JOAN and TED JOHNSON'S WEB PAGES
| Walking is our favourite hobby and we love the Lake District so this page has lots of pictures showing Lake District scenery, as well as links to other interesting sites about this beautiful part of the countryside. Here are the Scafells taken from Yewbarrow. We are trying to visit all the "Wainwrights" - the mountains over 1000 feet, as described by A.W. Wainwright in his seven pictorial guides. More about these. | |
12 October 2002. OUR BIG DAY dawned - can't say it was bright and sunny but it could have been much worse. Ten of us - Helen, Keith, Kate, Sheila, Noreen, Jim, Joyce, and Jackie set off with us to climb our 214th Wainwright. We had saved Fleetwith Pike for the champagne celebration. A further celebration followed at Innominate Tarn where we paid our respects to AW before reaching the summit of Haystacks which had been our first Wainwright. Little did Noreen and Jim know then (July 1991) what they had started when they lent us boots and encouraged us to try walking.
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| The Place | The View | The Celebration |
June 2002. We enjoyed a wonderful long weekend in Keswick - staying at High Hill Farm. We've stayed here several times before and it is excellent Bed and Breakfast accommodation. We met up with Brian and Jan - see Diary and climbed Orrest Head. We spent the next three days walking "Back 0'Skiddaw" and finished the Wainwright Northern fells. There is just one Wainwright to go - Fleetwith Pike - watch this space. Hoowever we have other places to see first. We went to the tops of both Blencathra and Skiddaw but sadly didn't see anything from either. The evenings were lovely and it was nice to be able to walk to Friar's Crag after our meal and just sit and admire the view.
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| Sharp Edge above Scales Tarn | The Moot Hall, Keswick | |
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| View of Causey Pike from Friar's Crag | Catbells and Derwentwater |
April 2002. We spent a few days at Elm House in Pooley bridge - another excellent "Bed and Breakfast". By coincidence Gordon and Mary from Skegness and Mike and Pauline from Louth were there as well. We got together for our evening meals and had a really great time. The weather could have been worse but we spent a fair bit of time walking in the clouds. We climbed Birkhouse Moor and Catsycam one day and did the Deepdale Horseshoe another day. Unfortunately for the second time we found ourselves on Fairfield in atrocious conditions but thanks to Ted's skill with the GPS we kept safely on the correct route. The same couldn't be said for the two couples who caught us up coming off Hart Crag towards Hartsop Above How. They should have been heading for Dove Crag and Ambleside. We left them in Patterdale waiting for a taxi! It really can be confusing on these mountains when the cloud comes down!! 6 more "Wainwrights" ticked off - just 8 to go!
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| Lambs beside the river at Pooley Bridge | Looking back to Ullswater from Birkhouse Moor | Grisedale Tarn from St Sunday Crag | ||
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| Cowslips near Aira Force | Wood Sorrel near Aira Force | Below Aira Force |
March 2002. We are just back from a week staying in a lovely cottage at Ullock near Cockermouth. We stayed there last April but of course couldn't walk then. This trip was more successful and we went to the summits of another nine of the Western Fells and three of the Southern ones. Total now stands at 200 - only 14 to go. It was very wintry - O.K. so it's only March - but we walked every day except one and that was because of the gale force winds. Here are a few photos.
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| Grasmoor beyond Crummock Water - taken from Scale Beck. | Ted near Penny Hill Farm at the end of our walk up Green Crag. | Joan at the top of Gavel Fell with Low Fell and Fellbarrow in the background. | ||
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| Descending Scale Beck | Holme Beck | The summit of Starling Dodd |
August 7 2001. It was good to be able to do some walking on the fells as some areas opened up again after closures due to Foot and Mouth Disease. Most of the fells south of the A66 are now accessible. We spent a few days in Keswick with our friends Gerry and Joyce, and Elizabeth and Ed. Now our total number of "Wainwrights" climbed stands at 188 (out of 214). On this trip we completed the Central and the North Western Fells. Also, on a glorious day we retraced our steps on our very first ridge-walk and climbed Catbells, Maiden Moor and High Spy. Our reward was the stunning views like the one below. Have a look at Elizabeth's website for more pictures.
Here's a favourite picture from each of the areas covered by Wainwright's books
| The Eastern Fells | Book1 This was the first book that Wainwright wrote. It includes all the mountains in the Helvellyn range and some wonderful scenery. The photograph shows Red Tarn taken from Helvellyn on a beautiful morning in April 2000. |
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| The Far Eastern Fells | Book2 These fells are not walked very frequently but include High Street and the popular Kentmere Round. The photograph shows Riggindale taken from the Old Coach Road, below Selside Pike, July 2000. A pair of Golden Eagles had been nesting in the hillside at the far side of the lake (Haweswater) but when we went there they hadn't been seen for a couple of days. They were quite elderly and had nested there for some years. Apparently they have been seen again since our visit. |
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| The Central Fells | Book3 The Langdale Pikes are the popular fells in Book 3. There are also some very boggy tops to visit including High Seat and High Tove. This view of Windermere from Jenkin Crag was taken on a very windy day in March 2000. |
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| The Southern Fells | Book4 This is the big one. We had a cottage in Seascale for a wonderfully, sunny week and managed to do most of the mountains in this area including both Scafell and Scafell Pike. The picture is of Scafell Pike - the highest point in England. May 2000. |
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| The Northern Fells | Book5 This includes Skiddaw, Blencathra and all the hills north of them. It is possible to walk for miles around here and never see anyone - even on a Bank Holiday weekend - as indeed we did last year with our friends Noreen and Jim. This is a view of Bassenthwaite taken from the summit of Dodd in May 2000. Dodd itself is very easily accessible from the main road and is well worth a visit for the lovely views from the top. |
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| The North Western Fells | Book6 Again, some of the fells in this area are not walked very frequently. Grasmoor is the highest one not far from the view on the photograph, which shows the scenery looking back to Whiteside from Hopegill Head. This photo was taken in September 2000. |
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| The Western Fells | Book7 Book 7 includes Haystacks - our first Wainwright and his favourite. Indeed his ashes are scattered there now. This is Wastwater, looking towards Yewbarrow from Whin Rigg, taken on an incredibly hot day in May 2000. |
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Reference: A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells by A. Wainwright - Books 1 - 7
For lots of walks in the Lake District click here
For superb pictures taken today in the Lake District try this site
Walking the Wainwrights by Paul Kennedy
Around the Wainwrights by Philip Powell
February 2002. Happily most footpaths are now open.
Page updated 16/10/02