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Date & Time: Friday 28th July 2006.

Location of Start : Three Shires Stone, Wrynose Pass, Cumbria Uk.

Places visited : Cold Pike ( walk 1 ) Hardknott Fell and Eskdale Needle ( walk 2 )

Walk details 1 : 2.5 mls, 1020 ft of ascent 11.30 am start, 2 hrs 40 mins incl long picnic lunch.

Walk details 2 : 1.9 mls, 850 ft of ascent , 1hrs 25 mins, 3 pm start.

Walked with : Ann and the dogs.

Weather : A warm day with blue skies, but with a slight cooling breeze. Hazy.

The alternative Three Shires wooden post (post courtesy of the footpath authority)

Today we were peak bagging in the nicest possible way. We had planned to walk an extended Wetherlam / Dow Crags walk but when we woke the recent summer heat wave was still with us , so we opted for two shorter walks. In the hot weather, a fell called Cold Pike seems a good idea !

We parked at the Three Shires Stone and set off up towards Red Tarn on the route to Pike o' Blisco and / or Crinkle Crags.

A short distance up the normal path there is a small cairn and a hint of a footpath setting more directly for Cold Pike. This would be our route.

It was still hot walking today and the dogs took every advantage they could to cool off.



" My pool's fine, how's yours ? "	What are those two strange sheep doing in that stream ???

Across the rough grass and onto the flanks of Cold Fell

Now we had a clear view of Pike o' Blisco and Red Tarn.

Cold Pike Summit achieved after a pleasant and steady climb.

In the background Swirl How, Wetherlam to the left, Coniston and Dow Crag to the right.

Harter Fell to the west has a dark shadow cast by the clouds above.

Crinkle Crags, probably the clearest we have seen them.

Each of the six summits and Bowfell beyond are highlighted in brilliant sunshine, with the occasional shadow adding artistic contrast.

The current good weather has provided good visibility north to Skiddaw and Lonscale Fell.

Up here we enjoyed wide ranging views as we ate our lunch.

Even though we are only just over 2200 ft (700m) all the fells around are generally higher and the central position allowed some great views.

A look at the Wainwright entry for the fell set a seemingly quick challenge.

Apparently below the summit was a splintered rock, so I set off in search.

Was this the rock ?

It was below, but not far enough below the top.

Ah . . . . found it, and it's description was perfect . . . Cold Pike Tooth.

Now to climb back to the summit - it was further than I thought !

Once again back at the top, but there are three other minor ones to visit before we make our way down.

That cloud that covered Harter Fell has now extended east and is covering Swirl How.

Wetherlam still enjoys the sunshine, as do we.

Way down below is the car at Three Shires Stone, but just below us are the dogs are enjoying the coolness of the small tarn (again).

On the way down we passed a small memorial to someone called Spencer Cashell.

A quick internet search found a reference to a 60 year old Kendal gentleman who died here on a walk several years back. A further search of the Langdale MRT site informs us he died of an apparent heart attack back in February 2003.

May he rest peacefully.

There was still time to manage a second walk this afternoon, so we drove a few miles from the top of Wrynose Pass to the top of Hardknott Pass.

The summit cairn on a hot Hardknott Pass.

For this second walk we headed upward from here, left onto Hardknott Fell.

A short climb up from the roadside cairn brought us onto the undulating summit. We then walked a meandering half mile or so further north and found the high ground with a small summit cairn.

Click here or on the photo for a wider panorama of Eskdale and the Scafell group from Hardknott.



The River Esk as it leaves the Upper Esk Valley	and as it heads west for the sea.

Late in the afternoon the haze has now set in with a vengeance making distant views difficult.

Hardknott holds one extra landmark, marked on the map as the Eskdale Needle. It is hidden below the green spur below.



Eskdale Needle about fifty feet tall on the downhill side.	You can walk around the back but best not to climb !

A classic view of the Needle, with the Scafells behind, as we leave to re-climb the fell and finish the walk.

Below, a parting shot of Eskdale:

Diesel hauled, one of the last trains of the day as it approaches Eskdale Green Station, also on its journey home.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon IXUS 400 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . the return of a cooling breeze to the fells.

Previous walk - 24th July 2006 Glaramara and Allen Crags

Previous time up at Three Shires Stone - 3rd May 2006 Helmut's World Tour of the Lakes - Coniston