I fancied something a little more different so with the weekend approaching I had two walks to choose from one of which was a Birkett walk behind the back O' Blencathra and the other was this one, Birketts walk over Carrock Fell, High Pike and Knott.

This route collects nine summits in total and because some of those summits lie on pathless ground good visibility is key to a successful tour of these grand fells. The forecast was set for a dry day with sunny spells with any lingering cloud lifting throughout the morning. The day started off clear and bright with temperatures rising and I was even treated to a cloud display rolling in from the east before settling down on the flanks of Carrock Fell, with blue skies overhead I thought I might even get a cloud inversion but said cloud just kept coming until visibility dropped to around thirty feet.

It wasn't really any hardship having no visibility my only complaint being the beautiful views of the Carrock Pike ridge and High Pike which I missed out on, I was so busy navigating the clag I completely missed the cloud lifting behind me, by which time I was stood on Great Lingy Fell summit.

The morning started so beautiful with only a slight nip in the air and clear blue skies overhead. I reached Apronful of Stones and parked easily on the grassy lay-by not far away from Stone Ends Farm. I'm back to wearing long trousers after summit temperatures were forecast to remain above freezing not forgetting to mention that today I'll be walking pathless through bog and heather between some summits, a decision which I was pleased to have made on more than one occasion today.

You can see the path that I'll be using behind my car, it's a pretty steep start that gets steeper once The Trough (situated where you can see the tree in the centre of the photograph) is reached which will then ascend on to the shoulder of the fell before steadily levelling out towards the summit. This is one of two steep ascents on todays route which can only mean one thing, lots of rolling grassy ridges.

Sounds so romantic doesn't it, just wait until I go off path, that's where we lose the romance!

By the time I had almost ascended to the top of The Trough the cloud finally caught up with me, I don't know why I figured I could 'out climb' the cloud, maybe it was because of the total lack of wind but it just proves even with nothing to push it along the cloud advances much quicker than I imagined. It was here I pulled out my mobile phone to capture the cloud approaching, it was so peaceful with the only sound being the gurdle from a Grouse hidden beneath Heather somewhere in the distance.

And maybe a little heaving coming from my direction.

I passed the familiar sheepfold on the shoulder of the fell from where the path levels before a short pull over boulder towards the summit, it was here the cloud rolled in masking what once was, a bright blue sky overhead. This didn't worry me at all because visibility was changing so rapidly I was still thinking that by the time I reached the summit conditions might start to clear.

How wrong I was.

Despite my lack of visibility this view was extremely promising with blue skies seen upper left, surely if I stood on a high enough outcrop of rock my head would pop out of the cloud! Only joking, but it surely felt that way.

Here I follow a prominent footpath towards my second summit of Round Knott.

I rejoined the ridge path before checking my position in comparison to my third summit of Miton Hill, in clear conditions both Round Knott and Miton Hill can be seen from Carrock Fell summit, even as an experienced fell walker and knowing the area well I still find myself checking my position every now and again, I guess it's human nature when presented under such conditions.

Prior to reaching Miton Hill I'm joined by this chap and his Terriers and we stop to chat for a while, he too mentioned how lovely it was in the valley and couldn't believe how quickly conditions changed, turns out he had parked in Mungrisdale and had ascended Carrock Fell from Mosedale via the south east flank "a great alternative" he said, I'll have to try it someday I replied.

A significant path from Great Lingy Hill descends then crosses a col before a steady ascent on Little Lingy Hill which hosts a rather prominent cairn seen clearly from its big brother just across the way.

Footnote: The OS Map credits a grassy hump found at Miller Moss as Little Lingy Hill but this isn't the case. The actual summit is credited as 'Pile of Stones' at 609' on the OS Map.

From the top of the grass groove I continued to follow the path before deciding to make a direct ascent on Knott. Bill Birkett describes this as rough grassy ground, he wasn't wrong.

Now feeling the heat crossing the pathless rough ground was slow, the best way to attempt crossings like this is to fix your eye on a target and aim for it, my target was a bright green boggy section which appeared path like from a distance but it was something to aim for, this kept me below the first shoulder of the fell which I was to soon find was the steepest, the second being the steadier, shorter ascent.

On gaining the first shoulder of the Knott I spotted a walker in descent heading towards Great Sca Fell, we were parallel 'so to speak' and had he or she of turned around they would have spotted my slow, pathless ascent. I gained the summit and let my shoulders back, breathed heavily and composed myself before making my way towards the summit cairn, it's been two years since my last visit and I lapped up my summit time just standing there looking towards the Scottish mountains.

The sun continued to shine but I could see high level cloud was bubbling up overhead, feeling a tad on the cool side I started my descent marveling the grassy ridge of Coomb Height before me.

The affects of my Plantar Fasciitis was starting to niggle at my right heel and I found this a tad uncomfortable at times so much so I pulled a rock from the cairn and stretched my foot over the top for a few minutes which eased the discomfort before putting the rock back.

It's time to leave Coomb Height now and descend via the east ridge, it can be steep and heathery but the views more than make up for it.

The bridge provided the perfect spot for a spot of lunch and I even dared to take off my jacket for a while before the cool breeze started to freeze my sweat forcing me to put it back on again. This area of Mosedale is popular with parked cars and today was no different, oddly no one around though, well for now anyway.

Despite my ailing foot I seemed to pick up a march covering the three miles in forty minutes. The road walking between Mosedale and Apronful of Stones was quite busy often having to step aside for cars and large groups of cyclists before reaching the last incline of the day prior to Stones End Farm, I had kept my poles extended for this short, but steep tarmac stretch and reached the top of the incline soon sighting my car along with half a dozen others.

I'm passed by another large group of cyclists one of whom who after looking up at the Gliders soaring overhead said in a strong Yorkshire ascent "tha wudnt get me up theer"