Arthurs Pike, Bonscale Pike

Parked at Roehead just outside Pooley Bridge. An easy track to follow on the Ullswater way, via the Cockpit stone circle across to Aik Beck the up the track directly to Arthurs Pike. The summit is just to the right of the main path. From here we tromped over to Bonscale Pike and retraced our steps to Arthurs Pike cairn stopping for lunch at Swarth Beck. We then headed down the hill to the west to the lower cairn with great views over Ullswater and then turned north on the track over White Knott to meet the path we came up on at Aik Beck.
Weather was warm at lower levels but quite a breeze higher up.

Time 4 hrs

Memories

Back on Wainwright challenge after nearly a year off
Gentle ascent
Good views down to Ullswater

Completed 179 To go 35

Hen Combe

Parked outside Loweswater by the telephone kiosk which now houses a Community Heartbeat Trust Community Public Access Defibrillator. The first park of the walk followed the same route as our walk up Mellbreak. We had no problem crossing Mosedale Beck.

Mosedale Beck

Having gained the ridge by following the wall on our left, we walked up to the summit. Descent was by retracing our steps. A lovely walk for my 60th birthday and to put icing on the cake we saw a red squirrel scuttling across the road and up a tree on out way back to the car


Time 3 hrs

Memories

60th Birthday Walk
Red Squirrel on way back to car
Gentle afternoon walk



Completed 177 To go 37

Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike (Shipman Knotts)

Time 5 hrs

Grade Excellent

Memories

• Flock of Rough Fell sheep 
• Views down Haweswater from Harter Gully
• Cloud free summits and clear views to the West

Completed 176 To go 38

Haweswater from Harter Gully

Herdwick

High Raise, Sergeant's Crag, Eagle Crag

Fleetwith Pike from Eagle Crag

View down Greenup Gill from Lining Crag

Time 7 hrs

Grade Excellent

Memories

• Long walk
• Pathless descent from High Raise
• Good clear views across all the fells
• Completed Central Fells

Completed  174 To go 40

Grey Knotts, Brandreth

Storm Clouds over Pillar

Our intial plan for today was a full days walk to High Raise but the weather forcast was for very heavy rain from midday. So a mornings walk was the solution and the 2 peaks from Honister fitted the bill perfectly. Parking at the slate mine ofr a fiver (which was refunded later with purchases from the shop) we toothe path directly behind the mine straight up the hillside with a fence to our right. After the initial steepish section the incline soon eased and we reached Grey Knots with what appeared to be 2 summit cairns. We had to go to both to be sure.  The walk on to Brandreth was straightforward however trying to off Brandreth in a north easterly direction as marked on the map we soon reached a fence with no crossing point. We therefore followed the fence round the north of the summit and eventually reached the main Honister,Green Gable path. By now the clouds were coming in over the Gables, Kirkfell and Pillar, as forecast. We now followed the main path back to our starting point. A couple of groups of DofE walkers could be seen below Fleetwith Pike. Theycan be recognised a mile off! We met a group  back at the slate mine, heading for Stonethwaite.


Time 3hrs 45 mns

Grade Excellent

Memories

• Good timing with weather forcast
• Great views over to Kirkfell and Pillar Range

Completed  171 To go  43

Great Crag

We had two options for this wak. Either a staright up and down from Watendlath or a round from Stonethwaite. We decided on the latter and manged to find a parking spot just before the school in Stonethwaite, quite lucky as the school summer fete was on.

Willygrass Gill

The route took us across Stonethwaite Bridge and a short distance along the Cubrian Way before heading of left up into the forest on a good path. As part of the school fete we met a group of  children from Keswick running club wlaking the course with their parents before their race.
Quite a steep ascent through the forest with Willygrass gill on our right (what a great name) and then on to the open fell towards Dock Tarn. The ground here becamr very boggy and remained so all the way to Grey Crag. The path to the sumit of Grey Crag was not easy to find initially in the bracken and the bog but we oon found it after leaving the main path on the left.

Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag

A nice little summit a good view down to Watendlath tarnand oout route down. We headed down the path towards Watendlath intending to cut the corner across the heathland but the marshland prevent this so we followed the still very boggy path befre turn to the left following a path towards Puddingstone Bank. Here the track was easy downhill towards Rosthwaite which I had run a few weeks before in the round  Derwentwater 25k.
We seemed to take quite a while descending and decided to walk back to the car along the road from Rosthwaite rather than the Cumbrian way which would take us the wring side of the river.

Time 4 hrs

Memories

• Nice afternoon walk
• Boggy around Docker Tarn
• Beautiful views down to Watendlath

Grade  Excellent

Completed 169 To go 47

Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, (Skiddaw) Bakestall

Grisedale Pike, yesterday's way up

A fantastic walk, a great improvement on the tourist route up Skiddaw from Latrigg. We parked on the Orthwaite road a few hundred yards from the A591. We had decided to start the walk form that point rather than starting with the walk in from Peter House Farm. We would probably regret this at the end of the walk.
Route find was no problem taking the path just under Watches on to Ling Howe, The Edge and then Ullock Pike. Yesterdays route up Grisedal pike was clearly cisible across the valley. From Ullock Pike the ridge ahead was clearly visible over to Long Side and then up to Carl Side. Amazingly three moutainbikers were coming along the ridge the other way and then head off down where we had just ascended.
Our main concern for the day was the route from Carl Side to Skiddaw. The path up the Skiddaw slate was always in view from the ridge.At a distance it looked steepish but as we got closer it appeared steeper and steeper looking almost vertical.
A deep breath at Carlside tarn and we started ascending. The steep section was steep,as we expected, but not vertical, and manageable. Would have been difficult in wet weather. Elspeth felt she had to keep moving constantly in case she slipped back if she stopped.
The difficult bit was soon over and we were on the broad Skiddaw summit for a deserved lunch.

View from Skiddaw looking over Long Side

The way off saw us leaving the numerous people on top who had ascended the tourist route and were heading to descend the same way.  A nice gentle descent taking care to to head for Broad End, on to Bakestall and then a steepish pat down Birkett Edge to the Cumbrian Way. Although we were tired the walk back along the road to the car was not too bad with very little traffic.


Time 7hrs

Memories

• Superb round walk
• Steep ascent up to Skiddaw
• Mountain bikers on Ullock Pike
• Completed Northern Fells

Grade Excellent

Completed 168  To go 46