Wet Sleddale Horseshoe

Distance: 12 miles
Ascent: 685m
Weather: hazy start, warm and sunny later
Herds of deer: 2
People shouting: 2
Frogs: 3
Also buzzards being buzzards, emperor moth caterpillar, dragonflies, horrible flies, unidentified bird stood in lake.
Midge bites: 1

Wet Sleddale by name, wet by nature.
We parked at a large car park near the top of Wet Sleddale reservoir and headed off up the track. It was a slightly misty, hazy morning, but still and quite warm. The information board in the car park promised a variety of water birds, red deer and even otters. Along the side of the reservoir we heard a lot of birds singing and calling, but didn't see any of them. At a junction of walls and steams (by an unexpected computer in a wall) we headed left following Poorhag Gill on up to the fells by the grouse butts. The sheep around here are very curious of people and we got followed a few times - they also shake their tales in a way I've not really noticed before.

The first top of the day was Sleddale Pike, soon followed by Wasdale Pike, stopping to watch the deer running in the valley. We contoured round to Great Saddle Crag, mostly trying to avoid the worst of the bog.
Heading through some peat groughs we followed a clear grass track that was flat and easy going (still wet) over Brown Howe.

We visited Ullthwaite Rigg and at High Wether Howe (531m) encountered our first person of the day, a radio ham chattering loudly away to godknowswho, and ignored us completely. We should probably have headed off, but rocks have been few and far between today, especially those suitable for sitting on, and so we decided to stop. Sadly, our lunch rock was still within earshot of loud shouty man who barely paused for breath. Eventually he packed up his stuff, his pack seemingly mostly radio and speakers, and walked off, aerials a waving, still shouting away.

We crossed more boggy ground over to Fewling Stones, where the chap was still busy with his radio. He did speak to us this time, although clearly thought we were lost and needed directions. He was heading over to Langhowe Pike and seemed confused that we were going to Glede Howe first, possibly because it's not a Wainwright fell and he'd never heard of it.

We descended down a grassy slope and crossed Haskew Beck and more bog over to Glede Howe (a Birkett) and out to Langhowe Pike (where Shoutyman's wife was busy shouting so we didn't linger) and back over to Great Ladstones, which was quite a steep pull up. By now we had our eye in, and were bog trotting with ease, as once your socks are wet it doesn't really matter, and took a straight line up to Seat Robert (515m) our last top of the day.

A clear path followed the wall over Hallmoss Hill and through a gate, down the field to Sleddale Hall, which is better known as Crow Crag or Uncle Monty's Cottage in Withnail &I. I stopped to take a picture and we were just heading off when the owner called us back and asked us if we wanted to see the house. After a tour and some photos, we left down a tree lined lane down to the bridge (no fish shooting today) and back along the track (with its still-unidentified birds) to the car park.