OLD COVES LINK UP
Loch Trimmingham is an Old Cove. No-one can deny it. (or face ructions). And so I was extremely happy when Loch agreed to Link up with me for a drive over to the Lake District. The same term could not be applied to our delightful Irannienne; however Marjan and I have shared a good number of hill days... so here was another happy one. We filled up the car with Nathan and Lea (but as their combined age is less than one third that of we Principal Coves, they are not entitled to be dragged into this).
Anyway, with the Coves linked up, where better to head than Link Cove Beck. As the cognoscenti will be aware, this is a Grade 2 scramble (also a winter route) which clambers up the end of Deepdale.
Slabs, chasm, trees, ribs, and waterfalls provide an entertaining variety of obstacles.
On a hot summer Sunday, we saw just one other person on these scrambles.
A short grassy walk leads to the bottom of the slabs of Greenhow end … a spur running out from Fairfield. Easy grippy rock, make your way anywhere selecting bits to your taste.
A panorama of Lakes and the glittering waters of Morecambe Bay greeted us as we crested the top of Fairfield. Our way home lay over Hart Fell and along the ridge of Hartsop above Howe.
On the way, we decided to swap COVE for CAVE, and went to have a peep into the Priests Hole. This 8-sleeper cave is a huge letterbox in the cliff above Dovedale. A short easy scramble gains access, but remain always aware of the huge vertical drop to the left !!
NB if you go looking for it, and cannot make out a large red arrow in the sky, look for a steppy section of path coming up from the valley, and a large erratic block. (A rock block, not one of us, that is.
ANDREW E
Excellent and amusing report – as always.
Very good to get out on a proper hill day as opposed to just cragging. Loch