Whitbarrow, G/LD-056 - 215m ASL - SD 441 870 - OS Explorer OL7 - 1 SOTA point        

From Dufton Pike G/NP-027, we drove down to Southern Lakeland, and the parking area adjacent to Witherslack School, sitting underneath the steep rocky face of Whitbarrow Scar.  Just like our first visit here in 2004, we edged past the school playing fields on the public footpath before cutting up the steep path up to the ridge.  Just like our first visit in 2004, I disliked that steeply cutting ascent sufficiently to decide to avoid it on the return!

Liam and myself were still on that section by the time Jimmy had sprinted up to the summit.  He called me on his handheld radio to inform me of his progress, and then he made a CQ call.  He made his four contacts in eleven minutes from his Yaseu VX-110 radio, while I monitored on my VX-7R, and logged for him while I continued my ascent.  I saw Jimmy briefly at the summit for a few photographs, before I sat down on the rocks to make my own contacts, and Jimmy headed off with Liam to begin the descent, on the agreed route down Bell Rake.

For me, the contacts did not come as quickly as for Jimmy, and he was on standby to call me for an "emergency" fourth contact once he had descended sufficiently.  Call me he did, but by that stage I had made the requisite contacts and had commenced my own descent.  I caught the lads up as we picked our way steeply down Bell Rake, following which we made a quick 2 kilometre march back to Witherslack School and our car.

The youth hostel at Kendal was more like the typical town/city centre hostel than the remote countryside retreat with near full occupancy and lots of teenagers about the place chatting and playing pool.  We made up our bunks in the dormitory on the top floor, and then headed out into Kendal town centre to find a curry house.  With a little help from the locals, we did, and enjoyed a fine evening meal.  We slept well.

Many thanks to the following stations, all worked with 2.5 watts: