It's been sometime since I last put so much prep and physical effort into a walk just 24hrs before I was second guessing did I still have the legs to take on such an arduous route. One of my main arguments was which direction do I take, clockwise, or anti-clockwise. Walking the route in a clockwise direction seemed the obvious but the next hurdle was how to traverse the Scafells. Descending Lord's Rake or Foxes Tarn gully just didn't appeal to me, they are both steep and cumbersome plus the re-ascent from the base of Foxes gully to Mickledore would have been a real thigh burner. I opted to walk the route in an anti-clockwise direction meaning I would take on the Crinkles first by the gruelling ascent of Adam-a-Cove from a start point at Cockley Beck.

From Crickle Crags I would take in the contours of upper Eskdale collecting Bow Fell, Esk Pike, Great End, III Crag, Broad Crag, Scafell Pike, Sca Fell and finally Slight Side from which I will descend back to Great Moss by means of traversing below Slight Side's mighty Horn Crag which requires the perfect exit point from Slight Side south ridge, get it wrong and I could find myself in the shallows of Rowantree Crags or worse, on Horn Crag itself, that exit point was critical at a point when aching limbs and fatigue was at its highest. The Eskdale Horseshoe isn't for the faint hearted, it will test both your physical and mental fitness with eye watering scenery while traversing Lakelands grandest and highest peaks.

Found directly in between Wrynose Pass and Hard knott Pass parking at Cockly Beck can be difficult at the best of times and it pays throughout the Winter months to check the forecast before due to the icy conditions which affect the pass, even of the roads are not icy the valley temperatures fall dramatically along the pass so please check before you leave. Parking is free.

I was a tad nervous about not being able to park at the limited spaces by Cockley Beck but upon arrival besides a dozen inquisitive sheep I had the place to myself. I was running 10 minutes ahead of schedule which meant I could check through kit without rushing which worked wonders and helped calm nerves. Some deuschbag however, had left a pair of undies at the parking spaces and my eyes couldn't exactly strain away from the site of them, I mean why?

Besides the 2.5ltrs of hydration in my Camelbak I'm also carrying two 1ltr bottles of Lucozade Sport plus an empty bottle which I can fill along the way should I run dry. It's a cool but clear morning and after a quick pat down I lock my car and head into Moasdale. Despite the lack of rain over the recent week Moasdale is still like a sponge and just ten minutes into the walk I find myself making detours around the bogs. On the higher sections of the path the ground is dry and soon the view opens out to the Scafell massif and six of the summits I'll be peaking, aside the beautiful view I put them to the back of my mind and instead I concentrate on reaching Black Crag seen in the foreground over on the right. It's from Black Crag do I start the gruelling ascent on Adam-a-Cove from.

From Black Crag I ascend steeply and pathless sometimes crossing narrow feeder streams or troughs which seemed to make my ascent double hard. Soon Swinsty Gill comes into view which I cross at its head before making my way over Adam-a-Cove,

Panting like a Labrador on a hot day I reached the top of the gully and to my delight had the grandest of views over the Crinkles where morning light was beginning to streak over the Crinkles. I'm still a short distance away from Crinkle Crags summit but at least I can breathe a sigh of relief that I was almost upon the days first of nine summits.

I crossed Ore Gap and and began the steady ascent on Esk Pike. It was here I'm passed by a larger group of fell runners one of whom had a close call with the ground after jumping over a large boulder only to stagger his landing, it happened feet away from me and I held an imaginary card with 10 points for recovery, that guy should have gone down hard!

I reached the summit finding a young girl there who was taking pictures and more 'mornings' were shared, it wouldn't be the last I'd see of her but more on that in a wee while.

I had already watched four fell runners head up the scree onto Great End prior to reaching Calf Cove and I wondered should I follow the same route, I was trying my best not to make this into a competition against myself but I guess the competitor will always rear at times, more so on such a challenging route. I decide against and instead continue ascending the stone steps towards the top of Calf Cove.

Great End was a tad busy with four fell walkers already at its summit and we stopped before being joined by the young girl who I had seen back on Esk Pike. We sat opposite each other for a few minutes and found we were heading for the same summits before I left smiling "you may well see me later" and with that I started my descent from Great End back the same way I had ascended.

It was during the lower half of Broad Crag ascent did cramp strike my left calf so much so had I been alone I would have screamed the place down with f-word after f-word but somehow I concealed the pain and after a brief stop, continued in ascent.

Nothing like a little pain to keep the manners in check!

Deep Gill was starting to take its toll on me, resting more times than I was on the move but with daylight ahead I persevered and came to one last stop half a dozen steep steps from the top of the Gill, suddenly a chap pops his head over then disappears and with each stop kicked forward he emerges again as my view widens, I couldn't believe it, it turns out that a crowd had gathered around the top of Deep Gill no doubt to watch the climbers on Scafell Pinnacle but all of a sudden all eyes were on me.

The last few feet required a upward thrust Leo Houlding would of been proud of and somehow I didn't cock it up, not even with legs that were starting to feel as heavy as lead. The crowd disbanded except for two walkers lingered around the top of Deep Gill while I de-shouldered at the side of the rock that Alfred Wainwright made famous (Scafell 9) and tucked into a well earned lunch.

Reaching the grassy col came with a huge relief and it was from here did I spot the bend in the River Esk below and not to mention a full panoramic view of the Eskdale Horseshoe. I could relax, I could feel my shoulders slum a little and now all that was left was to enjoy the walk back to Moasdale and my car thereafter.

The River Esk was soon reached and from my previous elevation I was able to pick out the best place to cross which worked out well and I managed to hop my aching limbs over dry stone without so much as getting my boots wet.

Talking about getting my boots wet...

I left Scar Lathing behind and continued to follow the footpath between Throstlehow Crag and Pianett Knott which required some slight ascent which didn't bother me as I seemed to regain a second wind, however it was the bogs underfoot which slowed me down and caused me to curse.

By now not only were my boots soaked but so too were my trousers right up to the knees. In my tired state I started to curse the bogs, I cursed them for ruining the final stages of the walk and I cursed them for using what little energy I had left in me, once clear I regained composure, told myself nothing could have ruined this walk but it didn't feel that way a few minutes ago.

Adam-a-Cove domineered my return through Mosedale, it had been my first ascent and what wonders it had brought. Heavy footed under a unusually hot September sunshine I take in the last mile back to the car as I reflect on what can only be one of the finest walks I have undertaken whilst walking the Lakeland fells. Somehow I manage to overtake a trio of walkers, crossed a stream and planted my feet firmly on tarmac. With my car just around the next bend I dodge traffic and sense I'm slowing down, I can ease off, slip my body into neutral and roll to a stop.