Any other alternatives, though interesting, look most unsuitable for tired legs and those expected very sore feet...

The ascent, I would think about 20 minutes, but its clinging to the wall at times and crossing the beck, roots and all. Its not a much used route. Wythburn is nowhere near as steep as Steel Fell and it does have the path, although boggy in its lower reaches.
Dave.

Dave, looks like there's a trod of sorts heading diagonally up the hill cutting up through the trees - seems to disappear but then is evident again at the top... would need a recce I think though..?

Ive just looked on Google Earth (2008) and there is defo far less trees now alongside Red Beck and it looks like it should be okay if you stay on the left hand side of the wall, being careful not to follow it beyond that hidden wall junction near the top.
I might go up there for a recce myself as I have yet to do those two Wainwrights.
Dave.

Sorry Dave, I missed this response... I think I'm getting ready for an upgrade here - t'internet's getting dodgy...
The trod I'm looking at seems to emerge from the trees at around GR118140 and still evident at 111140 (ish) seems to lose itself under Boat How but is evident crossing the wall at 106137 - probably used as access for Whoap. Google is in cloud hereabouts but it well looks as if a track heads topside (south) of that wall heads to the trees towards Grike/Heckbarley (Crag Fell also) utilizing the blaze(non ROW forest track - meets wall at 102135) to join the ROW (bridleway) though the more obvious choice would be to join the route at the wall junction you refer to
cheers
mick

The more I go over my last attempt, the more I get to thinking 'Why didn't I stick with Ronald's original route and drop to the Traveller's Rest - get some grub and head up Easdale as I did on my 1st attempt? Why couldn't I see this as a viable alternative at the time?'
The inevitable answer of course is mental as well as physical tiredness.
Had I refuelled at the Traveller's, I would have been in a better position to think more clearly and would probably have plodded on. But then, knowing that Ronald's last day of 36m would have been too much anyway as a last effort maybe (as it proved to be on the 1st attempt when my leg gave out)
Though here, back in the armchair planning, it does seem such a shame that I gave up on what would have been a swifter crossing with just 40m to go... especially as you never know whether that is going to be your last attempt...
Much credit to Dave for getting to Scarth Gap.

...at the risk of talking to myself (no change there though) I sat down yesterday and (from memory) jotted down the calorie content of the food consumed on this last ill-fated attempt.
Including the Fish and Chip supper at RHB it comes to 9000 over 4 days inc the 'last supper' of 'mash and green bits' when it should have been nearer 20,000.
Thing to note is that even if the A19 services cafe had been open and I'd been able to get fed in Reeth, this would only have added 2-3000 calories at most to that 9000, and although it would have made a huge difference especially to the Day 3 start in helping propel me to Shap (instead of CR Moor) I would still have been 8000 kc short.
Just thinking aloud really, but does make you realise the importance of extra input when trying to up the pace...

We may not be talking Mick but like me Im sure there are plenty of interested readers out there !

When most of us do there walks in morenormal timeframes calories are not really part of the planning, you just tip up to the pub and the end of the day and grad a sarnie for the trail the next day. Its interesting to see this from the more athletic end of the spectrum

Les

Hi Les,
ha ha, the nearest I got to athletic was knocking the bar off at 6' 9" in the pole vault (a new school record would have been 7') - bearing mind the national record of the day was probably around 16' back then..? (they were clearing more than our school record in the high jump!)
I can still recall the eager faces as I 'sprinted' along the red shale track pole aloft...
I don't think they could get anyone else. I must have done one fluke in practice!
Funny how you never forget some things...
Then there was that time I came last in the Worksop Cross Country...

However, any future attempts will most certainly have to address that 'mental stamp' of failure lol. Not sure whether to recce sections of this new route or just go for it...
cheers
mick

Athletic? I used to get E minus for physical education at school and would fall over laughing if anyone desribed me as an athlete.I did eventuially get a semi repsectable 10k and marathon time but feel that is within the capacity of anyone provided they train hard enough.

My most glorious moment was an "athletics" comeback at the age of 44 when I signed up to a new club and big things were expected of me at my first race,the Barrow 6,a short county road race held in freezing fog in January.I started well,went through the first mile with the leaders in 5.12 and then blew up.A mile later later the club chairman,61 years old,red faced and as fat as a pig,came jogging past me with a knowing look.But I found reserves I didn't know I had and took on the fight to catch this old git.Eventually I managed to catch him a mile from the finish and kept him at bay over the last 400 meters.It was hardest effort I have ever had to make for a mediocre 141st place out of 500 starters and an embarassing time of 41.40secs.

One thing people seem to forget is that the longer the distance the less athletics abilty you need.Most people would be struggling to run a 30 minute 10k but plenty of "ordinary" runners,say 4hr-4.30hr marathon time could get round a 100 mile course such as the South Downs Way in under 30 hours provied they were up for it which is the primary requirement on these sort of events.