GREAT BORNE, STARLING DODD, RED PIKE, HIGH STILE and HIGH CRAG - 16 March 2008
Buttermere - Scale Beck - Gale Fell - Great Borne - Starling Dodd - Litle Dodd - Red Pike - High Stile - Grey Crags - High Crag - Warnscale - Buttermere.
14 miles, 3800 feet of ascent
The weather forecast for the day said it would be about -1 degree at 2700 feet but with a wind of 25 mph the wind chill factor would be 'substantial'. Certainly as I left the car at Buttermere there was a nip in the air.
I followed the sign for Scale Bridge and as I started to climb, the view of Grasmoor and Rannerdale Knotts became better and better.
The ground became very squelchy and I was delighted when I reached the pitched path at the side of Scale Force as it meant that at least the ground underneath my feet was dry. The waterfall is the highest in Lakeland and a very impressive sight as you would expect.
After continuing up Scale Beck, I diverted up a side stream on to Gale Fell. This was horrendously boggy; virtually the whole fell-side was awash. Not recommended by any stretch of the imagination. The first 'Wainwright' of the day was GREAT BORNE, which is quite unusual insofar as the surrounding area is grassy but the summit is totally boulder strewn. The wall shelter on the top provided some protection (whilst I ate lunch) from what was actually a gale force wind and nothing like the predicted 25 mph. With some difficulty I took a photograph of the next three summits; Starling Dodd, Red Pike and High Stile.
On reaching the summit of STARLING DODD it was clear that even more fence posts have been added since AW drew a picture in Starling Dodd 5.
After visiting RED PIKE, the next target was HIGH STILE where there was still some snow available for a snowball fight!
Looking back to Red Pike, it is easy to see how it came by it's name, with Bleaberry Tarn looking surprisingly blue.
At this point in the walk, the vagaries of Lake District weather were shown perfectly. Whiteside and Grasmoor were bathed in sunshine, whilst behind me Ennerdale was looking decidedly moist!
The lower summit of High Stile gives a sensational view across Burtness Comb to Fleetwith Pike and HIGH CRAG, the final Wainwright of the day.
The fell that will become my 200th Wainwright; Pillar, was so close and Pillar Rock looked superb.
Having scaled High Crag it was time to start my descent down Gamlin End. This has a pitched path and needed care. It is very steep and I was glad I was going down it not up.
There can't be many better endings to a day than a walk along the shore of Buttermere with one final look back to Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks.
All in all a classic walk and one to which I will definitely return. Only 21 Wainwrights to go and 6 walks.
All photographs taken with either a Nikon D40X (10.2mp) or a Nikon Coolpix 4200 (4.2mp)
