Scout Scar, January 9th, 2010.

Well, as we all know, the big freeze has been with us for 3 weeks and its been the coldest period for 30 years.

Iain can remember as a kid when this was the norm. The snow came at the end of November and stayed until the end of March and this view of snow right down to sea level was typical.

Usually these days we are lucky if the snow stays at valley floor level for a few days and conditions higher up are not generally reliable enough to run winter skills courses or go winter climbing for any length of time.

These pictures were taken by Iain & Kirstin last Saturday during an afternoon walk along Scout Scar - a limestone escarpment due west of Kendal. This picture is looking north west towards Kentmere, the Fairfield Horseshoe area and the Langdale pikes. The west side of Scout Scar drops precipitously as seen here, the cliff varying from a few metres to about 25M high and it is a popular place with climbers in Summer having both bolted and serious grade "trad" routes.

This view is a closeup of High street from Scout Scar. High Street is the highest summit east of the Ullswater Valley and in this view is the flat topped hill in sunlight in the background. To the left are the tops of Ill Bell and Yoke and to the right of High Street are the tops of Lingmell (also in sun) and Harter Fell.

These fells bound the Kentmere Valley which is one of the venues used by Kendal Mountaineering Services for their excellent Navigation Skills Training Courses.



This shot was taken towards sunset and is looking in the opposite direction down the Lyth Valley towards the Kent Estuary and Morecambe Bay.

The hill which can be seen across the River Kent is Arnside Knott and that on the extreme right is Whitbarrow Scar.

The walk along Scout Scar is very popular for its panoramic view of the southern Lake District fells and Morecambe bay. This day was no exception with many families out enjoying the snow despite the cold easterly wind and snow showers.