With only five walks remaining my two thousander footer challenge is closing in which is why I now find myself organizing said walks the way I would want them to draw to an end. Harry Griffin respectively completed his two thousanders with a rock climb on Pillar Rock which after quite a lot of thought about climbing Pillar Rock myself I came to the conclusion that I am a fell walker and not a climber and I don't fancy putting myself in danger or 'out of my comfort zone' just to prove a point which is what I told myself at the beginning of the campaign, although deep down...I'd love to give Pillar Rock the finale it so deserves.

Anyway, all that is some weeks away yet which is why this morning I find myself not only blessed amongst some of Lakelands finest fells, but under glorious morning sunshine too. Todays walk or Harry's version of the Mosedale Horseshoe is a shortened one because Kirk Fell is missed out on as I made its summit back in April this year within my Griffin campaign. Today I pick up a round of ten two thousand summits three of which are to be found on Scoat Fell. But, I have an apology to make if I have to be honest in that today I also have to collect the lonely summit of Little Gowder Crag found close to Haycock, why you may ask? well it seems back in March when I walked 'Seatallan and Outliers' as part of my project I missed out on Little Gowder Crag for some reason, instead summating Scoat Fell when I needn't have as Scoat Fell as mentioned, is collected in todays walk, I could have said nothing and maybe no one would be non the wiser but that's not how these things work, and at least, once completed, I can rest easy on the subject.

So let me talk you through my route, from Wasdale Head I pick up the Black Sail Pass via the Mosedale Valley before heading for my first two thousander in Looking Stead then continuing to collect Pillar and Black Crag from where the three two thousand foot summits on Scoat Fell are collected, not before a good lay of the land I might add. From Scoat Fell I then pick up Steeple after which I would then continue onto Red Pike, but through my absent mindlessness I now trek west one mile to collect Little Gowder Crag, then of course the one mile back to Scoat Fell's flank before summating my three remaining summits of Red Pike, Stirrup Crag and finally Yewbarrow bringing my collective total of summits to eleven, the final sting in todays walk would be the brutal descent off Yewbarrow via the Bob Graham route back to Wasdale Head, but all of that is a while a way in both body and mind.

Todays walk starts under glorious skies on the shores of Wast Water.

Any walk that involves a start from Wasdale Head means an early get up and this mornings was no different, having left Wigan at 5:30am I arrive at Wast Water on schedule feeling a little weary after the long drive. The shore road is partially blocked by stubborn sheep who refuse to move not even after a pleasant pip from the horn, meaning I have to drive around them.

After a short while I stop the car at a passing point leaving the engine running as I quickly spot the chance to take this photograph, further down the road close to Countess Beck Bridge a photographer snaps photos from a tripod as I start to make my way back to my car.

Once Wasdale Head is reached I find the carpark unsurpringingly busy as I ease my car into less than a handful of empty spaces, such my enthusiasm to get boot onto fell I have premeditated my kit up which flows well meaning within moments I am all but ready at the fell side, as I am about to leave a car pulls along side mine and a young couple get out, they too are almost ready as we almost lock our cars simultaneously, not after we pass our 'mornings' on to one another.

Having passed behind the Inn to be greeted by large groups of campers congregating behind Ritsons Bar (no doubt waiting to use the loo's) I then pass the Old Pack Horse Bridge who's view was somewhat obscured by overgrown trees, nevertheless the sun shimmered over the surface of Mosedale Beck having broken through the tree canopy. Behind me I can still hear the groups of campers but their voices lessen the further away I walk. I climb steadily over uneven ground before coming to a stop at a wooden gate, ahead, the brutal steep climb of Kirk Fell domineers my view while off to the left, is the Mosedale valley.

Today wasn't just about completing the Mosedale Horseshoe, today was also about burying one of my demons with an ascent on Stirrup Crag seen as the pointy summit which domineers over Dorehead Screes. It was while completing the Mosedale Horseshoe back in 2011 did I first encounter an ascent with Stirrup Crag where I was taught what getting to grips with scrambling and a little exposure felt like before I had climbed the likes of Jack's Rake or even Skew Gill.

Today I needed to bury those demons for good.

It was debateable what route I should take here as I am left with more than one option, when Harry climbed these fells he ascended Pillar directly from this point scurrying over loose scree, a route of which I am a little reluctant to follow, instead I steadily flank left leaving Black Sail Pass for a faint path which spits me out somewhere in the centre of this photo, the conventional route of the Pass flanks right before bringing you out at the Col seen in the far very right of the photo.

Another reason why I didn't choose to follow Harry up the scree was because I didn't want to miss out on this next view...

Once the first of three shoulders were gained here my path levels out before the rise of the second and the third, now clearly seen ahead. It was whilst here the wind had whipped up bringing with it a sudden drop in temperature causing me to second guess do I add more layers or put up with the cool winds and just roll my sleeves down.

Feeling notably chilled, I go with the latter.

This was my second attempt at taking a photograph of the summit as my first was scuppered by incredibly low light caused by a large dark cloud that had blocked the sun, thankfully it was windy enough up there in the heavens for the cloud to pass, but still, an imminent downpour looked on the cards, thankfully, resulted into nothing.

Time for a little explore.

Despite my explorations and dreams of climbing Pillar Rock summit time was kept to a minimum due to just how brisk it was and the one base layer that I was wearing! Descent from Pillar on to Wind Gap was as always a little tricky in places but nothing that even the inexperienced among us couldn't handle.

Soon I had descended onto Wind Gap which was more than living up to its name, even at the beginning of August, a pair of gloves and a woolly hat wouldn't have gone a miss here.

