Wainwright’s - Great Dodd, Watson's Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd and Hart Side

Of these two hills, Great Dodd was one of the “only one of us had done it variety,” while Hart Side was a new one to us both.

Parking at High Row we headed along the coach road for 600m or so before picking up the Bridleway alongside Groove Beck.  Crossing over Matterdale Common it was pretty icy in places and to say there was a biting wind would be an understatement. The views were great though.

Great Mell Fell and Little Mell Fell from Matterdale Common just before Randerside.

Great Dodd from the cairn on Randerside

A quick break at the cairn on Randerside left us chilled to the bone and it took a good stomp up onto the summit of Great Dodd to warm us up.  

Moira approaching the summit of Great Dodd with Blencathra behind

The windchill on top was really uncomfortable and I ended up with frozen fingers before I could even drag my camera out of its bag.  As a result we did not hang around and headed off in the direction of Watson's Dodd.   

The little lump on the right is Watson's Dodd

In the lee of Great Dodd we were sheltered from the wind and within ten minutes we had to stop and strip off a couple of layers.  Another ten minutes later and everything was back on again as the approach to the summit of Watson's Dodd.

Watson's Dodd summit cairn

Next stop was Stybarrow Dodd.

Stybarrow Dodd summit cairn. 

 

Hart Side (middle left) from the wall close to the summit of Stybarrow Dodd. The wind was from the wrong direction to enjoy the shelter of the wall today.  It would make a grand place for a break otherwise.

As there was very little shelter out of the wind we headed straight off towards White Stones where I knew there was some rocks just below the summit where we could have our lunch out of the wind.

We could have cut the corner off and headed straight for Hart Side, but instead we nipped over to the summit of White Stones.

Cairn a few yards from the summit of White Stones. Hart Side is the lump on the left

Making our way across to Hart Side the wind was bitter and blowing straight from the north. I was pleased we had packed our winter kit despite the forecast blue skies.

Birkett Fell from the summit of Hart Side

Great and Little Mell Fell from the northern cairn. Our start point was at the trees just right of center and followed the broad ridge on the left

From the summit we then headed for Birkett Fell and with the wind to the side now a much more comfortable walk.  The views from here along Ullswater were stunning – what a cracking viewpoint.

Birkett Fell with Ullswater beyond

We were tempted to drop north east directly down the fell, but in the end took the less direct route using the wall leading towards Brown Hills as a handrail.  This made for a slightly longer walk but it was nicely sheltered from the wind.

Ullswater from the wall. It was so sheltered here we could walk without jackets on.

Easy if rather boggy walking led down to the farm at Dowthwaite Head where we then followed the road back to our start point.

Wainwright’s  bagged: Great Dodd, Watson Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd and Hart Side, but having already done the others on previous walks we only get to tick off another two.

That’s 137 completed leaving 77 Wainwright’s left to go.

Wainwright's - Sca Fell and Slight Side From Wasdale Head

Sca Fell, the second highest mountain in the Lake District is often overlooked by the masses in order to tick off its near namesake Scafell Pike.  The latter may be the highest mountain in the Lakes, but for me it is Sca Fell, or perhaps more accurately its North Face that has always held my interest.  As I write my mind wanders to those long walk in’s and the occasional camp, all of which were followed by summer and winter climbs on classics routes such as Moss Ghyll, Moss Ghyll Grooves and Botterill’s Slabs.  Wonderful memories shared with some great pals and all still clearly etched in my mind despite the passage of time.

I can also remember the descent down Broad Stand too, as it was invariably wet and greasy and often felt a great deal more dangerous than the actual graded climbs we had just done.  I mention the latter as the Wasdale Team had just rescued two people from there just before we arrived at the National Trust campsite.  Given the publicity this spot has received due to the injuries and indeed deaths that have occurred here it amazes me that none climbers still continue to attempt it.

In reminiscing over those climbs I did wonder if I had climbed Sca Fell before, however a look at the map suggested I had probably only been on the summit of Symonds Knott a few hundred metres to the north of the true summit.

A little further south is another Wainwright, namely Slight Side, so a plan was hatched to take in both.  

Looking up from the National Trust’s Wasdale Head campsite we could see a few of the higher tops were covered in cloud, but most were clear.  With a forecast suggested an improving day with sunny spells we set off a little later than normal to give the higher hills time to clear.

Wast Water from near Brackenclose, Wasdale Head. 

