Scafell Pike August 2006

I started this walk from the free car park at Wasdale Head after a long journey though the lake district via the Hardknott Pass. The weather was overcast and cloudy, but early on in the walk it was above the tops of the fells. My route to Scafell Pike started up the Moses Trod path that took me up the side of Great Gable toward Sty Head. Looking up I could see Napes Needle with wisps of cloud blowing across as I ascended the rock strewn path.

At Sty Head I took the path between the cliffs of Great End and Sprinkling Tarn to reach Esk Hause. When I looked back towards Styhead from higher up the path, Great Gable was now covered in cloud. When I reached Esk Hause I stopped for some lunch and watched the cloud pour over the ridge between Great End and Ill Crag. The top of this ridge was obscured in cloud, which then blew across the valley of upper Eskdale to my left.

I set off along the path which took me onto the cloud covered ridge, where visibility was severely limited by the mist. Towards the top of the ridge, the path disappeared as I crossed the boulder strewn plateau, relying on the stone cairns for navigation. The terrain here was extremely tough to cross.

The ground dropped to a col before rising again to traversing the boulders of Broad Crag. The path bypassed the summit of this crag by a relatively short distance, but the terrain and conditions did not make this additional ascent seem very appealing at that time. The ground then fell away steeply to another col where it then made the final ascent to Scafell Pike summit.

The ground here climbed steeply over loose rocks and stones before leveling out. The summit cairn came into view, and I headed over. I had eventually made it to Scafell Pike. Although I had passed many people along the ridge and through the cols, the summit itself was almost deserted. I climbed the steps of the cairn structure to reflect on what it was like being on the highest ground in England. For a short time I had the Cairn all to myself. Cloud and mist was all around. Just then it seemed to brighten up slightly, and I hoped it was going to clear. But unfortunately it didn't, and I could not see anything further than the plateau of the summit around me.

Reluctantly I left this amazing area, and head down towards Mickledore. The weather had been more or less dry up to this point, but just then started to pour down heavily. This was possibly the heaviest rain that I have ever experienced in my life. Despite this, it seemed to just make the walk more special. When I reached Mickledore, the rain seemed to ease off, and I stood talking to a walker watching the clouds swirl around the rocks of Broad Stand. I will always remember looking up at those towering cliffs in the middle of this wild weather.

As I climbed down the scree slopes below Mickledore I caught a glimpse of Waste Water through a tunnel like opening in the clouds. Eventually I dropped out of the cloud altogether around Hallow Stones, and the day had turned rather sunny. I looked back towards Mickledore but could not tell whether the Stormy weather was still going on, or had completely passed across Upper Eskdale. There was certainly some cloud about, but it was difficult to believe that I had experienced such stormy condition no more than half an hour before.

I followed the path down to Brown Tongue where I crossed Lingmell Gill. Shortly after I turned off the main path, and headed north across the lower slopes of Lingmell back down to Wasdale Head where I had started this 'tour' of Scafell Pike. It was the last lakeland walk that I did that year, and it seemed particularly special, like all the other walks had led up to it. The walk was an amazing experience, and I hope to return there again.

Bowfell & Esk Pike from Great Langdale July 2006

I started this walk from the car park near the New Dungeon Gill Hotel. As I set off along the path toward the Old Dungeon Ghyll, I looked up to the Langdale Pikes. I remember thinking how interesting this area looked and how I wanted to return to do this walk some other time. My destination today, however, was the magnificent Bowfell. I could see Bowfell in the distance further down the valley. It looked rather spectacular along with Crinkle Crags.

Once I reached the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel I walked past the car park then onto the road before joining a farm track leading to The Band. After walking through the farm yard I came to the junction in the path where I could turn off to The Band, or continue to Oxendale Beck. Taking the turn off for The Band, I started the long ascent up the ridge leading to the col between Bowfell and Crinkle Crags. As the land rose the views across to the Gills running down from The Pike of Blisco and Crinkle Crags, impressive channels cut into the fell side.

The path up Band is predominantly on the southern side of the ridge. There is one point in the ascent, however, where the path rises onto a flat part of the ridge where there are good views over to its northern side overlooking the Langdale Pikes, and the Pike of Stickle in particular. As I continued, though, the wall of the ridge rose on my right hand side as it joined with the southern crags of Bowfell itself. I followed the curve in the path around under these crags as it rose to the col at Three Tarns.