Having bottomed out on Wind Gap the best way to keep the cold from biting I guess was to keep moving, ahead of me is a nice but steep ascent on Black Crag from where I spot a walker descending having earlier spotted him leaving Red Pike, I couldn't blame the chap, and could only look on with stubborn envy at his gloves, hat, and hood, he sure looked toasty but maybe a little too excessive for my liking.

I tramp on.

The three summits of Scoat Fell were by now all falling into place which meant I didn't have to rely on my map having already planned there whereabouts whilst planning the walk earlier during the week.

From out of no-where a fell runner appears, she's just a young lass who's legs are red raw from both mud and the biting wind, nevertheless we share a morning as she heads towards Black Crag while me, Little Scoat Fell.

After leaving Steeple I reascend to the ridge by traversing right where I make up a small amount of ground from where I will pick up Scoat Fell third subsidiary summit where I de shoulder pack before finding a spot out of the wind beneath the subsidiary outcrop, here I take in views over Great Cove towards my 'out and back' in Little Gowder Crag.

Despite Little Gowder Crag not being on route today and gaining its summit was a mistake from my own part, summit time here was pleasant and peaceful, made more so as I had commanding views of one of my favorite summits in Caw Fell. The stone wall builders didn't stop for nothing when they built this wall, not stopping at the summit, instead building the wall right over and down the other side which, when on a brisk day as today, provided a great windbreak from where I could find myself a perch and while listening to the wind howl over the stone wall feeling fully protected all the while gazing upon Caw Fell.

These special times make me almost glad I'd missed out on Little Gowder Crag that April day.

During my re-ascent on Scoat Fell I step over the familiar path and use the path on the Netherbeck side of the ridge. My legs told me I needn't to crest the summit all the way but my head told me this wasn't true, there was no mistaking it, I did have to almost summit Scoat Fell again in order to gain the best 'lay of the land' from where I will take on Red Pike.

Ahead, and just before the summit was reached I break away hard right over tufts of grass while a walker I was about to pass gives a wave, I wave back. Scoat Tarn is visible and I wonder do I make the excursion to visit but resist knowing that the height that I will lose will only have to be re-gained.

Red Pike was quickly gained as I stop to admire my surroundings, below Red Pike's summit Mosedale Beck shimmers in the midday sun while two groups of walkers are seen heading up Black Sail Pass, a dog barks loudly followed by the owners shouts, all of which seem to be coming from the direction of Pillar, something tells me the dog is loose chasing sheep, but that's just my guess.

You can't but help feel the gulp in your throat when presented with views such as these, such a lot to take in, no photograph could ever capture.

After passing a group who had stopped behind a large boulder to eat lunch my thought turned first to my Red Pike descent which can be tiresome after a day summit collecting, but this proved to be wrong as I took in the descent twist by twist sometimes going off path if not only to ease boot pressure.

Stirrup Crag loomed though, and I could feel its presence as if it was looking at me, strange how some things get you eh.

This may not seem much to someone who rattles things like this off every weekend, but to me, and a certain Mr Tim Oxburgh it feels like a pretty good achievement seeing as I have avoided Yewbarrow all these years because of this ascent.

My last summit of my two thousander footer campaign can be seen in this photo, but I wonder does anyone know which one it is, sorry for teasing.

I now had the decision on how to descend Yewbarrow by as Harry had used the direct route back to Wasdale Head often referred to as the Bob Graham route, however, I was a little hasty with this as from Harry's description this route wasn't for the faint hearted on account on just how unforgivably steep it was, with this days earlier I had spoken to David who I knew had used this route with Andrew Leaney sometime ago, David's reply was positive 'it's steep Paul, but do-able'

I now had to locate said path.

Soon the grassy fell side gave way for unavoidable scree, it is said that to keep a direct descent you should stick to a beck that flows off to the left of this picture, off set of the scree run. Here however, the path was unavoidably steep, too steep and too tricky for descent which is why when a fell runner would take over me, here, he too used the scree as a means of descent, not before stopping to take handfuls of water from the beck.

The scree was incredibly loose yet worked to my advantage allowing me controlled slides all the way to the bottom, the only thing I had to remember was to make sure I switched feet much like a skier would turn in order to avoid my boots filling up with stones, which at times, was just unavoidable, this descent was possibly the most fun I'd had while descending any scree run for a long time and took me no more than a couple of minutes before reaching the bottom of the scree.

Worth the steep descent? I think so.

After the scree slope however my fun was over, below me I could now see cars travelling along the lake road, I could even spot the colour of the drivers eyes I felt so close to the road yet this wasn't so, the last 200 ft of descent were by far the steepest matched with swollen bracken that totally obscured the beck I was following at the time, here I was in danger of twisting an ankle or worse. I refer to an article that I had since read about how steep this path is when one fell runner competing in the Bob Graham Relay wrote that his only means of ascent was by clutching at grass all the way to the top, I can only second that.

Keeping a positive attitude works wonders when dealt with such a descent, the fell runner who had passed me had just bottomed out on the lake road and had disappeared off in the direction of Wasdale Head, all that was left was for me to carefully pick my way down all the while keeping my eye on an that ever nearing wooden sty, and further out the infamous 'Private Property' wooden gate.

Both sty and gate were hastily reached, my feet bearing the toll of over five hundred feet of some of the steepest descents I've ever encountered, still, I can now claim that I have used the infamous route off Yewbarrow.

The car park is unsurprisingly full to bursting point as I make my way towards my car, my fellow walkers who I had chatted with on Steeple are still out, or enjoying refreshments at Ritsons Bar, I go with the latter, which is where I should find myself too much like Harry had after his encounter with his Mosedale Horseshoe who that day had forgotten to take any hydration with him, when ordering his drink at the bar back at Wasdale Head Inn it was with more of a croak than a voice he wrote.

I feel like I've made good time today, in total under eight hours of which I am pleased with, even if as Harry put, we did miss out on Kirk Fell.