For the time being I'm not actually missing the hot spot fells because it's given me the chance to re-ignite walking the Birketts something of which fell wayward at the beginning of the year mainly due to the wet Winter we've had, that isn't to say that I'm not missing the likes of Bow Fell, Gable and Skiddaw,...I'm just learning to deal with it like the rest of us.

Initially I had planned to take a walk around Ennerdale or Derwent Water but the forecast for today looked miserable, in fact both MWIS and Weatherline had written the day off the best day being tomorrow (Sunday) but I kept a beady eye on the forecast and by the looks of it the west of the park would escape the worst of the rain so yesterday while driving to work I thought about Birketts Buck Barrow walk from Corney Fell road summit.

I explored all avenues making sure the route didn't pass through Farmland or private property and if my memory served me right there are no gates to pass through but that's not to say I still didn't obey guidelines by sanitizing hands before, during and after the walk but for social distancing, there was no need for that today, I guess the forecast had put most folk off having not seen a soul from the beginning, to the end of the walk.

it was raining cats and dogs when I left Wigan but after checking the forecast for the final time I had to put my trust in the Met Office and thankfully by the time I'd reached Junction 36 on the M6 the rain had stopped and I could see blue skies breaking through as far as the southern fells where most summits were already cloud free. I left home a little later just to allow any lingering showers to pass and arrived at Corney Fell road summit around 9:00am. It might not have been raining but it was windy enough to rock my car once I'd parked up which was predicted to ease over the next few hours.

Kitting up was fun and I'm pleased no one with a camera was watching me trying to thread my left arm through my soft-shell sleeve which billowed widely in the wind, eventually I managed it before having the bright idea to use my car as a wind break as I laced up my boots, that said it was now my hood which was either filling up with air or trying to choke me! Kitting up felt exhausting but I was glad to be underway and soon I'd forgoten about the wind as I followed the stone wall towards todays first three summits.

Birkett wisely chose Stoneside Hill as the walks final summit which looks a good place to eat lunch later.

Like Great Paddy Crag and Buck Barrow reaching Kinmount Buck Barrow required a short, but steep push to reach the summit, its rewards were plentiful. It was here I recorded a max wind speed of 30.6mph and the temperature had also lowered to 8.5°C

Wearing a hat and gloves in the beginning of June isn't uncommon on the Lakeland fells, in fact just last week Rod and I were talking about it and seeing that such luxuries were in the hood of my pack I thought why not make use of them while it's a tad nippy.

From Burn Moor summit I turned heel and traced my way back to the pile of stones and continued to follow the path for approximately fifty yards before breaking left for the pathless approach on Plough Fell where I contoured around the upper edge of Sele Bottom.

I was about to eat my words on how dry the ground had been so far, it may not look it but the ground ahead is pretty boggy and with no path to follow, time consuming too.

I contoured around the upper edge of Sele Bottom taking care I wasn't drawn into losing any descent from which I would only have to re-ascend. With Plough Fell just ahead I picked up a sheep trod funnily enough before passing through a herd of sheep startling one young lamb who bolted full circle to join its mother who was grazing a distance away.

A short pull was required and I wondered would I find a cairn soon finding my answer. To the east of the summit a small outcrop of rock (seen centre) looked like it would offer a better view into upper Eskdale and beyond but I had to be quick as a mass of grey cloud was about to pass over the sun so I quickly jogged over.

With Great Paddy Crag now behind me I crossed Corney Fell road summit and passed my car before making the short walk towards todays final summit, for some reason it took longer than I imagined all the while cloud came and went and so did the sunlight too. I made the short ascent on Stoneside Hill to be greeted with coastal and bleak moorland views tied in with a strong wind that had returned and I wouldn't have blamed anyone for tapping that cairn before leaving. But I had other ideas, I knew the sunlight would return as the clouds scurried across the sky breaking momentarily to allow the light to break through, it didn't look favourable though with the exception of a small gap within a mass of grey.

I hung around losing the feeling in the tips of my fingers not quite knowing what to do with myself. I found the best shelter I could from the wind which meant crouching down but after a few minutes my sheltered position was deemed too uncomfortable so I got up, hung around some more and then it happened, somehow the small gap in the cloud crossed the path of the sun and light beamed down igniting the moorland and surrounding peaks, it was at that moment I took this photo then left Stoneside Hill just as I had found it, beautifully bleak and wind strewn