3 Amazing Days & Nights At Black Sail

This week we had one of the best volunteering opportunities ever - the chance to spend 3 days & nights at one of the countries most remote Youth Hostels: Black Sail.

We drove to Gillerthwaite Youth Hostel to meet up with David (the other volunteer) & Suzy & Martin (the youth hostel managers). As it was going to be a tight squeeze in the Land Rover Karen & Crag decided to walk there.

As you can see it was a beautiful day & even more amazingly forecast to be like this for the next few days

It is a bit hazy as we look across at Scoat Fell & Steeple

Our first glimpse of our new home in the distance

After a cuppa we set to work doing a litter pick in the area.

Great Gable at the head of the valley

A panorama from the gate near Black Sail

Our main job was to be painting including the back of Black Sail & various windows, we get undercoat on the windows whilst David scrapes off the peeling paint from the walls

It's not a bad spot to be working in

Crag has soon trained Suzy to throw the ball for him

The sun soon drops & puts us in the shade

Causing hazy shade along the High Stile range

Crag doesn't need much encouraging to settle in, wow this house has the biggest garden ever

Shortly before the sun sets Great Gable is lit up

It is starting to get chilly outside but we have the fire on inside to keep us warm

An intriguing yet completely practical way to dry your boots on the joist

A plaque inside the hostel, it's worth reading

As if this isn't magical enough the sun then puts on a show for us

Andy & David enjoy a glass of red

These dinner plates were commissioned by a manager of the hostel in the 1970's so we were very careful with them

The next morning we are all back painting again, David on the inside windows

Karen on the exterior ones

The builders arrive to mend the lean to on the side which houses the generator, Andy helping to remove the tarpaulin

They got their van reasonably close, they turned up 10ish & left 2ish so work wasn't that frantic especially as they had to read the paper & have a cuppa when they arrived before anything else was done!

One of them did carry this beam from the gate where they originally left their van (about 400m away, he was glad to put it down)

The first coast to coasters pass (we counted 12 on Monday)

Karen sands down & varnishes the benches & tables from inside

Whilst the builders get kitted up to remove the concrete asbestos from the lean to roof

David clearing out the lean to

Andy gets kitted up to paint the shower room

Whilst someone takes a nap

Having a break later in the day

We had several jet fly pasts and a couple of visits from a Chinook

Andy came rushing indoors saying he thinks a man in pyjamas carrying something strange on his back was approaching, we had to have a look. It was Paul Cocoran who was walking the c2c to raise money for Care for Casualties & yes that is an ironing board. He had previously walked Hadrians Wall carrying a kitchen sink! Good for him, we all gave a donation & he had raised £200 already on his walk.

It's time for a pint, better views than your local

As night draws in the Moon, Venus & Jupiter are clearly visible to the naked eye

Someone is shattered

Back inside the hostel

This frame explains how someone broke into Black Sail & burnt the original frame & left the photos out in the rain

Crampons & some old climbing boots, Heskett Newmarket brewery make an ale called Black Sail "A brand new, very dark stout from Hesket Newmarket Brewery made with lots of chocolate malt and black malt. Complex flavours of coffee and liquorice abound" according to their website

Tuesday morning dawns, not a bad view from our bedroom

And from the bedroom door

Early rays of sun filter into the valley

As we had done most of the painting on Monday & it was just second coats needed, Karen & Crag decided to go and take some more fixed point photos

The first one was next to the Liza higher up the valley, looking back towards Black Sail

The position is where two minor becks join to form the Liza

These are the two landscape panoramas

Looking back down the valley before we start the steeper climb up the tongue

And from a bit higher up

Kirk Fell, Pillar & the High Stile range

There is no sign of Ennerdale Water from here

Even Crag sits and admires the view

We had one more to do on Gillercomb Head before the steep climb up Kirk Fell which is the fell below & if we were feeling fit we might get over to Pillar in the distance

We are soon up on the ridge between Brandreth & Green Gable

And this tarn on Gillercomb Head is where we are to take the pictures (Crag is the dot to the left of the tarn)

Brandreth is the fell behind

This picture made the border weather photos on Thursday (first time of sending a picture in, 100% success rate think we will not bother sending any more!)

You have to pinch yourself, is this really real, am I really seeing such magnificent scenery?

Photos taken so we move on

Great Gable, it doesn't stand out as well from this angle, the path we are following is known as Moses Trod & it leads us to between Great Gable & Kirk Fell

Looking into the sun at Windy Gap

Looking down Ennerdale valley

The higher we get the more fells come into view

We are soon looking down on Wasdale & Wastwater

Next the steep climb up Kirk Fell, we have been down this route before but not up it

Before we start Crag spots Beckhead Tarn & is off

We stop & look back down

Great Gable looks impressive from here

Sca Fell & Scafell Pike

We have made the summit plateau

Kirkfell tarn

Lovely reflections of Crag in the water

Looking back at Great Gable again

Gable & The Scafells

Just catching one of many jet fly pasts, it is rising now but had been below us

Burnmoor Tarn in the distance & Wast Water

Red Pike (Wasdale) & Pillar, we decide we have made such good time that Pillar is feasible today as well

The photos are taken at the top of Kirk Fell

Zooming in on Honister Slate Mine

Now Suzy had warned that the way off Kirk Fell was steep & she wasn't kidding, this was a case of putting camera & poles away & taking real care getting off

We make it off in one piece & head for Pillar

We didn't know it at the time but this was the last water for Crag until we pass it again later

Looking back at what we had just come down.

One of Pillars many false summits, you think you're nearly at the top and another one pops out.

Taking a peek into Ennerdale valley

Looking back at Kirk Fell

Looking back along one of the plateaus

Not for those with a bad head for heights

Views for miles up here

When we get to the summit we are shortly joined by a couple with Alfie the collie who just wants to play with Crag

And play they did til they were both tired

Loooking down on the forest track in Ennerdale

Panoramics from the summit, at 892m it is the 8th highest Wainwright

Great Gable in the distance

High Crag & Haystacks with the Buttermere fells behind

Looking down Mosedale

Having taken the pictures & Crag having had a run about with Alfie we head down, that's Black Sail at the end of the track just 600m of height to lose.

On top of the last steep bit before we reach Black Sail Pass & a much needed drink for Crag

Great Gable & Kirk Fell

Did we really come down that?

Almost back down to the youth hostel

The shadows grow longer in the valley

The chinook pays us another visit

Martin, David, Andy, Karen, Suzy & Crag

Crag continued to play with the frizbee, ball & stick when we got back & the enivatable happened

Last sunset photos

One where Karen was smoking!!!!!

The next morning the sun catches the descent we had done yesterday from Kirk Fell

Vapour trails are the only marks in the sky

And we have to say goodbye

Not before we give a second coat of paint to the back of the hostel

The builders are back & yes this is day three of replacing the lean to

We had the most fabulous time, made by the weather, we hope we can come back again at the end of the season to help them shut the hostel back down again. We can't believe more volunteers didn't want to be a part of this, never mind it's our little secret.