From here I turned right to ascend the main mass of Bowfell up a steep rocky Gully. As the land levelled out onto a plateau, I could see the rugged peak of Bowfell rising over to my left. I followed the short path leading off up to the summit where I sat down on a rock to eat my lunch and observe the view all around. Bowfell summit is 902 meters and gives views into multiple valleys separated by high fells. As I sat there eating my sandwich I found myself looking for the Langdale valley from where I had ascended. There was something quite disorientating about not being able to see this huge valley straight away. The view on to the west was truly outstanding. I could see the whole of the Scafell range unobscured. My attention was drawn to Mickledore and Broad Stand with it's vertical cliffs. Once again I thought how much I would like to visit those fells.

From Bowfell summit I set off across the ridge towards Esk Pike. I passed the northern edge of Bowfell on my right and descended down into a dip in the ridge before making a relatively gentle ascent to the rocky summit of Esk Pike. I continued passed without stopping as the path fell away suddenly on it's far side, descending to Esk Hause. This was a flat plateau between the base of Esk Pike and Great End. In the middle of this area there was a crossroads where five footpaths met. One of these went up onto the Scafell Pike ridge. Although my next destination was back towards Angle Tarn and then down to Great Langdale, I went down the path which is used as a short cut by walkers ascending Scafell Pike from Grains Gill in Borrowdale. When I came to the path going down towards Sprinkling Tarn I got a great view of Great Gable across Sty Head. Turning right, however, I walked up to the shelter below Allen Crags and realised that I had just taken a very long route from Esk Hause, adding on about 20 minutes to my walk. It did, however, provide an inspiring view of Great Gable that was certainly worth seeing.

From here the path descended and then rose over a brow before descending once again to Angle Tarn below the Bowfell to Esk Pike ridge. A very scenic Tarn. The path then rose to the gap between Rossett Pike this ridge. At the top of this rise, the path then dropped sharply down Rossett Gill to the valley floor of Mickleden. I followed the path beside the Mickleden Beck underneath the Pike of Stickle to the Old Dungeon Gill Hotel. It was then just a short distance back to the New Dungeon Gill where I had parked my car.

Helvellyn via Striding Edge July 2006

I started this walk from the village car park at Patterdale. I headed down the main road turning left up a lane just before the stream. The lane headed upwards passing through woods before reaching the open valley. Crossing the bridge over the stream, the path started to traverse the lower slopes of Birkhouse Moor. It had started to rain at this point, and the summits of the Helvellyn range of fells were covered in cloud.

It seemed a long haul up this path before reaching the "gap-in-the-wall". This was a stile at the top of the ridge joining Birkhouse Moor with Striding Edge and the summit plateau of Helvellyn itself. From here I got a good view of Red Tarn, Swirral Edge and Catstycam as I passed the gap in the wall and headed towards Striding Edge. I made the mistake of taking the path which bypassed the top of Low Spying How at the start of the ridge walk. As such I ended up missing some impressive parts of the ridge. It was not until I reached the middle of Striding Edge that I actually scrambled onto the top of the ridge itself. It was still very wet and misty as I progressed along. Before long I approached the far end of the ridge and the final ascent onto Helvellyn itself. As I waited to descend the rock chimney at the end of the ridge, I got chance to look around. Although it was misty I could see the steep ascent of Helvellyn ahead of me which looked awesome, and to my left I looked down into a misty Nethermost Cove. Once I descended the chimney, I started the scramble up to the summit plateau of Helvellyn. This was very steep and the loose rocks made the going somewhat difficult. The mist got thicker as I ascended.

Once at the top I made my way past the summit shelter and looked for the summit cairn in thick mist. After I found it, I returned to the shelter to eat some lunch. Because of the mist there were only fleeting glimpses of what would have been spectacular views towards the east over Ullswater. However, on the western side of Helvellyn, the weather was starting to clear, and I could see something of the central fells.

My next destination was Grisedale Tarn on the other side of Dollywaggon Pike. As I set off I noticed the cloud swirling above Nethermost Cove. The weather on the east of the main Helvelyn ridge was considerably different to that on the west which continued to brighten up. The path bypassed the actual summits of Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike, but not by far. In retrospect, they would have certainly been worth a visit. By the time I reached the zig zag path going down to Grisedale Tarn, the weather had completely cleared all around. It had turned into a sunny day, although there was still a strong wind.

