We parked nr Dowthwaite Head at a parking spot near the road junction. We then followed the track to the hamlet itself receiving a cheerful greeting from a local farmer as we passed.
Once on the hill the fun began, the snow which had fallen a week prior had gone through a big thaw and the ground was very boggy. It felt like quite a slog onto our first hill Hart Side and we were glad of the rest at the top.
Beyond this I'd love to give a good route description but the conditions were not good, hill fog, wind, cold temperatures. I believe we probably reached the tops of Green Side & Stybarrow Dodd - the mist lifted a little not long after this in time for us to see the top of Great Dodd.
As we ascended the mist dropped again and we made a silly navigation error thinking we needed to head back down to Stybarrow Dodd to get to the next top. We descended beyond this before we realised our error. We had a few options, continue down then reascend a long way to reach our next two hills, head straight over and ascend the snowy bank up Great Dodd or retrace our steps back up Great Dodd to pick up the correct route. We made the sensible choice of heading back up as it was on an easy track which we now familiar with!
Thankfully once on the right track it was easy going to Calfhow Pike and finally Clough Head which Emma commented was like one big giant Clough.
We dropped down off Clough Head avoiding the crags to pick up the Old Coach Road back to the car. We got back just in time to avoid needed to use our head torches & were treated to a slightly red sky as we trudged back to the car..
An unbelievably tough walk made much worse by the featureless moorland, slushly/boggy conditions underfoot & unrelenting wind. One I would only repeat in clear conditions to get the benefit of the views. I expect these hills are beautifully quiet and nice in calmer conditions..
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