Saturday 22 October 2011

Red Screes from the Kirkstone Pass 5/9/10

This walk began from the car park opposite the Kirkstone Inn at the top of the Kirkstone Pass.  The beauty of this walk was the easy accessibility to the high fells - the complete opposite of the walk I did to Scafell Pike a couple of years earlier.  This was particularly useful today, when I had limited time.

When I started the Red Screes walk I was already 1493ft above sea level, and rocky ascent to Redscrees summit loomed above me.  I only had to pass a gate in the wall at the end of the car park, and on the opens fells.

The ascent to Red Screes summit seen from the Car Park at the start of the walk.
I crossed a short boggy section of ground and began the ascent.  I quickly gained height and before long I was look back down to the Kirstone Pass.  I got a great view of the Kirkstone Inn and the car park where I had begun my walk.

Looking back down to the Kirstone Inn from the steep ascent to Red Screes.
As I climbed further I could see over St Raven's Edge to the Ill Bell ridge.

St Raven's Edge in the foreground with the peak of Ill Bell seen behind.  The Kirkstone Pass is in front and below St Raven's Edge just out of shot.
After a few short sections of easy rocky scrambling (nothing like Jack's Rake or Sharp Edge), the ascent began to flatten out and in just less than an hours walking I had reached the summit of Red Screes.

Approaching the summit cairn of Red Screes.
The view from the summit was amazing. To the north, I look over Middle Dodd down into Patterdale where I could see Brotherswater and a small snippet of Ullswater further down the valley.

View north from Red Screes Summit.  Middle Dodd is the fell in the foreground.  Brotherswater is directly behind.
Looking north west I could see the Fairfield range with the fells of Helvellyn behind.

View of the Fairfield and Helvellyn range, north west from Red Screes Summit.
I could also see Lake Windermere to the south:

Lake Windermere from Red Screes.
And more of the Ill Bell ridge looking east:

Ill Bell and the Kentmere ridge.