s with andy G8CPZ/P on ldo-020 after 30 minutes of activating i was shivering quite bad my mouth and brain were no longer communicating with each other i could not remember my own call sign at on point the display on the ft25 had fogged up so it was time to move on
on the way down to Little Man i got ANDY G8CPZ/P this time on ldo-008 . on going up Little Man the path was quite icy because the sun had not yet gotten round so care was needed going up but worse was yet to come the dreaded gremlins decided to strike
i set up the antenna on the roach pole and called CQ i could hear several stations calling my 59 plus
but my transmission was breaking up to them and made exchanging signal reports difficult so thank you all for persevering with me .all sorts of ideas were being put forward as to the problem but i think it was down to the freezing conditions it was killing the battery
looking back at Skiddaw Little Man and now a steady stream of people going up
for the walk over to Lonscale Fell i put the radio inside my coat to warm up
Lonscale Fell about a mile away with Blencathra behind
the summit of Lonscale Fell looking across to Little Mann Skiddaw and Bakestall
the radio was now working ok and i got Geoff G4WHA/M in Carlisle or should i say he was getting me ok along with Derek 2E0MIX Mike 2E0IKM and Peter GM3VMB
this photo of Great Calva is for Geoff when we did it a few weeks back the conditions were very different
Blencathra looks different from this side and not the usual saddle
Thirlmere and Helvellyn
on the way down i left the rucksack in the car and took the ft25 plus RH770 antenna and had a quick gallop up Latrigg and only got one contact with Mike2E0IKM. has i had to get back to pick up AMILEA from school
i had hoped to get ANDY on more of the outer Wainwrights that i can’t get from home but you soon learn not every thing goes to plan activating of the hills especially this time of the year
thank to all chasers
