Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Catstycam

"A" Walk Sunday 14th July 2013

Catstycam 

Bastille Day is a good day for a rebellion,  and as the planned walk was due to be led by the sort of person who might in a previous life have been the foreman supervising the biggest of the pyramids,  and as the weather was hotter than the Egyptian desert,  several dedicated A walkers decided not to go on the A walk,  especially as a pleasantly undulating B walk,  led by John, was on offer as an alternative. As John was the only person on the bus to recognise the “mystery item” we passed round – he said it was (and we confirmed this on the internet later) a cannabis grinder – it promised an easy, slightly dissolute walk.  However,  Neil sent a note round indicating that a) he was leading the A walk and b) it would be a very leisurely and easy walk,  commensurate with the weather,  so we signed up as usual and set off from Glenridding, complete with cannabis grinder (just in case).  The walk up was pleasant and leisurely and we had an unheard of ¾ hour first lunch break by Red Tarn watching in the distance the sweaty hordes struggling along Striding Edge and two very “tidy” (to use a word from last week) young ladies swimming in the tarn. We then turned away from the Helvellyn and Swirral Edge area to head up to Catstycam,  and the only problem we had was the steep, well broken path down to Brown Cove.  Then,  after a good walk alongside the stream,  the final rebellion – a second ¾ hour lunch (high tea?) break, Neil plunging into the stream in his shorts and a second person (whose name I forget) joining him in (those of a nervous disposition look away now) underpants.  A brilliant walk,  just as they all should be. 

Peter Flynn.