Early Mornings on Latrigg

Despite the hustle and bustle you might see at midday on a Saturday on the market square, Keswick is for the most part a sleepy, quiet town. This is never more obvious than on an early morning, before the B&B's have started serving breakfast. Take a stroll in the town and you'll see what I mean.

This is a lovely time to grab an early fellwalk up to the summit of Latrigg. Heading out of town, past the leisure centre and over the A66 at Spooneygreen Lane, you'll probably only meet the occasional fellrunner - especially in the Winter months when these photos were taken.

Latrigg is and always will be a popular fell, but on a number of mornings recently I have more or less had the place to myself. Either following the path as it works its way round to the car park and then following the wide track to the summit, or leaving the path for a direct climb up the steep grassy slopes, it is only a short walk to the top.

Often a very windy spot, a couple of times recently I've almost struggled to take a picture from the top overlooking Keswick, but after taking in the morning air and enjoying the view, you can easily be back down in town in time for breakfast - and you still have the whole day ahead of you!

Sale Fell in the North Western Fells

This was one of those typical Lake District days where the weather can't make up its mind - rain, sun, snow and sleet all making intermittent appearances, so we decided to go for something that offered shelter for at least part of the walk.

Sale Fell is the northernmost outpost of the North Western Fells, together with Ling Fell these are the gatekeepers to this side of the Lake District.

It is a straightforward fell to walk - no scrambling required and the paths are very straightforward to follow. We approached the summit by following the path that arcs round to the west, with views over to Ling Fell, before coming back eastwards and heading up towards the grassy summit.

As we approaches the views to the south opened up giving us fine views of the Whinlatter range, ad when we reached the summit there were also fabulous views over Bassenthwaite Lake to the Skiddaw range.

Views over to Binsey from the summit were marred by some unsightly deforestation of Wythop Wood that had left this side of the fell scarred with tree stumps and not much else.

The summit itself is a wide grassy plain that was scenic enough without having the thrill you get on reaching the final rocky outcrop of a strenuous fell climb. This is different walking altogether, and Sale Fell offers the chance to follow your nose and explore the grassy plain, taking in the views all around.

We headed back down the southern side of the fell, through woodland and past the site of Wythop Old Church, before following the road back to the car. A lovely little that is ideal of you only have an hour or two to spare.

Blea Rigg via Easdale Tarn

I think of Grasmere as being the heart of the Lakes, Right in the middle, accessible from Keswick or Windermere, Coniston or Patterdale, it stands to reason that it is a busy little village. 

With it's literary, culinary and cultural links, it attracts far more than just your hardened walkers which means that although the village might seem bustling with activity, once you get out and about things quieten down - unless you follow the crowds up Helm Crag.

This walk took us up the popular scenic walk to Easedale Tarn, alongside Sour Milk Gill. The weather was not great and this probably deterred a number of people from heading upwards and so the route wasn't too crowded.

The walk up to the tarn is postcard picturesque all the way, with amazing views from the valley floor, along the gill and up to the edge of the tarn.

At this point the weather took a turn for the worse and as we started heading up the path to Blea Rigg the rain and mist set in, so the views were pretty minimal all the way to the top. The climb itself is good fun, with the path crossing rocky terrain before making the final sweep to the top.

As luck would have to the clouds started to dissipate when we were on the rocky summit, giving us glimpses of fell groups all around such as the Langdale Pikes and the Coniston range. The rain also subsided and conditions became very favourable.

From Blea Rigg we followed the well-trodden path towards Silver Howe, stopping en route for a picnic. We enjoyed our food whilst taking in the view over Grasmere towards the Fairfield horseshoe.

We got as far as the summit of Raw Pike, before deciding to head back towards Grasmere. This was a fairly simple but very rewarding walk and a great way to spend a couple of hours in the heart of the Lake District.

On the shores of Thirlmere

On a recent trip to Grasmere we had a bit of time on the journey back so we decided to explore a bit of the scenery around Thirlmere. This is a beautiful part of the Lakes that we always seem to just drive through as we head between the northern and southern parts of the national park. The fells above Thirlmere, in particularly Bleaberry Fell, don't get a good write-up from Alfred Wainwright either, so it's not been top of the list of places to walk.

