The Swan Hotel to Buttermere via Whinlatter

Saturday 26th May 2007

I started this day very early. Ridiculously early. In order to ensure a full day's walk I left Leicester just before midnight the day before on a train bound for Sheffield. A series of trains and buses plus some astonishingly comfortable waiting room chairs later found me at the Swan Hotel in Powter How having travelled right through the night and getting very little sleep in the process. Under the circumstances it's surprising that I was able to do any sort of a walk after a night like that much less the highly strenuous one that I did. Even at the end of the day I didn't feel too tired but I hadn't stopped all day so the lack of sleep eventually caught up on me and I went to bed early sleeping very long and soundly.

Back to the walk and I was returning to the location of my walk from Christmas that had finished on Barf with a descent by the Beckstones Gill. On this walk I was returning to Barf to accomplish Wainwright's direct ascent of Barf from Thornthwaite, so while constantly referring to an expanded reproduction of Barf 6 in Wainwright's book I tackled the scree and  scramble up Barf, enjoying every moment. It was tricky and tiring, but immensely satisfying. Proceeding from Barf I followed the path to Lord's Seat, which might not be a hill that I had intended on going up but since I was going to pass close to it I thought I may as well revisit it.

Taking a well-made path I entered the Thornthwaite Forest and that was where the fun really started as the forest bore little resemblance to what was on the map with trees encroaching beyond their bounds and manufactured paths where none should be. Despite the difficulty I only double-backed on myself a couple of times and eventually I managing to find a route from Lord's Seat over Ullister Hill and the 493m top at Tarbarrel Moss to Whinlatter. Passing along the undulating landscape of Whinlatter Top I carried on to Brown How where I had stunning views across the Solway Firth into Scotland accompanied by my lunch.

With still a long way to go I quickly returned to Whinlatter Top and headed into the forest descending slightly to gain entrance to a track that led me down to the road at the top of the Whinlatter Pass. Walking down the road for a bit I went into the Revelin Moss car park and along tracks to the foot of the north-eastern ridge of Grisedale Pike. Now began a truly excruciating climb of 450 metres in one mile up a grassy ridge. This may have been the steepest way up but it was also short and sharp, and soon I gained the summit with glorious views of the surrounding area in the clear sunny weather.

From Grisedale Pike I descended to Coledale Hause, passing over the 739m top, and started climbing Crag Hill, direct from Coledale Hause, which was quite fun, especially once the scree was cleared with a satisfying scramble all the way up to the top of Wainwright's Terrace Route and from there up to the summit of Crag Hill (aka Eel Crag). With the time now past four in the afternoon I began my descent, first over Wandope, and then I joined the main path over Whiteless Pike and down into Buttermere. The weather for this great walk was great with a clear sunny views but also a cooling breeze.