As far as Octobers go this Autumn has been one of the driest and warmest as far as my memory serves me at a time when really the wind should be whipping up a hoolie and baring Autumn leaves from the trees when what we are really experiencing despite those brisk mornings is unseasonal mid afternoon temperatures where you can actually get away with wearing Summer attire on the fells, although take that as tongue in cheek but I guess you know what I mean.

With this I thought I'd plan maybe one of the last 'biggie' walks of 2016 before the clocks go back and everything I've mentioned above starts to fall into place. For some weeks now I had set my sights on a walk taking in Great Moss before it actually gets to damp and this weekend looked perfect for it, although I must mention at 05.20am this morning the forecast had changed and while I was brushing my teeth I was thinking of a plan B walk but I laid trust in the forecast and stuck with my guns.

The long drive to Brotherilkeld was done in complete darkness as dawn broke as I travelled over the Wrynose Pass, my headlights still illuminating the way but it was light enough to see where I was going. Twenty minutes earlier I had come to a sudden stop when a young Deer blocked the road, usually such a sighting lasts mere seconds but the Deer looked on as I fumbled around for my mobile phone to take the grainiest of photos on my phone camera, the Deer was still there but the young un had turned its head once the shot was taken, my heart was racing as I watched it disappear into the hedgerow before sticking my car back into gear and continued through towards Brotherilkeld, a perfect setting I'd say which brought me firmly back into Lakeland after only a week away.

My heart was still adjusting to normality after travelling over the Wrynose and Hardknott Passes soon coming to a stop at Jubilee Bridge just as dawn broke minutes earlier. There was already one car parked up so I tucked my car in next to it boot facing outwards. With the sound of Hardknott Gill trickling below I kit up and use the familiar boulder to lace my boots up by.

A car travels from the direction of Eskdale which breaks the morning silence as it rattles over a cattle grid its engine racing in preparation for the challenge ahead, I lock the boot instantly forgetting that my walking poles are still inside and have to go through my pack lid to find again, this time scouring the boot to make sure I hadn't left anything behind before locking it again. I strike out leaving the car while thoughts of the forecast occupy my mind, after all, Great Moss is best enjoyed in fine weather, and if I'm truly honest, I had mixed feelings if I'd made the right walk choice.

After cautiously passing over the cattle grid myself (I hate walking over cattle grids probably more than cows do!) I pass the familiar red phone box which is missing all of its glass. Up ahead is Brotherilkeld Farm and from the farm track I can see the top of Bowfell and Crinkle Crags, both summits clear and free from cloud, although these summits aren't on todays agenda them being clear was a good sign for surrounding summits, even if I still can't see them.

My route into Great Moss via the flank of Thostlehow Crag can now be seen as the grassy path over on the left. This is where the River Esk flows through Esk Gorge via a series of dramatic waterfalls as too does Lingcove Beck whose course can seen if you follow the tree line over in the right of the photo.

Lingcove Bridge just up ahead now.

After leaving Lingcove Bridge behind I climb steadily west flanked by Thostlehow Crag to my right as the Esk Gorge falls steeply to my left all the while being accompanied by the sound of waterfalls, having not used this path in the past nothing prepared me for the view when I reached the top of the Gorge, it was simply breath taking, come to think of it, It's a good job I'm alone today because you wouldn't have got much from me for the next half hour or so.

Sometimes it's just nice to be alone in thoughts when met with such striking scenery.

Feeling completely awe struck I continued to follow along the banks of the River Esk before reaching the familiar bend that I have seen so many times from the summit of Slight Side and from Great Moss. This sharp left turn allows the Esk to flow around Scar Lathing and into Great Moss ibefore another sharp right turn close to the Sampsons Stones.

Earlier I had spotted three walkers who were quite a distance behind me accompanied by three dogs, because of my time spent at Lingcove Bridge they had started to make ground on me and by now, I could hear their voices carry through the valley even though I still couldn't see them I knew I wouldn't have the place to myself for long which, selfishly, I would have been sad about, I briefly think how am I going to get around this and came up with the idea to just let them pass me once they got closer.

After finding my way over swollen ground around the base of Scar Lathing I now found myself on the other side of the bend on more solid ground, behind me the voices got louder until the three chaps and their dogs came into sight, we share a wave over the bend in the river as one chap de-shoulders his pack, it would seem they had stopped to rest.

Without trying to look too ignorant, this was good news as it meant, for now, I had Great Moss to myself.

Right about now I'm having a sudden change of plan as my original route was to head to Esk Hause, then to collect Great End before continuing towards the Scafells but Pen right now...it's activating my button, in fact, it's pushing it like crazy....

I approached the summit from the south and had to familiarise myself with my surroundings soon realising that from the summit of Dow Crag, Pen summit lies beyond a series of false grassy summits which were quite exhausting to negotiate after the steep climb, nevertheless I made it towards the stone cairn, poles carefully balanced along side and with my trouser leg somehow, tucked into my sock, ehh, how did that get there!

It was time to relax and indeed, dress myself again after realising that certain parts of my underwear had to errm...be re-adjusted.

During the ascent I told myself that I would take a decent break while at the summit and after re-adjustments the approaching cloud kinda shortened my summit time...

Much like the summit of Pen I approached the summit of Scafell Pike from the south passing the Victorian shelter to my far left and I came to the conclusion that I may get the summit to myself but my mind was merely playing tricks on me as with more height gained more people appeared on the horizon.

I'm not comfortable with crowds and passed upon the chance to have a much needed rest, instead I opted to try and keep ahead of the cloud before starting my descent towards Mickledore and Lord's Rake thereafter.

