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PICTURES AND TRIP REPORTS FROM MY WALKS IN THE ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT
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E-mail - karl@karlswalks.co.uk |
The wet and miserable early December 2025 has been forgotten now as the lake District has enjoyed a spell of fine cold weather for quite a few days, and as it's the Christmas break I've got time to go for a walk and a night on the fell.
As I've done the last few times when walking in this area I've left my car in Ambleside and jumped on the bus which dropped my off at the base of High Rigg and it's not long before you gain some height and have a view over to Raven Crag and the northern end of Thirlmere..
And as you make your way along this wonderful roller coaster of a hill you have a view of Blencathra to the north.
And soon Skiddaw is revealed. The sun has not quite cleared the fells to the south but by the time I had reached the highest point of High Rigg it had.
And had painted Blencathra a lovely colour.
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and has done a pretty good job on the north western fells as well.
By the time I'd dropped down from High Rigg and was starting out across the valley bottom Blencathra was now in full sunlight and is starting to attract the cloud drifting in from the east.
Which by the time I'd nearly crossed the valley had covered Skiddaw as well.
Walla Crag is just about catching the sun.
Cracking view over Derwentwater and Catbells to the High fells beyond. Robinson is the only top which is cloud covered.
Extensive cloud to the north and the east though. Blencathra is well covered....
...as are the Helvellyn fells.
From Walla Crag it's a steady climb on a clear but icy path to Bleaberry Fell ( although the last few yards to the top are very steep ).
As it's a winter camp I'd taken lots of gear but the one thing I'd forgotten to bring was sunglasses and as I was now walking south the sun was in my eyes all the way over Bleaberry to High Seat.
In the time it's taken me to reach High Seat the cloud has moved away from Helvellyn. As usual, cheeky Catstyecam is getting his head into the photo.
Super view from High Seat looking along the Seathwaite valley with Scafell Pike, Great End and Great Gable across the end.
From High Seat I headed down what in warmer weather would be a very wet hillside towards the trees where there is a track which you can follow to Raven Crag.
Passing Castle Crag on the way.
The view down Thirlmere from Raven Crag.
I retraced my steps along the forest track to the gate out onto the open fell. I had originally planned on going a little further than this today but my winter rucksack felt very heavy so I decided to pitch up in this little hollow which along with the trees sheltered me from the Arctic breeze which was now blowing.
After setting up and warming up I had a short stroll around my pitch. This is a panorama of the full length of the Helvellyn ridge on to which the cloud has returned.
Zooming in on Browncove Crags.
Over to the west are the silhouettes of (from the left) Crinkle Crags, Bowfell,Esk Pike and Glaramara..
Another glorious day. I had no fixed plan for today I just wanted to walk in the general direction of my car in Ambleside. After yesterdays efforts I did feel a bit lazy though so had a bit of a lie in which is strange as after spending about 16 hours in a tiny tent you'd think that that would be the last thing you would want to do but when you are all warm and cozy it's a shock to the system coming out into the freezing air. I was camped just to the left of the trees in the distance.
I decided on a whim that I'd go and visit Fisher Crag where I've only been once years ago. Another day where I was kicking myself for not bringing sunglasses.
And sometimes things done on a whim turn out to be the best ideas. It was glorious on Fisher Crag, the wind from yesterday had gone and the sun seemed warmer I must have spent over an hour lent against a comfortable rock taking in the view.
A panorama of the view from Fisher Crag.
From Fisher Crag I followed a good clear path in the direction of Armboth Fell. High Tove and High Seat are the fells across the boggy grassland.
There were quite a few people about today, with the ground mostly frozen folk must have decided ( like me ) that this would be a good time to have a walk in this normally very wet and boggy area. There was a large group on the small rocky mound of the 479M top of Armboth so I made my way over to the 475M top from where I got a hazy view of Great Gable and Pillar.
Looking back to the 479M top.
Just like yesterday the Helvellyn group is covered in cloud.
My next stop was Middle Crag where again I spent quite a while lent against the rock sunbathing and having my lunch.
After a bit of dithering I decided that I'd walk down past Harrop Tarn and then the road to catch the 555 back to Ambleside but rather than follow the path by the fenceline I'd cut the corner past Bell Crags and visit the little valley of Stone Hause which again I'd only been to once quite a few years ago.
The tiny Launchy Tarn is below.
After reaching the plantation in which Harrop Tarn sits it's just a case of following the fence down to the gate.
Harrop Tarn can be a beautiful place but over the years it's been allowed to silt up and today it was frozen over and out of the sun so looked a little forlorn so I didn't bother with a photo. Birk Side and Nethermost Pike are catching the late afternoon sun.
A friendly robin landed on a branch right next to me.
Final photo of Steel Fell from the Thirlmere road. I timed the bus well so only had five minutes to wait and was soon on my way back to my car.
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