As I pulled on to the car park at Greendale, the sun was shining on Buckbarrow and with the weather forecast saying that there was the possibility of a wintry shower late in the day it looked like I was in for a really good walk.
The first Wainwright of the day was Middle Fell which is a steady climb but not difficult. As height is gained the view of Wastwater Screes gets better and better.
There was plenty of snow underfoot as I approached the top of Middle Fell. This was the first time I have ever used walking poles and very glad of them I was too.
The view on the way up however pales into insignificance when compared with that of Kirk Fell, Yewbarrow, Great Gable, Seathwaite Fell, Glaramara, Lingmell, Great End, Scafell Pike and Scafell seen from the top of Middle Fell.
Having descended to the saddle between Middle Fell and Seatallan which holds Greendale Tarn, there was the first flake of snow in the air.
After quite a steep climb to the top of Seatallan I reached the 'Ancient Cairn' and Trig Point. The wall shelter was absolutely full of snow!
By now the weather was really starting to close in and Middle Fell was disappearing from view.
As I walked towards Buckbarrow, it was virtually a white-out!
Descending to Buckbarrow the weather improved.
During the final leg of my walk down Greendale Gill it was positively spring-like (as it should be on the 24th March).
Guess what though; as I reached the car at Greendale it started to snow again, so much so that the screes were almost impossible to make out.
Quite a difference between this view of Buckbarrow and the one taken at the start of the day!!
I had originally intended to carry on my walk and head up Greathall Gill onto Whin Rigg and Illgill Head, but given the weather I decided to leave these for another day and headed home. You guessed it, within 10 minutes it had stopped snowing and not long after, the whole area was bathed in glorious sunshine. Typical Lakeland weather. Oh well, only 18 Wainwrights to go in 6 walks.
All photographs taken with either a Nikon D40X (10.2mp) or a Nikon Coolpix 4200 (4.2mp)
