Milky Way above Castlerigg

Woke in the early hours of the morning and looking up through the Velux window I was amazed at the number of stars in the sky.  When I couldn't drop back to sleep straight away I decided to get up and take a star scape, heading up to the stone circle for some foreground interest.  

It was literally pitch black, except for a periodic red blinking light up by the circle.  This turned out to be a camera, complete with a photographer bivvying next to it!  We exchanged a few words (I'm not sure if he was asleep when I arrived), and as he was creating a timelapse I stayed out of his way.  I captured a few images and then headed back to the hotel, getting back to bed and not getting up until after 8 am (most unusual).  

My plan was to walk up the Langstrath Valley today, and then, depending on how I felt, go higher.  I made it less than one and a half miles into the walk.  It was at that point that gravity took hold after slipping on some icy ground.  While I managed to protect the photographic equipment, my head was not so lucky. Lying there, my first thought was whether I had broken anything.  As I lifted my head the flood gates opened; there will be a rock in the valley forever marked with copious amounts of my blood.  I mentally checked myself over and held myself there for a few minutes to gain some equilibrium.  In the meantime another walker had passed me 30 metres away, oblivious to my predicament.  I gingerly raised myself up and thankfully didn't fall back down!  In the distance I could see another person.  This was Jess, a local from the nearby village and she was my guardian angel.  What she must have thought, seeing me with blood streaming down my face, was anyone's guess.  She helped me back along the safest route to the car.  By this time I was feeling Ok to drive to the local minor injuries clinic, so I asked her to take a photo of me for the record, took one of her for memory (See extra) and I headed to the hospital.

After recent experiences with other family members it was a relief to be seen within 10 minutes; cleaned up, glued and steri-strips applied.  My 'handsome' features are slightly impacted but I am back at the hotel and safe.  Having to tell my wife was worrying me more!  Nothing is broken, I have a headache but five hours later no other symptoms I was warned about have appeared.

You certainly become a topic of conversation with my face at the moment. Amongst the discussions It seems it's been a difficult day, with the stories of sliding cars and cliff edges on some of the passes.