Farming in the Lake District

Farmers, and foresters, and all outdoor workers hate strong winds. It makes everything so difficult and consequences less predictable. And although less work is probably done because of it, one is soon wearied. In a working group, relationships sometimes get strained. It is an old country saying that 'The devil is busy in a high wind'. Some of the Lake District valleys are notorious for their strange wind eddies. Depending on the direction of the gale, the configuration of the fells brings sudden violent squalls and miniature cyclones.
Hotels lake district
It makes sailing on some of the lakes hazardous to say the least. Several times when I have been in Buttermere in strong winds I have seen whirlwinds pick up waterspouts, and the same turbulence there once twisted the tops off some quite sturdy old lakeshore trees as we watched. But on the fells the effect is even more violent. I have seen stones the size of a fist picked up and bounced about. It is common to see heavy waterfalls, particularly Piers Gill on the side of Scafell Pike, lifted uphill by the great force of an up draught. I experienced one of these strong up draughts once when climbing a gully on Dow Crag, Coniston. It seemed as if all the seven winds were channeled into our gully and we were being pushed up as if we were on an escalator of air. We laughed about it afterwards and speculated whether, for safety's sake, we should have rope belayed from below.

A powerful gale at lower levels can be at near hurricane strength on the fell summits as it sweeps violently upwards from below to join forces with the gales sweeping freely at the higher levels. Watching mountain rescue search dogs trying to pick up air scents in moderately strong winds on summit ridges, one can see the patterns of turbulence. In a strong wind it seems there is a narrow area along an edge which almost is a vacuum. My own dog running along the extreme windward edge of a summit plateau may not pick up the scent of climbers on the cliffs below, but moving back from the edge for some feet she shows an instant reaction. One wintry day from the centre of a plateau she lifted her nose and moved over to the cliff edge to tell me that there were people below.

I looked over but saw no one. As she looked down she had obviously lost the scent but her movements told me that she felt she had not made a mistake. I had another look and sure enough there were two climbers eating sandwiches in a shelter they had cut below the snow cornice.A sudden squall on the mountain top can drop walkers like ninepins and it is rather amazing to me that more accidents have not been caused from wind. I was once thrown bodily down a fell side. I should have known to get down low before the squall hit me for I saw the string of walkers in front of me skittle, but when it did strike me it was like a blast from an explosion.

I had turned my back to it and the next thing I knew I was off my feet, hurled forward in the air, then beaten down violently. I started to roll when I hit the ground but was stopped by my rucksack and escaped with a few bruises. The worst mountain weather is rain with strong winds. It is a killer, for people with inadequate clothing will get wet and rapidly cooled by the wind. Hypothermia comes quick¬ly. It used to be said that the best mountain clothing must 'breathe' to prevent perspiration. No one would be seen in completely impervious jackets before 1965.
But one July a man went missing in the Scafell area. The search was continued for four days and it was wet and windy for most of the time. When some mountain rescue personnel had to be sent down off the mountain as they were reaching the first stages of hypothermia, the teams had a rethink, and very soon were reequipped. Now completely waterproof jackets are standard issue, and outdoor pursuits centers have adopted them too. Best to be warm wet from perspira¬tion, than cold wet from wind driven rain.

One can soon be demoralized on the fells by squally weather. Walking becomes a struggle and morale boosting conversation is impossible. You tend not to take the trouble to pull out your map and assess your position and are inclined to rely on your sense of direction. There is a tendency to move off course into sheltered positions and to walk slightly sideways instead of forward. In such condi¬tions getting lost is easy.It is an ill wind that blows no good. Wind produces wrack. A work party at Red Tarn below Evelyn and its ridges found twenty three hats, five maps, and an assort¬ment of scarves, odd gloves, even spectacles. If I get out of bed after a disturbed night of noisy wind I know that I can collect enough blown dead kindling to last me for a long time. One early morning dash to the seashore in a wind that nearly cut me in half produced enough planks to build several workshop shelf units and a rotten window bottom in my house was replaced by teak.

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Adrian vultur writes for Hotels lake district

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