Mickledore was a busy place today, in fact I'd never seen it as busy which left it feeling not as sacred as it should. With this I pass the walkers head bowed and poles stretched out for the pull towards the top of the ridge from where I took this photograph, Had I noticed the sorry looking chap in the foreground I'm certain I would have asked if he was ok.

Hope so.

For anyone unaware around the 2nd August 2015 the Chock Stone found at the top of Lord's Rake shattered/collapsed and now sits in the scree around twenty feet or so from its original position, today is my first ascent of Lord's Rake since August and I was quite interested to see what I was going to find.

As you can see there are five walkers in the gully who are making good progress on reaching the top section of the rake, even so I leave it five minutes if only to avoid any rock fall despite the rake being given the all clear the scree is as always, very loose.

The rain continued and had a slight affect on my ascent leaving the scree a little more vulnerable which left me trusting my footings in certain places. Up head the group had stopped to have a look around where the Chock Stone had fallen and soon they were on their way by the time I reached the same spot.

It is clear through the sheer weight of the Chock Stone that for now it isn't going anywhere, only embedding itself deeper into the scree but I certainly wouldn't like to rule out any more movement. On reaching the slab of rock it is obvious that you have to go around it and I found where it now lies is quite a steep section of the rake where firm footings are sparce, an indication of which was when I tried to take a photo once past the slab as my legs started to wobble and feel like jelly, it just paid to keep moving.

It was also noted that the Chock Stone now lies directly at the foot of the start of the West Wall Traverse, making the new postion of the Chock Stone an ideal 'cairn' well, for now that is.

After passing Symonds Knott I pass the group who I had seen ascending Lord's Rake who were talking about their experience quite proudly, with hi's and hello's passed I make the short ascent on Scafell by which time the rain had stopped and the cloud had cleared, although I must admit, those summit winds are starting to bite.

Once at the summit I found a father and daughter just packing up after lunch, they spoke with a Welsh accent and we all commented on the un-forecasted rain before being joined by the group seen in this photo.

I left the father and daughter and the group behind and made my way across the summit plateau which was made extremely tricky by the recent rain which had left the rock feeling very greasy underfoot so much so, each step seemed to have a controlled slide to it. When usually descending Scafell towards Slight Side I would head off via the right shoulder along Long Green but today I opted to keep in line with the summit safe in the knowledge that I knew a gravel path awaited at the end of the ridge.

The low light had ever so slightly started to lift revealing the Autumnal colours of the wild grasses from Great How in the south to IIIgill Head towards the west. I arrived at Slight Side to find a young couple eating lunch in the rocky nook which separates the summit outcrops. With pleasantries passed I made my way towards the summit clambering over dry rock until I was able to touch the summit cairn before lowering myself down just shy of the summit cairn where I decided to break out lunch.

Over the summit wind I could here the young couples voices, not particularly what they were saying, just as noise over the wind. I cracked open the lid of my sandwich box and feasted on cold chicken flavoured rice and for afters, a meaty sausage roll bought from the petrol station last night while I was filling up, kid like I don't finish my rice because I had been looking forward to my sausage roll all morning all the while taking in the atmospheric views over the Cumbrian Coast.

With lunch packed away I was soon joined at the summit by the Welsh father and daughter and we spoke briefly before I started my descent. Beyond Slight Side south ridge I can clearly make out two walkers who had just passed through a herd of grazing cattle before they clash with the low light and soon they had gone. During my descent I am passed by a young couple and hi's are exchanged once again as I too start to head for the grazing cattle.

The ground is understandably sodden even though we hadn't had rain for well over a week I'm now finding the few miles to be quite a squelchy one but my boots manage to keep my socks dry as I trace away from the prominent path and follow a more fainter 'short cut' which both head towards Catcove Beck. In hindsight I should have stuck with the prominent path I guess.

Once I had crossed the top of Catcove Gill I consult my map if only to make sure the side of the Gill I need to be on, a path that I had spotted earlier this morning from Brotherilkeld Farm yet it was proving a little more difficult once within its vicinity. I soon find my path and begin the descent via the right of the Gill but I'm drawn to the Gill itself which caused me to abandon my path and cross the Gill where I swill my boots free from mud and alike. Now on the wrong side of the Gill I begin a pathless descent where I consult the map again where it seems I'm not too far from the path which rises above Scale Bridge which is where I head to next.

After descending Catcove Gill I soon reach Scale Bridge where I get a view of the Waterfall which was partially hidden behind a canopy of trees. From Scale Bridge I follow the track before reaching a wooden sty which I cross before arriving at Taw House Farm.

It's starting to feel quite mild again and had I not have been so close to the car I would have most certainly de-layered here. At the farm the farm dogs bark at me through a locked barn door and despite being a huge dog lover I was glad of the door, and its lock. In the distance the rumble of a quad bike brings me back to reality as I start to pass through the field towards the footbridge which crosses the River Esk for my last time today, briefly I am taken back to this morning as I crossed a meandering Esk when thoughts were of Pen where I barely got my boots wet, here the river flows fast and laps up the falling leaves from a canopy of trees overhead.

After crossing the River Esk for the final time I once again pass through Brotherilkeld Farm stopping to witness the sunlight striking through the trees still not quite believing that this is October, the month of wind and rain. Feet ache especially my right foot which is still experiencing the symptoms of plantar fasciltis which I kept under control today with anti inflammatorys and pain killers. It's fair to say that I needed this walk after taking on this years Wainwright project where I had routes set out before me, changing a route isn't particularly what walking is all about but it sure brings out the freedom side of you..