HUt Weekend: High House, September 2010

As members will be well aware from my previous articles, High House is probably my favourite hut and the visit this year was no exception – great location and excellent weather; however, this year it was also to double up as a birthday celebration for our Hut Secretary’s wife – Barbara Hayhornthwaite. Everyone arrives at different times on the Friday, according to their working day. There are those fortunate enough to either be retired or able to arrive around lunchtime, whilst others arrive anytime upto 9:00pm. I know Roy and Barbara, along with a small group of those ‘lucky’ ones, arrived around lunchtime with the view to getting in a short walk before other members arrived. By all accounts, it was an excellent walk and it set the tone for what was to turn out to be an excellent weekend all round.

Due to all our work commitments, myself and my wife Pauline, along with Linda Doody and Victor, arrived just after 7:00pm, to find it was almost dark and the road through Seathwaite Farm was, as usual, an exercise in traversing the uneven farmyard surface and the lane upto High House. Opening and closing the gate as we went, we arrived to find the usual high spirits in anticipation of a good day’s walking on the Saturday. One thing that amazed all four of us was how much Josh Calderbank had grown – when he greeted us, I don’t think any of us recognised him (sorry Josh).

In some respects, the Friday can be the better of the two evenings, in that it’s spent catching up with old friends (some we may not have seen for some time), planning the routes for the following day, swapping stories of past walks and remembering past times at High House, and even supping whisky and discussing the merits of what’s a good whisky. Those who know me will know I have a passion for Islay Single Malt Whiskies – not everyone’s idea of one to enjoy, as they can be overpowering (e.g. Ardbeg), but I think I have at least one (surprised) convert from that night. Saturday mornings are always a joy to wake up to at High House, with the first idea of checking out the weather for the day ahead – we were not to be disappointed. Breakfast is different for everyone, from a fry up to just porridge and fruit, but we all have the same aim in mind – to get out on those hills as quickly as possible and enjoy the day to the fullest.

Victor, as usual for our group, had worked out a route that could make for a long day and our group assembled ready for the off; this included the four of us, Janet, another Pauline, Elaine, and Mick Hurst – a nice sized group to walk with. To get us across the beck we ventured through the farm, across the bridge, and started our ascent of Sour Milk Gill (luckily for us, a lot of water cascading down – impressive) onto Gillercomb (below Base Brown) for our eventual climb up the much worn path onto Green Gable.

Enjoying the impressive views from atop Green Gable (Lakeland Fells, Isle of Man, Yorkshire Dales, Solway Firth), we assessed our route and, whilst the plan had been to traverse Moses Trod and head over to Honister Pass, given the great visibility we had we decided to change the route and, from Windy Gap, we started our high level traverse under Great Gable (we called it the Gable Girdle) to the coll between Great Gable and Kirk Fell, continuing under Kirk Fell until we picked up the path down into Ennerdale and headed to Black Sail Youth Hostel. All I can say at this point is, ‘Wow what a fantastic track to follow, especially with the views as far as the eye could see’.

Arriving at Black Sail, not having been here for several years, we found the hut was open and, using the honesty box, we bought cakes and tea / coffee – it was a welcome rest point. As we enjoyed the views, some Coast-to-Coast walkers arrived, carrying everything and seemingly well equipped for their long walk. I don’t think any of us envied them, as we set off to find the gully to take us over to Honister Pass – a walk I recall from our last time there, thinking it was a long slog – walking up it, it turned out to be just that – a slog.

Eventually coming across some of the old tramways created as a result of the slate mining done at Honister, we eventually arrived at the Honister Slate Mine for a welcome rest. We stayed there for about 30 mins, investigating the idea of the Via Ferrata, signing a petition for the idea of a high level zip wire from the top of Fleetwith (that would be amazing to see if successful), taking some refreshments, and generally enjoying the shop and surroundings. Setting off, we headed back down the road to Seatoller in the hope that the Yew Tree might be open but it wasn’t, before heading back down the road back to Seathwaite Farm and High House. As usual, all available verge space was taken up with cars parked up for their walking in Borrowable; lucky us being at High House.

The evening started as they always do – relaxing with a beer or some other form of liquid libation. We had all enjoyed a great day’s walking, some venturing further afield than others. We all know it’s not about how far we walk, as we all walk at different paces, more a case of enjoying where we walk and making the most of the area we walk in, hence the excellent locations selected by our revered Hut Secretary, and High House is close to the top of that list. After we all enjoyed our meals that night, we settled down to Roy’s own version of The Weakest Link. Six candidates had been selected from the motley crew on site, and the results were hilarious – everything was taken in good humour (as you have to with Roy’s games), and even his last minute very glamorous assistant – Janet – entered into the role with gusto, paying her part to perfection, making sure Roy kept to the script. The winner accepted their prize with obvious joy and expectation, after which Roy announced that it was time to venture outside to the waiting fire in the pit.

For those who know High House, the K-Fellfarers have built a large circular fire pit and, throughout the day, our members had been diligently collecting firewood. By the time we all arrived, it looked like an inferno and it was a pleasure just to sit there and enjoy the atmosphere. We all sang Barbara happy birthday, took various group photos, then eventually wandered off in groups back inside to continue our celebrations. As is usually the case, by time most of us went to bed, it was an effort to climb into those bunks before heading off into the land of dreams. Sundays at High House are usually one of two things – those who do their chores from Roy’s list then head home, or those who choose to remain and get another walk in before finishing off the chores then heading home. Sadly, as in most instances, we fall into the first category – heading home for preparation for work the following day.

I’m sure everyone will agree with me – another excellent weekend; a great location, excellent walking, good friends, and a great atmosphere to match. We all hope Barbara enjoyed her birthday celebrations, and would like to thank both Roy and Barbara for their continued efforts on the hut weekends. Whilst the locations are chosen to make the most of the areas where they are, it’s the effort that club members put in to make them what they are. We are gradually seeing a different mix of club members at the huts, rather than the same old faces, and long may it continue. Please enjoy these huts as often as you can and make your hut selections for 2011 so as not to miss out on these great opportunities to make the most of where the action is.

Stuart McDonald