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- Gatesgarth to Honister via Haystacks - Date & Time: B/hol Sunday 26th August 2007. 10.20 am start. Location of Start : The Gatesgarth Car Park, Buttermere Valley , Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 194 150 ) Places visited : Gatesgarth, Peggy's Bridge, Scarth Gap, Haystacks, Innominate Tarn, Loft Beck path to Moses Trod, the Drum House, and finishing down the Tramway path to Honister mine. Walk details : 4.75 mls, 2050 ft of ascent , 4 hrs 25 mins. Highest point : Moses Trod path at 1975 ft . (Haystack was slightly lower at 1957 ft above sea level.)Walked with : Paula and Al, Thomas and Abigail, Ann and our dogs, Harry and Bethan. Weather : Sunny and warm though there was a little more cloud at times than we would have liked. |
A busy car park at Gatesgarth at the start of the walk |
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We took the opportunity of a linear walk today by parking one car at Honister Hause car park, returning in the other to the Gatesgarth car park at the foot of Fleetwith Pike. A slight delay occurred while Al and I fixed a punctured tyre due to running over a roadside stone.
Being a Bank Holiday there were plenty of people about, especially as a result of the recent television programmes on Wainwright and the Lakes. We crossed to Peggy's bridge over the recently cut hay fields of Gatesgarth Farm.
A view of Haystack across Warnscale Bottom before we passed through the gate and started our climb.
Goat Crag above Hassness House on the opposite side of Buttermere.
Wainwright challenges you not to stop for a rest on the conveniently placed rocks part way up the Scarth Gap path. We failed - but the stop over did give us chance to enjoy the view even more.
Across the way, the sunshine catches the ridge leading up to Fleetwith Pike.
Ahead the crags of Haystacks and the secondary crags of Green Crag behind.
Bright sunshine on High Crag contrasts with the foreground shadow on the summit cairn of Scarth Gap.
Ann pauses for a photo before starting the climb to Haystacks. Kirk Fell stands behind.
Thomas points back to Loweswater - "That's our house over there"
That sunshine also throws dramatic light on Pillar Fell. The shadow of Pillar Rock highlights this famous rock climbing area.
Pillar Fell again as we reach the summit tarn
The calm waters of the summit tarn reflects Paula and Al as they cross towards the final summit.
I thought we only had two dogs, but I'm sure I can count three there ? Ann talks to the owners of a second red-collared retriever on the summit.
A view this time of Abi and her Dad. She'll be celebrating her second birthday in a few weeks.
From the top we make our way down to Innominate Tarn to find somewhere to have a spot of lunch. Great Gable appears to be the major fell, but through the gap is Scafell Pike itself, the highest in England.
Peace and quiet at Innominate as we move away from the crowded main path.
Our lunch spot was tucked in the shelter of the rocks overlooking the tarn and the dogs took a position overlooking us, as they searched hopefully for their lunch too !
After lunch we stayed on the far side of the fell and made our way east along the more southerly Ennerdale side.
A short while later we come across the perched boulder above Blackbeck tarn.
A dramatic rock and a dramatic location with Green Crag behind and Fleetwith Pike in the distance.
We were now aiming for Honister by contouring round from the back of Haystacks. By so doing we were able to get this view of Blackbeck Tarn with the Grasmoor massif, with it's lighter rock, catching the sunshine behind.
Watch this space - Scafell Pike has now changed to Scafell as we alter our view through Beck Head pass.
The Brandreth Fence, reinstated during the foot and mouth epidemic in 2001, did not need to be crossed but it did provide a more interesting foreground for this retrospective look at our route from Haystack summit.
Striding out now as we pass a small cairn leading to the junction with the Gable path, Moses Trod.
Retro again, but this time from the other side of Dubs Bottom as we make our way along Moses Trod. The sunshine and cloud as we walk along today has added an ever changing aspect to the fells which isn't there on very bright or very dull days.
Nearing the end of the walk now as we approach the dismantled tramway from Dubs to Honister. The new mine road with it's standing stones can be seen behind . . . Road has replaced rail over the passage of time.
The embankment that formed the summit of the tramway and was the location of the cable drum house that controlled the movement of the slate wagons in the olden days.
The walk completed at Honister, we found the keys for the second car (don't laugh . . . one time we forgot them!) and then returned to Gatesgarth . . . where they had just announced the winners of the Annual Gatesgarth Duck Race - hurrah !!!
Who was the fastest ? Like the Tour de France - the one in the yellow jumper of course !
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- - - o o o - - - Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon Ixus Digital camera. Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . the winning Duck Race ticket. Previous walk - 24th August 2007 Two Loweswater Walks A previous time up here - 12th April 2007 Haystacks with Gavin Bell Previous walk - 3rd September 2007 Mellbreak with Helen
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