Inominate Tarn

Fleetwith Pike to Red Pike via Haystacks
This was a walk I had  wanted to do ever since glimpsing Fleetwith Pike through the mist coming down Melbreak  this winter.

Who could fail to be intrigued by this view?

I did the walk on my own mid week and parked at Gatescarth cottages right at the foot of Fleetwith Pike.The farmer charges you 3 quid for the pleasure..

I confidently set off in the wrong direction as usual and soon had to turn round. Once on the right track you will be able to see this monument.

The inscription reads"Erected by Friends of Fanny Mercer, accidentally killed 1887" Presumably she fell from the rocks above..

The path is quite steep and as you stop for a breather you can admire the views down Buttermere and Crummock water.

From the summit the path leads down through a disused quarry and there are some interesting things to explore along the way.

 This house is built entirely of slate and looks a bit odd out here on it's own.The view from the kitchen window however is pretty impressive...From here the path leads past Black Beck tarn and on up the side of Haystacks.

Haystacks was Wainwrights favorite fell " Lift your eyes to Haystacks" is what he says in his book about it.

Half way up Haystacks you will come to Innominate Tarn. "Without a name"

 Wainwright loved this place so much his ashes were scattered here by his wife in 1991.

"All I ask for, at the end, is a last long resting place by the side of Innominate Tarn, on Haystacks, where the water gently laps the gravelly shore and the heather blooms and Pillar and Gable keep unfailing watch. A quiet place, a lonely place. I shall go to it, for the last time, and be carried: someone who knew me in life will take me and empty me out of a little box and leave me there alone. And if you, dear reader, should get a bit of grit in your boot as you are crossing Haystacks in the years to come, please treat it with respect. It might be me."

From here it is a short walk to the summit of Haystacks where it started snowing and I saw this strange plane shaped snow flake..

The path from Haystacks to High Crag goes over Seat and is dead straight forward. Somehow I missed it and started heading in the direction of the lake. I realised my mistake but instead of turning back I decided to skirt round the edge of Seat and get back on the proper path round the other side. Big Mistake on my part....I came to a bit where the only way was vertical up or vertical down.. I decided on vertical down and soon slipped and went crashing down about six foot or so.All i remember was seeing the heather and rocks flashing past me before landing with a thud at the bottom of narrow crag.

I came to my senses and turned around to look for lassie  and there she was staring down at me from above..There was nobody around so I didn't feel such a fool but my arm and leg were very sore and my knee was bleeding a bit too..

I had to decide whether  to head back to the car which was only two miles away or whether to complete the walk of another 6 miles..

There was only this small bit in the way so I decided to carry on

I strapped my arm under my rucksack strap to hold it still and figured my knee would either hold out or not and carried on..

I must have looked a sorry sight as I limped up High Crag but I made good progress and reached the top in time for lunch. 

The view from High Crag across Ennerdale towards Great Gable,Scafells and Pillar

From here the path is straight ahead over High Style and on to Red Pike 

 Now I was faced with coming all the way down Red Pike with a very sore knee,so I took some pain killers and limped and staggered to the bottom..The view down the lake from the bottom of Red Pike is excellent..

All in all an excellent walk and one I will definitely do again.....

Scafell to Scafell Pike

I planned this trip for my niece who has recently returned from her studies in New York..She has climbed some high peaks in Nepal,Chile and Iceland and also on the Appalachian trail but she has never been in the lakes before...
We parked up near Boot and immediately set off on the wrong track. After consulting the map we convinced ourselves that we were somewhere that we weren't and carried on regardless..Eventually Slightside came into view in the distance and  some bog trotting became necessary to get back on our intended course...
My wife had lent my Niece some gaiters and she was amazed how good they are as she had never found it necessary to wear them before...It was about now that I set off confidently across country and completely ignoring the warning signs I went up to my calf in cold wet boggy stuff...My Niece thought better of my route and skirted the bog with ease..
As we approached the summit of Slightside it became very misty which is what was forecast on MWIS and I had to rely on my GPS to get us to the top of Sca fell.

 My natural instinct in thick mist is to always turn round and retrace my route and anyone planning this trip should always keep this in mind...Fortunately my mate Dave is a good planner and he managed to find the way ahead.

There are lots of gulleys and rakes on Scafell  and if you choose the wrong one you are a goner so be warned and always play safe...

There is one  proper path up here but we wanted to go down Lords Rake and we had to stumble around in the mist to find it and even then we were not totally sure if we were in the right place...There is a large high overhang above Lords Rake and I was scared that some rocks may come crashing down on us but luckily nothing did.

Halfway down,the mist cleared a bit and I caught a glimpse of were we were and managed to slither  to a safe spot were I could keep an eye on the rest of the group and lend a hand if needed.. Unfortunately my dog lassie got a bit stuck as she couldn't see a way down and  started whining and looking like she needed help.. 
I managed to get below the ledge she was on and coax her down to where I could grab her

 By now the mist was clearing fast and the way ahead was obvious so we had a great time skiing down the scree dodging the enormous rocks that Dave was sending  down on us..


 

 At the bottom of Lords Rake you come to Broad stand and the way up to the trig point on Scafell pike  is cairned all the way..My two mates decided not to bother with Scafell Pike but my niece was extra keen to go so off we went,

 After all this we trudged our way back to the car and had a pint in the Woolpack

 My two mates having a well earned rest.

I think lassie was also feeling a bit tired.