So with ticking off Catstycam and Birkhouse Moor, I’d completed Wainwrights 204 and 205. Now for numbers 206 and 207. This started with a drive over Wrynose Pass, not so bad in drying weather and along the valley to Cockley Beck, before a left turn to Birks Bridge. The car park was fairly empty as we arrived at 10.15am, booting up and heading down the road to take a look at the bridge first, before joining the path through the trees to Birks farm itself. At this point the track changes from a fairly wide, occasionally muddy, woodland track. To steeply narrow, uphill, loose, scrambly path. All the way up to Maiden Castle was a challenging route, once there however the path opens up, sweeping to the summit. There is a nice trig point amongst a rocky outcrop, plus plenty of other outcrops, one higher than the trig. Its a great summit and gives some superb views into Eskdale, to the Scafells, then the other way to the Coniston Fells and round towards Morecambe Bay. We set off downhill towards the south west side of Harter Fell, on the route to Green Crag, as we got 3/4s of the way down we stopped for lunch. From here we were able to watch two couples head off across the boggy section towards Green Crag, both of which who made early errors and hit some very boggy ground. When we headed out we went via their corrected route and crossed the boggy bit easily, in fact like most of the Lakes it isn’t as bad as Dartmoor. We reached the final ramp up to Green Crag quickly, but the views from there had worsened, as the cloud dropped further and the haze thickened. We left quickly, knowing the rain was on its way, arriving below Kepple Crag not long after, taking the tracks through the forest back to Birks. All that was left was to repeat our outward route to the car park, where we met one man who was returning back to Birks Bridge for a swim! We had caught a little drizzle as we walked back to Birks, and the wet stuff fell harder as the evening progressed, leaving Tuesday as a wash out. But this was another two in the bag and just 7 left.

Start – Birks Bridge

Route – Birks – Harter Fell – Green Crag – Kepple Crag – Birks – Birks Bridge

Distance – 7 miles  Start time – 10.30am  Time taken – 5hrs  Highest Point – Harter Fell 653 metres

Weather – Lots of cloud, some bits of sun, hazy long distance views, drizzle at the end