I had not yet decided on my route back to Patterdale. It would have been easy for me to take the direct route down the Grisedale valley, but in the end I chose to walk around the tarn and ascend Fairfield returning via St Sunday Crag. It was a steep climb to the summit of Fairfield and my legs just about took me up after plenty of rests on the ascent. When I reached the plateau on the top, the views all around were very rewarding on what was now a bright fine day.

I descended the north east ridge towards Cofa Pike which involved some light scrambling. At Deepdale Hause the ridge started to rise again to St Sunday Crag. The view across the eastern side of the Helvellyn range was quite spectacular. The Striding Edge ridge was now completely clear. The north wind felt almost gale force though, with strong gusts, one of which nearly ripped the glasses off my head.

The climb to St Sunday Crag along this brilliant ridge seemed never ending due to the fatigue which I was feeling. It was a fascinating fell to which I would like to return one day soon. Eventually I reached the summit, and began the descent towards Birks and then down into Patterdale where I had began my walk. Once down in the valley there was no gale force wind which I had experienced near Deepdale Hause. The weather was now bright and warm like a typical July day. There was no suggestion of the wet windy conditions earlier in the day.

Kentmere - Yoke - Ill Bell - Froswick - Mardale Ill Bell. April 2006

After my last walk on Great Gable, I wanted to try something easier; something less of a climb or scramble. The fells around Kentmere seemed a good choice. In addition to being a easy place to drive too, the fells around that area, although high, are much more gentle compared to the same steep gradient of Great Gable.

After finding somewhere to park in a field near the village, I set off towards the Garburn Pass which would take me to the top of a ridge. This was a nice gentle track which gained height gradually. After half an hour of walking I reached the summit of the pass, where I got a fantastic view down into the Troutbeck Valley with Wansfell on the far side. I turned off the stoney track, and headed north over peaty ground which eventually turned into a path along the ridge.

The first summit I reached was Yoke. I pressed on. The path went downwards, loosing considerable height before rising again to the summit of Ill Bell. This was a facinating fell with two summit Cairns. I eat my lunch here looking south where I got a great view of Lake Windermere. On the other side of the valley to the west, there was a clear view of Red Screes.

After lunch I continued north. The height of the ridge descended, loosing height, before once again rising to the summit of Froswick. Looking back I got a great view of Ill Bell which I had just left around fifteen minutes earlier.

After Froswick the ridge started to merge with High Street range of fells at the head of the Kentmere valley. I decided to follow the contour around towards Mardale Ill Bell. I later regretted not paying High Street summit a visit. It would have added at least another hour onto the walk, but I am sure it would have been worth it. I was new to this area at that time, so this is just something that I have learnt with experience.

The path took me round to the ridge that joined Mardale Ill Bell with Harter Fell. At the shelter I looked down to the small tarn on the north side of the ridge. It was very picturesque. However, I was heading down the path on the opposite side
of the ridge back towards Kentmere.

From here I could see Kentmere Reservoir and the Ill Bell ridge that I had walked along earlier in the day. The path descended steeply at first and then started to level out slightly. I noticed that there were loose rocks of marble scattered here and there. Eventually the path became a low level walk and joined with a tarmac lane after passing some picturesque country scenery. I followed this lane back into Kentmere.

Great Gable - Easter 2006

This is a walk I did Easter Saturday 2006. After a drive up the M6 motorday, I came off at Penrith and headed along the main road to Keswick. There was a great view of Blencathra to my right, and ahead I could see the snow capped peaks of the Scafell Pike range of fells. This was the first fell walk I had done in the Lake District for a couple of years, and was the first time I had ventured to do a solo walk on one of the big fells. And what a great fell to choose - Great Gable (899 meters).

I passed through Keswick and joined the road adjacent to Derwent Water into the Borrowdale Valley. Turning left at Seatoller I headed down the country lane to Seathwaite at the head of the Borrowdale valley. There were many cars parked on the grass verge on either side of the road. This supprised me slightly as I was expecting the car park that was indicated on the map. It seemed that the grass verge was the car park! It was about 11am when I arrived, so the parked cars stretched far down the lane.

Once I had put on my boots, I headed up the lane to the small hamlet of Seathwaite. I remember there being a small row of houses in a farm yard, one of which was a tea shop that I visited on my return later in the day. Originally I had intended to cross over the river at by the campsite at Seathwaite but had difficulty spotting the path between the two barns leading to the bridge. I decided to head further up the path and cross the river at Stockley Bridge.

