The snow continued to be a major factor during this walk, but fortunately this time I enjoyed perfect weather with the sun shining all day, hardly a cloud in the sky and hardly a breath of wind. The snow meant I couldn't park where I'd planned (next to Maggie's Bridge, near Loweswater), so I parked on the main road at Lanthwaite below Grasmoor. This necessitated a long walk-in from my parking spot to Maggie’s Bridge and another long one at the end when I was tired. However, since this extension was along easy tracks and roads it wasn't too bad and actually I found it quite relaxing compared with the rest of the walk. Beyond Maggie’s Bridge I entered Holme Wood and began climbing the steep wooded slopes eventually reaching the edge of the wood to stunning views of Grasmoor and Whiteside.
Crossing into the open fell I climbed beside a stream, the Holme Beck, for a short distance until I reached a fence where I turned right and followed the fence steeply up the hillside. This was in fact the wrong way. I had misread Wainwright’s guide and therefore missed out on a vastly superior route that crosses the eastern slopes of the fell along an excellent terrace route that affords stunning views over Loweswater before climbing beside a wall to the top of the fell. Instead I had an exhausting climb while trying to drag myself up the steep slope in deep snow that didn't get any better even when the gradient levelled off. This was typical of the whole time I spent on the fells during this walk as I struggled through snow that was often knee deep, and was sometimes even deeper in drifts. It was an extremely tiring day as I had to lift my feet high with every step while wading through the snow, but eventually I managed to walk or sometimes crawl to the summit of Burnbank Fell.
With the snow already beginning to get a hard crust as the sun set I came off the fell and onto a bridlepath that took me through High Nook Farm and back to Maggie’s Bridge. A quick walk along the road and up through Lanthwaite Wood brought me back to my car. Although this was a really tiring walk I actually enjoyed it, mainly due to the stunning views that accompanied me all day, which more than compensated for the trudges through deep snow. In the summer this would have been a simple, if boggy, walk. Under these conditions, despite the clear, sunny weather, it was a gruelling challenge of stamina. It amazes me how a little snow turns even the easiest walk into a mountainous expedition and shows that walking under these sorts of conditions should never be taken lightly.
Unfortunately these views quickly disappeared in the mist as I made my way across the undulating top to the cairn at the top of Ivy Crag before proceeding to the summit. As mist enveloped around me it started snowing, almost creating potentially dangerous white out conditions, which forced me to stop and check the map reference before carefully, slowly making my way up to the summit where I had my lunch. By the time I had finished eating the mist had cleared and as I made my way back to the top of the Uskdale Gap the sun had briefly come out. Leaving the stunning views of the surrounding fells behind me, I quickly dropped down the hill beside the Uskdale stream back into the enchanting woodland following my own footprints through Harry Guards Wood back to my car as it started to snow once again.