The Lakes, day 7 – Grasmoor and Grisedale Pike

Sunday 21st July 2002

This was a good day's walk and unexpectantly I had company for some of the day. I started off by walking up into the hills to the north of Buttermere onto the developing ridge of Whiteless Breast (I had a chuckle about the name at the time) and up to Whiteless Pike where I happened to meet Keith Smith who I'd had dinner with the day before in the youth hostel. Since we were both going in the same direction we went up the hill together but I soon nipped off to visit the broad grassy top of Wandope. The weather was fantastic for this walk and I remember the views at this point being particularly impressive as I looked from the summit across the valley of Sail Beck towards Robinson, Hindscarth and Dale Head. The deep valleys that flow into the Newlands Beck made this a stunning sight with range after range of hills stretching all the way to Helvellyn on the Horizon. From the summit cairn I rounded the edge of the hanging valley of Addacomb Hole and up to the top of Crag Hill where I met up with Keith again whose older legs had forced him to take the easier, direct route from Whiteless Pike.

Wainwright called this fell Eel Crag, which is actually the name of the rocks to the north of the summit, but the Ordnance Survey map calls it Crag Hill and that’s how I’ve always thought of it. Wainwright acknowledged that Crag Hill would be a better name for the fell but he said that walkers are conservative folk and don’t like change. He had become used to calling this old favourite Eel Crag and couldn’t change now, but for me, fortunately I have never thought of it as anything other than Crag Hill so that is what it’s called. From the top of Crag Hill Keith and I walked down the long slopes to the col before slowly climbing the long grassy ridge up to the top of Grasmoor. Once again I left Keith behind as my younger legs sprinted on ahead enabling me to reach the summit first and see the truly astounding view that can be seen from this fell on a good day that stretches across the Solway Firth all the way to Scotland and the hills of the Southern Uplands. After returning to the col Keith decided to head back to Buttermere on the path beside the Liza Beck which left me free to climb Grisedale Pike on my own.

After crossing Coledale Hause I traversed the eastern slopes of Sand Hill to the top of the ridge that leads to Grisedale Pike. I enjoyed the fabulous weather that was giving me stunning views east across the Vale of Keswick while stopped for a rest at the summit and to have something to eat. Turning around I proceeded along the ridge above Hobcarton Crag to Hopegill Head and onto the narrow ridge that leads to Whiteside. I remember this as being an exciting traverse along a narrow, high ridge with plenty of rock to negotiate. Unfortunately I have never returned to this ridge since even though all the other fells in the walk have been visited again, except for Whiteside. I had planned on a return in 2011 on the day of William & Kate’s wedding, but high winds encouraged me to change my plans. Now I am longing for a return to a ridge that I probably remember as being a lot more exciting than it actually is compared with others that I have done since, nevertheless I’d still love to return. There is nothing more exciting than walking along a narrow ridge and this was one of my first.

After passing the top of Whiteside I descended through heather and bracken to the road at Lanthwaite. Rather than follow the road back to Buttermere I decided to go around Crummock Water along the western shore of the lake. After passing through Lanthwaite Wood I reached the lake shore where I was stopped by two dogs and their owners. One dog was chasing another while both owners were trying to get a hold of their dogs. Eventually one dog got trapped beside the water’s edge which let the other dog get behind it and satisfy the urges that had been driving it. For this brief moment the dogs were not moving and the bitch's owner was able to rescue their dog while the other owner grabbed their randy canine. I was then able to continue my journey much amused by an incident that has stayed with me ever since. It has taught me to be careful if I get what I want as it might be just the opportunity someone needs to take everything away from me.

The remaining walk beside Crummock Water was pretty uneventful until after I crossed Scale Beck where I had tremendous problems trying to get to Scale Bridge. The path was not clear and I had to walk through a lot of very boggy ground. Eventually I spotted what was probably the proper path down the hillside near the lake's edge, so hurtling through the bog I dropped down the hill onto the path. Maybe my error was moving away from the lake edge, but I don’t think there was much I could have done about it. Wainwright describes this as being “One of the wettest paths in the district.” Despite the boggy end this was a fabulous walk over great mountains, in wonderful weather and with tremendous views. The Lake District was continuing to enthral me as I continued my first ever visit. My legs and ankles may have been aching afterwards from all the strenuous walking that I wasn’t used to, but I was enjoying every moment of it.