The weather was overcast and it rained slighly as I crossed Grains Gill. On the other side the path climbed steeply alongside Styhead Gill and Taylor Force waterfall. I climbed at a quick pace and found myself out of breath in a short period of time. Once the land levelled out, I continued up the valley between Seathwaite Fell and Base Brown. As I walked along the path it moved closer to the course of Styhead Gill and the ground became very rocky. The Scafell Pike range of fells then came into view. This was the first time I had ever seen them in person this close up, and the view was awe inspiring. I felt slightly disappointed they were not on my itinerary for the day.

The summit of Great Gable itself was out of sight, obscured from view by the lower slopes. This was a shame because I had not seen the view Great Gable from this side of the fell (I had seen Great Gable and the Scafell range before in the distance from High Stile above Buttermere - this was an awe inspiring sight as well, one that I can remember to this day). The path then crossed the gill and after a while Sty Head Tarn came into view. By this time I had become enthralled by this magnificent mountainous valley.

Eventually I arrived at Sty Head where a number of paths met in a col between Great End and Great Gable. This is the summit of the pass going from Borrowdale Valley in the north to Wasdale Valley in the south. After a brief rest, I turned right heading north west straight up the steep slope of Great Gable

This was a very steep and rocky path. Like I mentioned before, it had been a couple of years since I tackled any Lakeland summit, and Great Gable is a very formidable mountain. I found the going very strenuous and physically tough. I had to rest regularly as I ascended. What supprised me most apart from the steep gradient, was how long this actually went on for. I can't remember exactly how long the ascent lasted - perhaps half an hour or longer. This was a long time to walk feeling so exhausted. As I got higher, though, the view back towards the Scafell Range became even more impressive.

Suddenly the gradient became less steep and started to level. The ground was covered with loose rocks and boulders and there were patches of snow nesting in the crevices. Eventually I reached the flat summit plateau across the boulder strewn fell top. The rain from earlier on in the morning had just been a brief shower, and towards the top of my climb the sun had broken through the grey sky. It was now a bright clear day, and visibility was fabulous.

The summit was rather busy, and a number of people were sat close around the summit rocks. I stopped there for some time looking at the views all around. The first area that drew my attention was the Buttermere valley. I was looking down on Haystacks which seemed tiny from the summit of Great Gable. The lakes of Butermere and Crummock Water could also been seen clearly. Ennerdale was visible along with High Stile on one side of the valley and Pillar on the other. I also remember seeing Wastwater in the Wasdale valley. I was absolutely intrigued by the view to the Scafell Pike range of mountains to the north. When I planned the walk I did not appreciate how close Great Gable was to these fells. Great End was closest to Great Gable, and seemed particularly impressive. The giant scar of Skew Gill looked very formidable. From where I was standing there didn't seem any obvious routes to the summit.

These were my first impressions of this area. I have since ascended Scafell Pike and others in the range and understand the area much more intimately, but it was this initial experience that really caught my interest.

I must have spent twenty minutes on the summit taking in the views. I could have stayed longer, but needed to press on as my time was slightly limited due to the drive home to Manchester. The descent from the summit was to the north east to Windy Gap. This was also steep and rocky, requiring the use of hands for brief sections of scrambling. Once at Windy Gap, there was the ascent to Green Gable. This looks nothing on the map in terms of gradient or distance, but feeling tired from the ascent of Great Gable, the additional short climb seemed very tiring. Once there however, the view back to Great Gable was spectacular. From here there is a fabulous view of Gable Crag on Great Gables north face. This was truly awe-inspiring.

I descended from Green Gable to the north east. I arrived on the ridge that connects Green Gable with the neighbouring fell of Base Brown, where I took the left branch in the path. This led down to Gillercomb where Sour Milk Gill flows down to Seathwaite. The sun shining down made this small hanging valley seem extremely picturesque. At the mouth of the valley above Seathwaite, the land fell away sharply at Seathwaite slabs and the path descended steeply alongside a waterfall. Some minor scrambling was involved in the descent before I reached the Valley floor on the far side of the river from Seathwaite. From here I crossed a bridge and joined a track (the one I could not find at the beginning of the walk) that took me into the hamlet of Seathwaite. Before leaving the Hamlet to return to my car, I called in at the tea shop for a sandwich and drink.