A quick look at a map revealed that a walk up to Harrop Tarn should be a nice easy walk. We parked up  close to the shores of the lake and headed up the steep wooded slopes away from Thirlmere. This was actually hard work, the stone steps were extremely slippery and recent or ongoing forestry work meant climbing over felled trees on a number of occasions!

But once we gained a bit of altitude the going got a bit easier, and this became a very scenic woodland walk. The trees cleared as we neared the tarn, and the views from here of the water and surrounding fells were incredible.

Looking back, we had a fine view over the Helvellyn and Fairfield ranges when looking eastwards over the A591.

This was a great place to linger for a while and enjoy the views, but with the old issue of not having time on our side we were soon headed back down the wooded fellside using the forestry commission tracks which were far easier to walk along than the treacherous path up! I noted a path headed over to Watendlath and that feels like a walk we will be doing at some point too.

As we neared Thirlmere we were greeted to an incredible sight of clouds billowing in through Dunmail Raise and slowly drawing over the water. Our walk along the road southwards back to the car meant that we had this spectacle ahead of us all the way back to the car and it really was a special scene.

Far Eastern Fells - A Howtown Circuit

As part of this year's Wainwright Society Challenge, I made my first journey into to wilds of Howtown and beyond to explore the outer reaches of the Far Eastern Fells.

The purpose of the challenge walk was to tackle one of the ridge routes between two fells, as described in Wainwright's Pictorial Guides, as well as raising money for the Brathay Exploration Group. There are many high level ridges that are almost as legendary as the fells themselves, but I decided to pick a less obvious one. The walk between Arthur's Pike and Loadpot Hill is serene rather than sensational, and whilst other fells will have been rammed on this weekend, I had the place to myself here which was a great feeling.

I started off just outside of Howtown, heading back through the huddle of houses and welcoming pub before hitting the lower slopes of Bonscale Pike. After initially following the path that slants its way up the fell, the guide suggested that there was a more direct ascent to be made, and so I went for it. It has to be said this wasn't a path but a straight slog up the side of the fell, a hands and knees job.

Not the best ascent it has to be said, but my frequent stops to catch my breath were rewarded with the Ullswater opening up behind me. In addition, I made the summit in no time and this meant most of the hard work had been done for the day.

Bonscale Pike and Arthur's Pike both have a lot to offer. As long as you stick to the paths their ascents are relatively simple, and perched on the shores of Ullswater they offer great reward. What's more, both summits are embellished by spectacular beacons, stone handiwork from times gone by.

It is a simple walk from one to the other, with a dip between the two when crossing Swarthbeck Gill, and all the way you are accompanied by fantastic views. I will definitely be revisiting these fells!

From Arthur's Pike I then struck "inland", headed on the wide track that follows the gradual incline of Loadpot Hill. This walk now became one of solitude and serenity, as I did not see let alone encounter another soul in this path, which in the Lake District is a very rare thing. It felt almost like the North York Moors here as I crossed the sprawling mass of land that is Loadpot Hill and Wether Fell. Neither are especially scenic but a look at the map and the references to stone circles, tumuli and Roman forts tell you that this is ancient land and steeped in history. As this is also the route of the High Street Roman road, the path follows in notable footsteps.

Wether Hill has two areas of minor prominence which count as its summits and again, whilst not being especially spectacular, this place is not lacking in atmosphere.

I had originally planned on heading back to the car from here, but I had made good time, so I decided to head down into Martindale and up Steel Knotts. I'm not really sure why, but I decided to jog down the steep path, giving me the tiniest of insights into the world of a fell runner. It meant I covered ground quickly, pausing at a ruined house in Martindale for a spot of lunch.

Steel Knotts is a great little fell, with a craggy summit bearing the magical name of Pikeawassa. Perched just above Howtown, the views from here are as spectacular as you could wish for. From here it was a steep but straightforward descent back to Howtown, sadly still no stop in the pub, but a big smile on my face after a great day in the Far Eastern Fells.

Little Mell Fell: The Lake District Lowlands

I guess as part of attempting to tackle ALL the Wainwrights, you have to take the rough with the smooth. Or in this case, the smooth and rounded instead of the rough and craggy.

