Grey Friar and Great Carrs

Another glorious day for mid Feb. A cold and frosty morning with glorious clear views driving from Staveley to Ambleside along the back roads via Troutbeck and then to Chesters at Skelwith Bridge (yes for another pre walk coffee) and then to the top of the Wrynose pass.
Set off at the top of the pass, looking for the path marked on the OS map heading diagonally up to Wet Side Edge. As is common, the start of the path was nowhere to be seen, maybe because the ground was covered with frost and icy patches on the northern facing slopes. However, we soon found it after climbing about 300ft and followed it gently up to the ridge, the sun continuously just above the brim of the ridge, in our eyes but keeping us warm, our shadows following behind. Once on the ridge the amphitheatre opened up before us with Wetherlam, Swirl How and the Carrs, silhouetted against the low bright sunshine. The grassy ridge was a delightful ascent to just under Little Carrs then a track to the right took us, contouring under Great Carrs, to the coll between Great Carrs and Grey Friar. One final ascent and soon we were on the grass and rocky summit, almost lunaresque in appearance. The sun to the south west beamed over the Irish sea.


The Scafells to the north west looked both imposing and gentle at the same time. Imposing with the details of their cliffs highlighted by the shadows yet gentle in the warm winter sun with no cloud or wind. An idyllic place for an extended lunch stop with not a soul around .
Another peak to climb so time to move on and retrace our steps east to the col. Here we met two other couples ascending, so the top would not have been our own if we had stayed for much longer.

Once at the col we continued in a straight line up the grassy slope of Great Carrs, a line which took us directly to the memorial to 8 RAF airmen who lost their lives when their Halifax Bomber crashed in 1944 just below the summit ridge.
Once on the ridge we were now looking down into the amphitheatre, all it’s walls still in shade from the, sun now lower in the sky. Decided against a trip to Swirl How and set off along the ridge edge down to Little Carrs and beyond to the grassy ridge we ascended. Although using the same route for ascent and descent, the two could not have been more different. Now, on the way down, the views to the north changed with each few hundred feet. First the Scafells dominated the skyline but soon their tops were tucked away behind Crinkle Crags and again, these were soon to be obscured by Cold Pike as we descnded the ridge. The pointed peak of Bow Fell remained conspicuous for most of the time. Our shadows now marched on before us, sometime 50 – 60 ft long depending on the contour of the land.
We did not follow the path down to Wrynose but kept on the ridge until level with our car and headed directly down the frost and in places icy, slopes.

Time 3 hours 30 mns

Grade Excellent

Memories Views and the general ambience of the summit of Grey Friar


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