I was invited by my good friend James, a fellow member of the local theatrical fraternity and in particular the Sewell Barn Theatre, and we were joined by several of his friends across two days. The first day involved six of us (two of whom split from the main group to climb a more challenging route!) climbing Blencathra; and a further two people joined us for Skiddaw on day two.
I was the oldest (by a couple of years) and one of the least experienced. The members of the group were wonderful, keeping an eye out for everybody, taking it at a pace that we could all manage, sharing resources and encouragement. Oh, and of course, Max the dog (a beautifully behaved, nine-month-old, JRTxStaffie), who belongs to Ed but soon decided that it was his job to supervise the whole team.
Both days were blessed with wonderful weather. In both cases, the summit was shrouded in cloud, but we didn't miss much in the way of views, as we had clear and beautiful views within a very short time in both directions.
Click on the links below to view photographs and route for each of the two days.
Blencathra - Thursday 26 October
868 metres / 2847 feet
Skiddaw - Friday 27 October
931 metres / 3054 feet
