Descending in the dark, if planned, you know the route and have a decent head torch, can give you views you wouldn't get otherwise. These pics are from a day on the Old Man, where we went on to Swirl How and then to Wetherlam. We were staying at the Coppermines hostel, so didn't have that far to go, but the sun set as we were descending the ridge from Wetherlam. All three of us had walked this route several times before, and knew there were no nasty surprises or difficult route-finding. And these pics are from the Fairfield Horseshoe, descending Rydal Fell - again, a path we'd walked many times before, with no route finding needed. And the final one is a shot of the setting sun glowing on the Helvellyn range. So, has anyone else got some nice pics that you wouldn't have got if you'd been in the tea shop/pub as the sun set?
I don't think I've got any pics as most of my dark descents were done in places like Glencoe on short winter days when you're beginning to feel some haste to get off the tricky bits and onto the descent down. I've changed my descent route a couple of times to avoid descending tricky paths in the dark, especially in Glencoe. I remember coming off the Three Sisters once and onto the road and looking back up at the pitch black mountain to see a line of head torches coming down the mountain. It was quite an awesome sight.
That sounds ace, I bet it looked proper spooky without all of the usual haze of street lighting. I don't have any picture to share but yours are great @Spinney, inspirational in fact.
Never descended at night. I did have a plan, a long while ago, to ascend/descend Tryfan on a bright moonlit night but Mrs SD 'banned' me. Whilst we don't attempt to control what each of us does I abandoned the plan as she was very concerned and would've have been really worried and I'd hate to inflict that upon her. I still think about it from time to time as the combination of a lovely scramble all on my own, just me and the mountain, is very appealing.
I walk on my own in the mountains sometimes - usually routes I know well. I have done it in cloud, too (navigating in cloud on your own concentrates the mind wonderfully!) However I don't think I'd do a night walk on my own. Too much chance of a trip or fall, and in the colder temperatures exposure would set in sooner as well if I did have an accident.
And then into the clacaig inn for beer, a pile of their nachos, haggis neeps and tatties with live music including the famous Jimmy from the bar on tambourine... class... I miss those days...
My brother and I did our own attempt of the three peaks in the march time... Went up and down scafell pike in the dark, only using my brothers map knowledge and skills (i.e. no map) to get us from Langdale and back in less than 4 hours in the pitch black!
Can you not camp in that little field that's there in front? Down to the dead squirrel campsite it is then...
Fantastic photos. I don't think I'd have the confidence or knowledge to desend a hillside in the dark, but I've enjoyed walking along low level at dusk.
