My current laptop is starting to show its age after ten years it has needed numerous repairs and one day I'm scared I'm gonna switch it on and see nothing, this is the same laptop which hosts my website which I back up onto an external drive after each walk so at least that side of the website is safe but it's come to the time where I need to transfer the website from my old laptop to my new one, for this I required the help of an I.T expert, his name is David Hall.

Admittedly it's been sometime since the trio last walked together which we can only put down to work holidays and I'm hoping within the next few weeks we'll be walking regularly again. We had planned to do a short walk and hit the techy bit in the afternoon but David was forced to cancel after he was needed in work so we rearranged the transfer until next week and set about planning a walk after which, David would drive straight into work.

The night before we came up with this walk, a Newlands round, a walk that we are both very fond of which stems back to the start of my walking career where for the first time, I linked four fells together, that was right here in Newlands so I have an emotional tie to these fells too, we could have missed out on what turned out to be a scorching hot day, chilled slightly by the gusty winds which was just a small price to pay instead of sitting in front of two lap tops.

With a bright sunny day forecast I left home early with the intention to call in at Castlerigg Stone Circle which on a morning like we have today gets pretty busy with photographers. I wasn't wrong finding around fifteen set up in the west corner of the field who as I arrived were taking photos of the sunrise as it breached Clough Head in the East, I asked permission "would you guys mind I nip into shot" while I grab a few close ups "aye go ahead"they replied.

It's a bloody glorious morning with a slight chill in the air which should burn off once the sun starts to climb.

We had arranged to meet at 08;00am and even after my visit to Castlerigg Stone Circle I still managed to arrive early parking into one of three spaces left at Gutherscale. David was already parked up and ready to go and after a hearty handshake having not seen each other since June we locked our cars and set off for todays first summit of Catbells.

It was a wonderful bright morning and that Autumn nip I'd felt earlier was still in the air so I added a layer and instantly regretted it once I got stuck into the ascent. The view over Derwent Water was breath taking with the sun climbing over the central ridge into a cloudless deep blue sky at a point when we knew we were in for a special day on the fells.

The wind continued to blow a hoolie but the bright sunshine more than made up for it and we soon arrived at the summit of Maiden Moor after passing a stone cairn at the summit shoulder which to the unknown (like the chap behind us who was photographing the cairn) can appear as Maiden Moor's main summit which is actually found by continuing South Westerly along the Newlands side of the summit plateau until the summit cairn is reached.

From Maiden Moor summit you get the best view High Crags which overlook Little Town below, I can wholly recommend the ascent of Maiden Moor via High Crags but make sure you've eaten three Weetabix first "clutching at grass" comes to mind.

We followed the Miners Path taking care not to slip over wet rock which slowed our descent slightly, it was along the Miners Path did we bump into a couple from Settle in Yorkshire who we got chatting to some extent about the wonders of Lakeland together with the emotional attachment the Lakeland Fellscan bring after the woman said she had been up here alone and cried for no reason other than the joy the fells can bring, that's a bold but honest statement coming from a complete stranger so while we were at it both David and I replied saying that we, in our own ways had shed a tear or two while on the Lakeland fells.

The connection, and the emotion attached to fell walking is real and I was really pleased to hear a complete stranger come out with the same emotion that at times we all feel while fell walking whether it be here in Lakeland , the Dales or anywhere for that matter the connection is real.

It was about 12:30pm so with rumbling bellies we decided to stop for lunch by the ruined building which was once part of the mine that used to thrive here during the seventeenth century where copper was extracted by Cornish mining engineers.

After passing Chapel Bridge over to our right we passed through Little Town while observing the masses now swarming on Cat Bells summit and although it wasn't spoke about sharing Cat Bells with just three other people earlier was the right way to enjoy one of Lakelands most popular fells. Back at Little Town Tea Rooms one farmer had opened out a paddock allowing cars to park all day which would ease parking back at Chapel Bridge. Instead of walking along the flanks of Cat Bells back to Gutherscale we took the permissive footpath through the fields while enjoying views of Skiddaw, Causey Pike and Barrow before arriving at passing through Skelgill were we joined the tarmac lane back to Gutherscale. Water was still seeping from the fell side and spilling across the car park which might be a sign that today could be the last of the hot weather before mother nature prepares Lakeland for Autumn, my favorite time of the year.