Some of these "minor" fells are also valuable for a number of reasons - they are easily done in a shorter amount of time, and a good number of them lie on or close to our route when headed home from the Lakes. Great Mell Fell, Souther Fell, High Rigg, Latrigg are all fells we can easily head up on the way home and one other obvious addition to this list is Little Mell Fell.

True, a walk up Little Mell Fell cannot compare with the thrills of a high ridge walk, an ascent of a higher fell, or a grand day out. It is lowly, rounded, grassy and isolated from other fells.

But for me it is the gateway to the Lakes, the first bump in the landscape that tells you that you are entering Lakeland. It is also a nice quiet corner of the Lakes and so the lanes between the A66 and the shores of Ullwater provide an ideal little network of routes for cyclists to avoid the busier roads.

Our tour of Little Mell Fell was completed in under one hour - ascent, enjoy the view, and descent. There's no description of the route needed either. Park at the bottom, head upwards on the grassy slope until you reach the trig point, then head back down.

I did really enjoy the landscape from here. The great hulk of Blencathra over to the north, the fellow minor fells of Great Mell Fell and Gowbarrow Fell nearby, Ullswater just beyond and panoramic views of the Lake District to the west and the Eden Valley over to the east.

All in all an easy and fun little walk that allows us to get just that little piece more of Lakeland before heading home.

The Fairfield Horseshoe

I gaze upon the Fairfield Horseshoe every time we stop off in Ambleside. As you look northwards from the town, the Fairfield group of fells are displayed in their full glory, inviting you to take on the circular challenge.
A few years ago, myself and crag rat Rainer made a tentative venture onto these fells completing a half-circuit. We started off with a steep pull up the scree slopes of Fairfield before working our way back down along the eastern flank.

This time around with a full day of walking ahead of us, an excellent weather forecast and a table booked at Zeffirellis for the evening, conditions seemed perfect to tackle this walk. We opted for an anti-clockwise route, setting off from Ambleside and starting with Low Pike. At this point we had glorious sunshine, with just the hint of a breeze to keep us fresh.

As we made our way up the slopes of Low Pike, the wind gradually picked up, but we still enjoyed its cooling effect and it helped us on our climb. Despite its name, as it's name suggests, this is not the highest of fells, and although easily reached, it is quite a sharp pull up, as you get onto the main ridge of this wonderful circuit.

From here navigation is made very simple by a dry stone wall that traces the route for the next few miles. This does restrict views somewhat looking forward, but with an increasing wind, it made for welcome shelter.

Clouds started rolling in, and it seemed that the weather forecast might have omitted some of the facts! The walk up from Low to High Pike is very impressive, with the next goal in clear sight as you gain altitude.

From here, much of the hard work has been done for now, as the path and accompanying wall march onwards over the summit of Dove Crag - which was the subject of the first ever chapter Wainwright wrote for his Pictorial Guides.

Somewhere along here, our faithful companion and wind shelter slowly dwindled away, leaving us exposed to the elements. The next fell on the horseshoe, Hart Crag is a short walk away, but by this time the clouds were rolling in. From here you have  choice to either continue towards Fairfield, or an alternative would be to head eastwards to Hartsop Above How and then down towards Brothers Water.

We pressed on towards Fairfield, at this point the winds were getting much stronger and we felt a few drops of rain - what happened to the weather forecast we were promised?!?! Conditions on the vast Fairfield summit platform were pretty bad so the camera didn't come out much except to take this shot down back into the valley.

We had planned on stopping for lunch, but after visiting the summit cairns and shelters we decided it would be better to head for lower ground, so on we marched onwards on the return leg of the horseshoe.

This is a very spectacular ridge and it's not hard to see why it is so popular, but today things were very quiet up here with the howling winds, and its fair to say we were glad it was a wide ridge rather than a narrow crest of rock!

Onwards and over Great Rigg and Heron Pike and there was no let-up, so not much of a chance to stop and take in the views.

Even on lowly Nab Scar we still had a howling gale to contend with, but we did manage to find a spot of shelter for lunch.

Soon enough afterwards, we were back down off the higher ground on the valley floor, where we stopped at the very picturesque tea shop at Rydal Hall for a warming cup of coffee.

The walk back to Ambleside route is a really nice lower level walk, and the perfect end to a spectacular if at times a rough day on the fells.