A Kirkstone Round

Saturday 25th July 2009

A Saturday when I wasn't working happened to coincide with good weather this summer so I got up extra early and drove to the Lake District. It is always a thrill to walk in the Lake District but this time I was walking through some stunning scenery in glorious weather over no less than ten Wainwright fells. I had parked at the car park near Brothers Water, in the valley on the northern side of the Kirkstone Pass, the highest road pass in the Lake District, and started walking through the village of Hartsop, and up the picturesque valley to the Hayeswater Reservoir. I had never been up that path before and it was a pleasant walk through a narrow valley with pretty cascades on a wide, easy track that soon ends at the bland surroundings at the mouth of the lake. The views back down the valley compensated for the bare slopes encircling the reservoir. From the dam I climbed the tedious, steep, grassy slopes of Gray Crag to the northern end of the ridge and proceeded along the top of the nicely rock-featured ridge to the summit of Gray Crag, my first Wainwright of the day.

From the top I crossed the broad ridge and up to the top of Thornthwaite Crag where the beautifully made and distinctive beacon, a tall column of stones, stands sentinel over an awesome view down to Windermere and the southern half of the Lake District. From the summit of my second Wainwright I followed the wall down the steep scree slope to Threshthwaite Mouth and climbed the fabulous rocky terrain opposite. This brilliant climb brought me up to Caudale Moor where I visited the summit at Stony Cove Pike (my third Wainwright of the day), before having a look at the stunning views towards Patterdale from the top of Caudale Head. After paying a visit to the Atkinson Memorial I resumed my walk along the top of the ridge following it all the way down the sadly dull terrain to the inn at the top of the Kirkstone Pass. I was dumfounded by the sight of helicopter bags of stones on the ridge-top path, a sure sign that the path is going to be ‘repaired’ in the near future, but I couldn’t see any reason why it needed to be. The path did seem to be a little boggy, but that was easily solved by walking on the other side of the wall, as I was.

After crossing the road I began a fabulous climb up to the top of Red Screes. This is an awesome route that snakes up the steep rocky terrain along glorious ledges, but was really tiring. Exhausted I finally reached the summit where I collapsed and had my lunch. The only other time I’d climbed Red Screes from the Kirkstone Pass was in 2006 when I did an epic walk over many fells. By the time I’d reached the top of Red Screes on that occasion I was already exhausted, but I still had a long way to go, eventually reaching the hostel in the dark. Fortunately during this walk I was refreshed after eating so with some vigour I set off down the ridge of Smallthwaite Band to Middle Dodd, my fifth Wainwright of the day. Unfortunately, there I abandoned all common sense and wore myself out by crossing the steep, craggy and boggy slopes of Red Screes to the Scandale Pass before crossing the steep grassy slopes of Little Hart Crag to my next Wainwright, the insignificant High Hartsop Dodd.

This pointless exertion was all for the benefit of bagging two more Wanwrights for the first time. As I learnt on this walk, it is never a good idea to go out of your way to ‘bag’ a summit. If you want to visit the top of a hill it is much better to devise a logical route that incorporates that summit. Having successfully and completely worn myself out I then climbed back up the ridge to the top of Little Hart Crag before crossing the dreary landscape of Bakestones Moss to Dove Crag. Slowly I dragged myself up to the top of the popular fell where Fairfield Horseshoe walkers were common place. Following the crowds I crossed over to Hart Crag before leaving most of the crowds behind and ventured down the deliciously steep, rocky fell onto the Hartsop Above How ridge. Although I had been down the rocky fellside before I had never been along the Hartsop Above How ridge before this walk, but by now I was feeling so tired I fear I was unable to really appreciate it. Following the ridge I passed over the top of my tenth Wainwright of the day gradually descending as I made my way along the top of the ridge. At a stile I came off the ridge and walked through bracken and later steeply down through woodland back to the car park. This was a fabulous walk in good weather but it was awfully tiring. There were some fabulous moments, most notably the steep, rocky climbs up to Caudale Moor and up to Red Screes, but the diversions to bag Middle Dodd and High Hartsop Dodd were unnecessary and a waste of energy. If I had left these two to be done as a separate walk then I could have maintained a straight course over the Scandale Pass, but after bagging these two Wainwrights I can now say that I have visited all the Wainwrights in the Eastern Fells and so I have now bagged all the fells in three of the seven areas of the Lake District. How sad am I?!