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PICTURES AND TRIP REPORTS FROM MY WALKS IN THE ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT
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A walk this week which would tick a couple of items of my to-do list firstly a walk up the pathless ridgeline from the top of the Blea tarn road up to the delightfully rough ground around Blake Rigg and secondly to camp by the little tarn I had seen when I first visited Little Stand in 2010.
Not wanting the faff of finding overnight parking in Great Langdale I left my car in Ambleside and caught the bus. This is looking to The Band with Bowfell to the right and Crinkle Crags to the left from the field behind the national trust campsite.
The Langdale Pikes from the start of the zig zag path to the top of the pass.
Nearing the top of the pass and the ridge I was heading for can be seen rising from the road.
There are no paths on the map but I just climbed directly upwards following the wall, although from time to time my efforts to keep to the crest of the ridge meant I veered away from it.
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Cracking view down Mickleden from higher on the climb.
Decision time here. Do I stick to the boring grassy rakes either on the right or in the centre or do I explore the more sporting route on the left.
Definitely the more sporting route with an easy scramble through rock and grass. Obviously as I'm on my own and have a heavy pack I don't tackle anything too serious but it's nice to pretend to be a climber once in a while.
Looking down to Side Pike on Lingmoor Fell.
The ridge was turning into a real roller coaster with every craggy section followed by a grassy dip. Here I again made for the more interesting ground on the left.
And I'm glad I did as I got a great view back down the full length of the ridge and Blea Tarn.
Back on familiar ground now as Sue and I had explored this lovely area of small tarns and Knolls when we were Birkett bagging a few years ago. It was noticeably colder at this height and all the bogs and tarns were frozen. Good view of the Langdale Pikes and Codale Head from one of the tarns.
This is the cairned top of Bleaberry Knott which I don't remember climbing and as it's not a Birkett top we probably didn't. Pike of Blisco where I'm heading next is just across the saddle of Wrynose Fell.
The tricky little gully climb to Pike O Blisco was made even more interesting being mostly frozen.
The dip of Swirl Hawse is the only bit of the Coniston massif which is out of the cloud.
Pike of Blisco seen from Browney Gill on the path to Crinkle Crags.
I turn off the main path and head across the frozen bogs which made this normally wet crossing a lot more comfortable. Instead of taking the usual path up to the saddle between Little Stand and Stonesty Pike I made for the grassy shelf you can see on the left which I reckoned would bring me out at my camping spot which is about 100 ft down from the summit of Little Stand. It was very cold now and flurries of snow started falling.
This is the little tarn below the west top of Cold Pike by which I camped in 2022.
After negotiating the rocky climb to the shelf I contoured around the fell and came out exactly level with my intended camp site The little tarn is on a shelf overlooking Wrynose Bottom. The tarn was frozen as was I so I quickly got my tent up and put on the kettle
This is a little later in the day and the sun is picking out Cockley Beck.
Nice bit of evening sky over Devoke Water.
A bit of a murky view over to Slight Side and the ridge up to Scafell.
After quite a windy but thankfully not to cold night I packed up and climbed to the summit of Little Stand. Grey Friar is just about in the cloud.
A spot of sunshine on Whin Rigg and what looks like blue sky out to sea. Hopefully the better weather is coming my way.
Still very cloudy over Coniston way. I'm returning on the path down the saddle and zooming in on my route around to Little Stand that I took yesterday.
Originally I had intended to go down to the Old Dungeon Ghyll and catch the bus from there but in the time it took me to get down to Red Tarn there was a quite welcome improvement in the weather so I decided to extend my walk down to Elterwater and maybe further if the good weather continued and I felt fit. Lovely light on the band and Pike of Stickle.
Great Knott, the Crinkles and Bowfell all in a row.
And looking the same way as I pass Red Tarn.
Wet Side Edge with Wetherlam, Swirl How and Great Carrs behind are clear now.
Harter Fell catching the morning sun.
The weather has improved so much from the freezing windy early morning. I set off down Wrynose Pass from the Three Shire Stone.
Looking down the road.
The view opens up as you descend the pass, Little Langdale and its tarn come into sight.
I have driven over Wrynose bridge countless times but have never photographed it.
The classic view of the pikes over Blea Tarn Moss.
And the pikes again but this time from the lane outside Fell Foot.
After crossing the infant River Brathey I start on the short climb over to Low Hall Garth. The high ground in the distance is where I was yesterday morning.
Still following the track which runs roughly parallel to the Brathey. The weather is still lovely and I feel fit ( if not a little hungry, as I've eaten all my food ) so I carry on and hopefully catch the bus at Skelwith Bridge. Bowfell is well seen from the track just before Stang End.
As are Fairfield and Red Screes.
My final climb of the day is up the steep steps near Park Farm which are part of the Cumbria Way. I realise that if I get a wiggle on I can make the 12.20 bus which I did... just about.
Previous walk -- Bootle to Green Road via Logan Beck