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Date & Time: Tuesday 24th October 2006. 10.40 am start.

Location of Start : Cinderdale carr park, Buttermere Valley, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 163 194 )

Places visited : Cinderdale, Lad Hows, Grasmoor, Crag Hill, (Eel Crags), Wandope, Thirdgillman Head, Whiteless Pike, Whiteless Breast, Rannerdale Knotts, Cinderdale.

Walk details : 6.75 mls, 3450 ft of ascent, 6 hrs 35 mins.

Walked with : Angela, John and Robert Clarke, Ann and the dogs.

Weather : Fine to start but the prospect of low cloud, even rain. Forecasts disagree on the quantities of each.

We met up with Angela, John and their son Robert today for a circular walk around the Grasmoor fells, here in the north western part of the Lakes.

A bright sunny morning was the order of the day as we started from Cinderdale.

They planned eight Birkett Fells to add to their total of fells climbed, so with map, compass and Gps in Robert's hand we set off for our first summit.



Looking down on Crummock as we climbed.	A full Cinderdale Beck needed care to cross.

Wonderful clear air meant fine views of Melbreak across Crummock Water

The Autumn airs of late really have turned the bracken a rich golden brown.

Harry and Bethan were enjoying the walk too.

Steadily climbing up Lad Hows we got our first indication of poorer weather, as the tops began to catch a passing low cloud.



Rannerdale from the climb up Lad Hows ridge.	Robert and Ann follow the dogs up.

A cheerful smile as Angela completes the steepest part of the climb.

By now we are well into the mist, which seems to have come down to join us with a vengeance.

Grasmoor Summit

John's 100th Birkett according to Angela . . . What, no Champagne ?

In which case, I'm off . . . . a Lost Sheep on Grasmoor summit.

Despite the mist, we did manage an occasional view from our lofty position.

This was Whiteside and the Lorton Valley.

A walk across the flat top of Grasmoor also revealed

an occasional glimpse of Crummock Water and our earlier ascent,

but the mist was thick enough to almost lose the people ahead

if I stopped for too long for a photo.

Grasmoor Hause, Wandope Moss, call it what you will.

The new path repairs turn this into a definite crossroads on the fells.

Back into the cloud for our visit to the trig point on Crag Hill.

Bethan walking back after returning a lost glove to the lad in the background.

The other three wanted to bag the lesser summit of Eel crag a short distance down the ridge, so Ann and I adjourned to the small stone shelter for a little lunch.

A strong breeze, the thick mist, a passing rain shower and sitting down for twenty minutes meant it became difficult to keep warm despite putting on extra layers of clothing. It was an indication of how important it is to be prepared for the cold weather even on walks starting the walk in sunshine. It didn't take long to get cold !

Still Wandope was our next summit, and then the map and compass took us the correct path to Thirdgillman Head,

and the walking soon warmed us up again.



Dropping out of the mist above Whiteless Pike	Looking back up from whence we came.

Angela makes the top of Whiteless Pike.

I always forget how much of a climb there is to reach the top of this one as I think of it as part of the descending ridge. In fact it was quite a steady pull up to the small cairn on the top. Still another Birkett has bitten the dust for them.

Lad Hows ridge with the sunshine still shining on Loweswater below.

This was our route up earlier in the day.



Criss-cross greens and browns looking towards Newlands Pass.	Patterns in the bracken are the paths to Buttermere village.

Robert on the first of the Rannerdale crags, his "49th and a half" top as the true summit is a little further on.

That's it - Ann and Robert at the proper cairn, and Robert reaches his 50th Birkett.

We walked the the last part of the Knotts with a family who were also celebrating completion of their Wainwright Rounds.

This was the 214th and last fell of the round for this lady called Edwina.

It seemed that Rannerdale was their family tradition, the one "left till the end", so that everyone could join them on the walk. I wonder if she told the others that they had to climb Whiteless first !

It also transpired that her husband, Alan, also planned this to be his last fell of the round, but in his case his third . . . and there were we thinking two rounds were great, and he's just done an extra one.

Congratulations to them both, and I hope I've got the names right !

Edwina and Alan and family ~ group photo.

Not quite home yet, and the rain shower crossing the head of Buttermere Valley was a reminder that there was a little way to go yet.



We descended the pitched path down Rannerdale End . . .	and completed our walk back to Cinderdale by the lakeside road.

- - - 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 . . . extra warm clothing in reserve.

Previous walk - 17th October 2006 Muncaster Fell and La'al Ratty with Ian and Cory

Previous time up here - 24th May 2006 Grasmoor with Fishers and Salomon