As a result it was just after 9.30am when the four of us (Moira, Graham and Sandra) set off along the old Wasdale to Eskdale corpse road.  This was followed to the far end of Fence Wood, where we left the main track and headed up the bridleway towards Burnmoor Tarn. 

It was very boggy underfoot and by the time we reached Maiden Castle, a Bronze Age burial mound, I was already bleating about having damp feet - I really must get some new boots!

Rather than continue on the path to the tarn where it looked even boggier we headed diagonally up the fell towards Slight Side.  While working out way around the numerous boggy sections we lost the main path.  Rather than try to relocate the main path we crossed Hard Rigg Gill lower down and began following various sheep trod's which led in the general direction of Slight Side.

Hard Rigg Gill

Hard Rigg Gill below with the mountain of Illgill Head behind

On the final approach just below the summit crags we came across the remains of two Hurricane aircraft that had crashed here in 1941.  Sadly neither of the Polish pilots survived.  The nearby memorial to the airmen looks out over this lonely fell side and as the cloud came in it created a poignant if somewhat eerie reminder of the price paid by people who were not just from the UK, but also from other European countries as well.  Sadly this is just one of number of crash sites in the Lake District.

The memorial with Burnmoor Tarn below

The remains of the Hurricane Engine

 The memorial plaque to Polish pilots P/O Zygmund Hohne and Sgt Stanislaw Karubin who lost their lives here on the 12th August 1941.

I did a bit of research later and found out that Sgt Karubin had fought in Poland and after escaping the Germans he went on to fight in the battle for France. Later he fought in the Battle of Britain and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.

Above us the cloud came and went over the summit, but the way up was clear.

The summit of Slight Side viewed from the memorial

In the clag we were unsure which of the two rocky lumps was the true summit Slight Side so climbed them both anyway.

The summit of Slight Side

Moving on towards the summit of Sca Fell the visibility was down to a few metres so it was just a case of making our way over rocky ground until we hit the highest point.

The summit of Sca Fell

Just after reaching the summit it started to rain. Just a shower we thought but by the time we had dropped under the cloud it was pouring down - so much for the good forecast.

79 Wainwrights left to go

Wainwright’s- Birkhouse Moor, Catstye Cam, Helvellyn and White Side.

Moira and I have walked over the top of Birkhouse Moor on many occasions when climbing Helvellyn, but that said neither of us could visualise having ever been on the summit. The only way to resolve this was to revisit the location and perhaps also have a wander over to enjoy the view from its north top as well.  Catstye Cam on the other hand had definitely been climbed by me, but not by Moira.  To address this we devised a walk onto Helvellyn that would also give us a little bit of adventure in the form of the fine little arête of Swirral Edge as a bonus.

Accompanied by our friends G&S we left the Gillside campsite and made our way up via the Mires Beck track.

 

Ullswater and Glenridding

There were lots of people about on the main track, but as soon as we left it to walk the few hundred metres to Birkhouse Moor’s north top we lost the crowds.

 

The north top of Birkhouse Moor.

Returning to the main track we joined the crowds again as we walked onto and over the true summit of Birkhouse Moor. Once there we realised we had done it many times before, still at least we could be sure and tick it off our list now.  Despite being keen to stop for a few minutes the arrival of a noisy group of walkers heading towards Striding Edge pushed us on. 

Fortunately things became a lot quieter as we left the main path to make our way towards Catstye Cam and by the time we reached its east ridge, there were only two people and a dog ahead of us.

Helvellyn ahead and Catstye Cam on the right

Up until now it had been cloudy, cold and windy, but as we made the steep pull up the ridge and onto the summit, the sun came out. 

Summit with the view over Greenside to Ullswater

Helvellyn and Swirral Edge from the summit of Catstye Cam

Heading off we made our way down to the start of Swirral Edge.  Following its crest we had an enjoyable scramble onto Helvellyn.

As expected it was pretty busy on the summit, but certainly nowhere near as busy as Striding Edge was. Here we counted over 70 people on the final section before the headwall. 

Summit from the trig point

A busy Striding Edge with St Sunday Crag beyond.

Despite the crowds it was heartening to see very little in the way of litter. Whether the relatively litter free summit was down to people having carried out a litter pick recently, or whether it was down to people respecting the hills I don’t know – I do hope it is the latter though.

Returning over the summit we headed to Lower Man before trending right to White Side (already bagged before so no extra tick today). 

