Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - EnglandHaskett Smith, W. P. (Walter Parry)
History
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England
Haskett Smith, W. P. (Walter Parry)
Mountaineering -- England; Mountains -- England -- Guidebooks
=Walker's Gully= is the precipice in which ends the East Scree, between
the _Pillar Rock_ and the _Shamrock_. It is named after an unfortunate
youth of seventeen who was killed by falling over it on Good Friday,
1883. He had reached the rock with four companions, and found there two
climbers from Bolton, who had been trying for nearly three hours to find
a way up, and were apparently then standing in or near Jordan Gap.
Seeing Walker, they shouted to him for advice as to the ascent. He
thereupon endeavoured to join them by sliding down on the snow; but he
had miscalculated the pace, and when he reached the rock at which he had
aimed, it was only to find that his impetus was too powerful to be
arrested. He shot off to one side, rolled over once or twice, and then
darted away down the steep East Scree, passing the Bolton men, who could
not see him owing to that position, and disappeared over the precipice.
=Wallow Crag=, a long mile south of Keswick, is abrupt but not high, and
somewhat incumbered by trees. It contains _Lady's Rake_, and _Falcon
Crag_ is really a continuation of it. Both are too near Keswick to
please climbers, who do not enjoy having their every movement watched by
waggon-loads of excursionists.
=Wanthwaite Crags= (Cumberland, sh. 64) rise on the east side of the
stream which flows, or used to flow, from Thirlmere. There is good
climbing in them, and they are easily reached from Keswick (1 hour), or
Grasmere, taking the Keswick coach as far as the foot of Thirlmere; and
Threlkeld station is nearer still (half an hour). The rocky part has a
height of 600 to 700 ft. Bram Crag, just a little south, is really part
of it.
=Wastdale.=--There are two valleys of this name, one near Shap in
Westmorland, and the other and more famous in Cumberland, at the head of
Wastwater. It is the Chamouni of England, and would be the Zermatt also,
only it lacks the charm of a railway. Fine climbs abound among the
various fells which hem it closely in. (See under the heads of
_Scafell_, _Lingmell_, _Great Gable_, _Pillar_, _Yewbarrow_, _Steeple_,
_Red Pike_, and _Great End_.) A well-filled 'Climbing book' is kept at
the inn, where also are some fine rock-views and a very complete set of
large-scale maps. Men with luggage must drive up from Drigg Station;
those who have none can walk over _Burnmoor_ from Boot Station in one
hour and a half or less.
=Westmorland=, as a climber's county, is second only to Cumberland.
Langdale is perhaps the pick of it, but about Patterdale, Mardale, and
Kentdale abundant work may be found, and there are few parts of the
whole county which have not small local climbs of good quality set in
the midst of charming scenery. Defoe's account of it is extremely
amusing:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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