Lake District

Day 1.  Leaving the car in Coniston I ventured forth into the hills...first time ever in the Lakes.  

 



Church Beck.

First target was The Old Man of Coniston.

This area was heavily mined in ages past.

It even had a cable car system.

Mine entance.

Low Water.

Coniston and Coniston Water.

Old Man of Coniston trig point...

 

and Cairn.

Swirl How from Brim Fell.

Levers Water.

View from camp.  Brewing up with MSR Windburner.

SMD Deschutes.

Sunset.

Day 2.  Covered a lot of ground today on my way to Scafell Pike, tallest mountain in England. Gotta say though, Crinkle Crags had some great character.

Sunrise.

Fluffy clouds near Great Carrs.

Pike of Blisco from Wet Side Edge.

Red Tarn and Cold Pike.

Great Knott.

Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag, in middle.

Crinkle Crags.

Crinkle Crags

Pool on Crinkle Crags.

Atmosphere up on Crinkle Crags was awesome.

Bow Fell.

First proper sight of target...Scafell Pike.

Esk Pike.

Great End.

Ill Crag.

Broad Crag summit.

Final ascent up Scafell Pike.
 

Scafell Pike trig point.



View north from summit. I spy a place to camp!

Lingmell.

North Face of Scafell Pike.

Great Gable and Styhead Tarn.

Styhead Tarn.

Day 3.  Heading north.

Weather closed in.



Climbing Great Gable.

Great Gable summit.

Green Gable summit

Weather clearing up.

Brandreth summit.

 

Grey Knotts summit.

Dale Head.

Looking back at Fleetwith Pike and Honister Crag, whilst climbing Dale Head.

View North from Dale Head.

Dale Head summit.

Gill from Dale Head Tarn.

High Spy summit.

Perfect! Camped out on Minum Crag overlooking Derwent Water and Keswick.

In the distance Skiddaw and Blencathra call to me.



View of the Helvellyn Range.

Day 4.  Operation : Skiddaw.

Glorious sunrise!

Harvesting some solar.

Midges!

Blea Crag.

Catbells.

Skelgill Bank.

Derwent Water.



Lunch in Portinscale...yummy!

Start of the ascent up Skiddaw.

View back.

On and on.

Top of Carl Side.

Took wrong route...this was SAF (Steep as fuck).

Needed a brew.

End in sight.

Bassenthwaite Lake.

Skiddaw trig point.

 

Viewpoint info.

Next target...Blencathra.

10 peaks challenge?

Little Man.



View to Blencathra from Little Man.

Memorial stone for two shepherds.

Skirting round Lonscale Fell.

Rainbow over the Western shoulder of Blencathra.

Tired.

Day 5.   Blencathra plus first few hills on the Helvellyn Range.

 

Heading round Blencathra to the path up.



And up we go.

Blease Fell, Western shoulder of Blencathra.

Gategill Fell.

Hallsfell Top, summit of Blencathra.



Summit stone.

View down Halls Fell Ridge.

Scales Tarn and Sharp Edge.

Heading down Blencathra Eastwards past Doddick Fell and Scales Fell.

Food at the White Horse Inn.

Next target, Clough Head...start of the Helvellyn Range.

River Gleneramackin.

 

The number of times the c-word came to mind trudging up through this knee/waist high grass.

A rustic shack...

...for a rustic brew!  Place had atmosphere...nice to be out the rain too.

Great Mell Fell in the distance.

Back to task.

Clough Head trig point.

Calfhow Pike

Weather real shite now. This is Great Dodd.  Next I headed down NE towards Randerside and camped out. My lil tarp tent did well in the wind and rain.

Day 6.  Helvellyn and home.

Morning brew near Randerside.

Thirlmere Reservoir from Watson's Dodd.

Stybarrow Dodd.

Heading up Raise from Sticks Pass.

Jagged summit of Raise.

Helvellyn from Raise summit cairn.



Swirral Edge leading to Catstye Cam with Ullswater in the distance.

Red Tarn with the infamous Striding Edge to the right of it.

Trig point Helvellyn.  Phone died after this.  Shame, coz I would of had a superb pic of Striding Edge a little further on.



The phone dying signalled the end of the trip and extraction mode was engaged.  I came down off the mountain at Grasmere via Dollywaggon Pike and Grisedale Tarn then caught a bus to Coniston via Ambleside.  It then took me a whole hour to find my car...as I couldn't remember exactly how to get back to it lol.  In the end after some fruitless searching the sun came out and I was able to charge my phone a little so I could figure where it was using the sat nav.   

Listening to the England v Iceland shambles on the drive back home I couldn't help but think what a superb trip this had been.