Cribyn & N escarpment
from Pen y Fan92 The Great Outdoors July 2019
This is just south of the normal
range of the pair of extremely
protective buzzards that are
known to attack walkers near
Overwater Hall. I’ve made their
acquaintance on a couple of
occasions. Now, I always carry a
stick above my head when I pass
through their territory; if the
birds attack, they’ll go for the
highest point of the perceived
threat – in this case, the stick
rather than my head!
When seen from valley level,
particularly from the north,
Skiddaw’s a bit of a monster.
Messing about on its bulky
flanks and in the hidden valleys
that cut into this beast, I always
feel a little overwhelmed by its
hulking presence. Southerndale
is one such secret valley: a gate
leads from large fields into this
secluded spot. With its harsh,
scree-ridden slopes, it’s an
awesome place to explore.
The rocks, on first
appearance, are a riddle. Are
they man-made? Are they
natural? There’s something
quite tor-like about the way
they erupt suddenly from the
hillside but, in places, they
group together, resembling
prehistoric stone circles. On
closer inspection, they turn out
to be natural, but the enigma
remains; this is a rare intrusion
in a landscape formed by the
Skiddaw slates, the ancient
rocks that give the Northern
Fells their generally smooth,
rounded appearance. Why
here? Is this the Skiddaw
granite that appears in Sinen
Gill on Blencathra? Further
research has since revealed it to
be a Lake District anomaly; it’s
picrite, an igneous rock similar
to basalt that’s more commonly
associated with Anglesey in
Wales and Wicklow in Ireland.
As I sit in the middle of one
group of rocks, enjoying theserenity of this quiet place, I
wonder what our ancestors
would’ve made of this
formation. I’m not aware of
any local lore associated with
it, and yet it seems the perfect
breeding ground for myths and
superstitions.
A couple of walkers pass
by. I’m invisible to them as
the trail brushes up close to
the rocks, and they remain
oblivious to my presence until
they turn round to look back
at the strange outcrops. Their
surprise, and slight discomfort,
is obvious –suddenly seeing a
lone, silent individual where
there didn’t seem to be one
before – and they hurriedly
continue on their way without
a word. Will the mysterious
woman sitting cross-legged
among the stones become
the stuff of legend in stories
told to their children and
grandchildren?Further informationMaps: OS 1:25,000
Explorer sheet OL4
(English Lakes, North-western
area); Harvey 1:25,000
Superwalker, Lake
District NorthTransport: Bus services X4
and 554 run along nearby
A591 (Traveline, 0871 200 2233
or traveline.com )i
Information:
Cockermouth TIC
(01900 822634)[Captions clockwise from top]
The Watches with Skiddaw
behind; The Watches with
Ullock Pike in the background;
Skiddaw seen from the path
back to Bassenthwaite at the
end of the walk