The path towards Lower Man

Skiddaw from White Side

From here we descended into Keppel Cove and then followed the track down through Greenside, stopping off on the way for a pint of Helvellyn Gold at the Youth Hostel.

A perfect pint to end the walk

All in all it was a grand wander that gave us 4 Wainwrights in total, but only 2 new ones to tick off. That leaves us 81 Wainwrights left to go.  Wasdale area next I think.

Wainwright's - Steel Fell, Calf Crag, Gibson's Knott and Helm Crag.

Above the village of Grasmere the prominent outline of Helm Crag dominates the view to the north.  When viewed from the A591 road two pinnacles on its craggy summit attract the eye. The Howitzer, the tallest of the two, leans out over the east face and is the true summit.  A little climbing skill and a certain amount of nerve is required for the walker to stand on the rocky top and as a result many walkers are happy just to touch the base of the pinnacle and declare the fell achieved.  For the Wainwright bagger it probably doesn't really matter if you climb those last few feet to the top or not, as Wainwright himself never managed to do it either.  A little further to the south and just a little lower is another craggy outcrop known as the Lion and the lamb. This is a much easier and safer proposition, yet at the same time has plenty of exposure on its eastern side for those who would like to experience it.

Running north from here a broad ridge containing 2 other Wainwright’s - Gibson’s Knott and Calf Crag.  These can be linked via a certain amount of boggy walking to the higher Wainwright of Steel Fell to form a nice 4 top circular walk from Grasmere.   

Incidentally it doesn’t particularly matter which way you do this round, but we chose to climb the highest Steel Fell first and complete the round in an anticlockwise direction starting from the A591 a little south of Mill Bridge. Our reasoning behind the decision was nothing more than to have a pub at the end in Grasmere and to do the highest hill first.

Helm Crag (left) Steel Fell (right) from the A591

It was pretty cloudy when we set off, but a few breaks soon appeared and we were treated to some beautiful crepuscular rays sweeping along the valley.

As we gained height the views opened out towards Helm Crag and beyond.

The top of Helm Crag with the craggy outline of the Howitzer and the Lion and Lamb. The ridge leading right towards Gibson's Knott is our route back.

From the summit we enjoyed some good views down Thirlmere while we had a break in the lee of some rocks.  Despite the fact we had been down to T-shirts on the way up a nithering wind from the northeast meant we did not hang around too long.

The summit of Steel Fell (Dead Pike) and the view towards the Langdale Hills

Thirlmere Reservoir with Blencathra ahead

Moving on from Steel Fell we then tackled the undulating but very boggy ground which follows the remains of the boundary fence west to Calf Crag.

The summit view west to the col between High Raise and Ullscarf

The view southwest over Tarn Crag towards Langdale, with Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark th etwo craggy bumps on the horizon -  I think?

It was very windy and cold here so we tucked ourselves behind one of the many rocky knolls and had a break. Wrapped up as we were against a cold wind we were surprised to see quite a few folk up here just wearing shorts, although to be fair they did look rather cold.

From here we struck south east over the undulating ground, taking in the top of Pike of Carrs to Gibson’s Knott. There was little wind here and it was really hot.  No wonder those in shorts got a cold surprise on Calf Crag.  It also shows just how localised the weather can be too.

A Happy Moira on Gibson's Knott Summit

From Gibson’s Knott it was mostly downhill to Bracken Hause, before another up took us onto Helm Crag.  The scramble up onto the Howitzer was fairly easy via its right-hand side, but the scramble down was a bit tricky.  

The Howitzer and higest point of Helm Crag

We then moved on to the Lion and the Lamb to enjoy the view from there as well.

The Lion and the Lamb

The path back down to Grasmere through the woods was quite a sociable affair with plenty of people still heading up the steep path and keen for an excuse to stop and have a chat. 

Back in Grasmere and having built ourselves up for a nice pint, we were left disappointed  to discover that neither of the 2 pubs we tried had any ale on tap left. 

83 Wainwright’s left.

Wainwright's - Knott Rigg and Ard Crags

Located to the south of Causey Pike and Sail, Knott Rigg and Ard Crags hold a wonderful position above the Newlands Valley.  At 556m and 581m respectively they are not high mountains by any means, but what they lack in stature they make up for in their outlook.

The original plan was to do these as part of a circlular walk, but with a rainy morning forecast we decided to climb Knott Rigg from Newlands Hause and do a simple out and back to Ard Crags along the ridge.

