Despite the winter storms, January has been a productive month in terms of fell walking when I look back to January 2023, when I only managed to walk once in Lakeland, the rest locally, mostly over Winter Hill. The wind still continues to dominate the highest peaks, with gusts reaching 50mph and pushing the windchill well into double figures. After six weeks apart, the trio is finally back together again, and by Wednesday last week, we were swapping emails on where to walk.

I threw in two suggestions: Cat Bells or Walla Crag, two summits that would keep us out of the high winds but still maintain medium-level height. Rod had walked Cat Bells at the beginning of January and came back with this route, or one very similar, as we changed it to include a quick visit to the Bob Graham Memorial Cairn just down from Ashness Bridge.

The original route climbed Bleaberry Fell after visiting Walla Crag, but with a strong westerly wind forecast, we headed for Ashness Bridge first, meaning we'd have the wind on our backs for the return leg as we crossed the sodden ground between High Seat and Bleaberry Fell.

I'd driven through fog and rain only to arrive at Nest Brow west of Keswick under the clearest of skies, albeit another windy morning. David was already there when I arrived, as I span my car around just so I was facing the right way later. It was great to see David after the time apart, and we began catching up instantly, mostly me explaining why I've had to buy another pair of boots after I sent my Meindl's off for repairs through the shop I'd purchased them from, who, in their infinite wisdom, thought it would be ok to ship my boots to Meindl in Germany whose repair times are back-logged until the end of March, had I been informed, I would have had them repaired locally.

Rod arrived next sporting a new Montane softshell jacket that he'd scored in the January sales, and soon the conversation turned to the wind, or lack of it, as it was quite calm at the top of Nest Brow, so we decided to 'test' the wind from today's first summit of Walla Crag, from where we'd make the decision on which direction the walk would take. With the cars locked, we crossed a deserted A591 and passed through the wooden style towards Rakefoot Farm. Despite the lack of rain, it was extremely muddy underfoot, and soon I'd christenend my new Scarpa's in Lakelands finest mud. The good news was that the sun was just about to breach the Clough Head to Helvellyn ridge to the south.

In Memory of Robert Graham 1889 - 1966 of Keswick Who On The 13th - 14th June 1932 Traversed 42 Lakeland Peaks Within 24 Hours. A Record That Stood For 28 Years

The large group of girls also began their descent, and although they were probably half a mile behind us, their voices carried over the top of the wind. The further we descended, the calmer it became, and for once we could feel the heat from the midday sunshine, more so as we passed the familiar sheepfold at Low Moss. The path continued to descend, where we passed couples and fell runners in ascent, peering over to Walla Crag's summit, which by now was busy with walkers and visitors leaving just standing room only.

We flanked the summit and began our descent via the stone wall, and instead of crossing the footbridge, we waded through Brockle Beck, where we swilled our boots, knowing it was futile as the fields surrounding Rakefoot were just as muddy. That said, the sun stayed out for the duration of the walk, illuminating the Helvellyn ridge from north to south in winter sunshine, while further north, Blencathra looked like a scene from a Lord of the Rings movie.