The steep pull straight from the car onto Knott Rigg certainly woke up our lungs and legs, but at least we had perfect excuse to stop in the form of the wonderful Moss Force in spate to look at.

Moss Force and Newlands Hause

Regular stops to stand and stare (the sheep seemed to have the same idea) meant we did not feel too taxed despite a couple of false summits tricking us into thinking we were progressing faster than we were. 

Once on the summit, and with the steepest of the climbing over, we sat and surveyed our onward route over a cup of coffee. A lot of the high hills to the south were either in cloud, or were obscured by curtains of rain, but looking along the ridge towards Ard Crags and beyond to Blencathra we could see the cloud there was beginning to thin. 

The Summit of Knott Rigg and the View Towards Blencathra

To the east the weather looked to be improving too and while Helvellyn was cloud capped a few breaks were appearing over Clough Head.   This was nothing like the forecast rain, so we were more than happy with the forecast being wrong so far.   That said by the time we had finished our drinks we ready to get moving as the wind had a real autumnal edge to it.

The way to Ard Crags involved a short down, before the route climbed up towards its summit.  On the way we met a couple who had passed us while we were having our coffee. Stephen and Sharon it turned out also lived in County Durham. 

Ard Crags from Knott Rigg

The rest of the ascent went mostly unnoticed, as we wandered along chatting about the weather, photography and mountains in general.  While on the summit the sun decided to make an appearance, causing a few isolated patches of still flowering heather we hadn’t even noticed earlier to glow like warm coals.  Against a backdrop of brooding fells and emerald coloured fields the view was spectacular.

 

Warmed by the sun and still chatting about this and that we spent a while on the summit setting up a couple of photo poses.

A short while later they headed off to complete their circular walk and we retraced our steps back to the car and had a quick wander up to Moss Force.

Moss Force

That’s 87 Wainwright’s left to go.  Next target is to get into the 70’s.

High Hartsop Dodd and Little Hart Crag. Adding another “Tick” to the Wainwright’s

High Hartsop Dodd has a wonderful mountain profile when viewed from Sykeside, yet despite its obvious attractions this was the only hill in the Brothers Water area we had yet to climb.  I am not sure why we have left it till last, but assume it was the attractions of loftier and craggier neighbours like Dove Crag that have enticed us away.

High Hartsop Dodd on a sunny day

With regard to Little Hart Crag we have made the short detour to its summit a few times while heading to and from Scandale Pass, simply because it makes a grand viewpoint.  Little Hart Crag incidentally is the highest point of the ridge that continues above High Hartsop Dodd, making today a two Wainwright walk, but only one new tick. 

Waking to rain rattling on the roof of our campervan and with all of the tops clagged in, we did not really feel like doing these two tops as part of a longer walk taking in Dove Crag, so instead decided on a short day which would take us directly up the nose of High Hartsop Dodd and then along the ridge to Little Hart Crag.  The return would be via Scandale Pass and Caiston Glen.  That’s only a distance of 7.5 K, but given the conditions it would keep us entertained until early afternoon.

Accompanied by friends G&S we took the track from the Sykeside campsite up to Hartsop Hall and then headed over the fields. As the climbing started so did a light drizzle, but rather than keeping us cool it left us feeling rather hot and muggy in our waterproofs. 

The lower slopes

It was a bit of a relief when the wind got up as we reached a wall crossing the ridge at right angles. That relief however, was rather short lived as the view disappeared and it began to rain harder.

Gear faff just as the rain came in.

The view towards Brothers Water and Angle Tarn Pikes.

The summit of High Harstop Dodd soon came - and went – as did the summit of Little Hart Crag.  

Summit cairn on High Hartsop Dodd

No views at all from Little Hart Crag

With zero view we sat in the lee of some rocks near the summit and had something to eat and drink.  By the time we had finished the rain was hammering down and streaming off our waterproofs.

With visibility now down to a few feet, we located the metal boundary fence and then followed this south to Scandale Pass.  From here it was a damp splodge down Caiston Glen.  Almost at the bottom the rain stopped, the clouds cleared and the sun shone on the tops we had just visited.  Ahh well you can’t win em all.  At least we were able to grab a pint of Wainwright’s in the pub to console ourselves.

Oh, and I picked up a horrible little hitchhiker on my side, although that did not become apparent until the day after.

Not sure if it was on my kit and then got onto me the next day
or whether it was there overnight. No bulls-eye rash yet so fingers crossed.

89 Wainwrights left to go.