Date & start time: Tuesday 24th February 2009. 10.30 am start.

Location of Event : Bleach Green car park, Ennerdale Lake, Cumbria, Uk ( NY 085 153 )

Places visited : Anglers Crag, The Pinnacles, Crag Fell, Grike Fell, Crag Farm and back.

Walk details : 4.5 ml, 1600 ft of ascent, 4 hours 15 mins.

Highest point : Crag Fell 1,710ft ( 523m)

Walked with : David and Josie, Ann and our dogs Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Low cloud but potentially it could clear allowing occasional glimpses of the sun.

Angler's Crag across Ennerdale Water

Dave and Josie are staying in Coniston so we arrange to meet halfway and walk in the Ennerdale area.

We met at Bowness Knott car park, but in view of the low cloud we changed our plans and moved to the foot of the lake in order to climb Crag Fell and Grike.

There would be more chance of the low cloud clearing those fells first, so a couple of new Wainwrights were on the cards for Dave and Josie today.

Crag Farm House under low cloud at the start of our walk.

We would return via the path down through these trees at the end of our walk.

Lake levels were low today and the weir was not flowing with water.

Two United Utilities workmen were doing maintenance on the fish ladder.

Coincidence maybe or perhaps all the snow melt-water has already drained out of the lake.

Bear right at the cairn for the higher path . . . .what cairn ?

Harry is more keen to stay on the lower level and play in the lake.	We climb steadily up but pause for a photo before reaching the mist.

Bethan sitting for a moment to look over the cliffs of Angler's Crag.

As we reach the Pinnacle Rocks the cloud shows signs of thinning and the blue skies start to shine through.

Dave and Josie, Harry and Bethan can be seen high on the left.

The substantial end rock pinnacle . . .	. . . and a balanced stone on the rocks directly below me.

More blue skies as we pause behind the main rock structures.

On the move again, we cut across the fell side and then start up the green gully towards the next level of the fell.

Dave reaching easier ground.	Bethan leads the girls up the next grassy rake.	Josie reaching the ridge just below the old post.

Meanwhile Dave and I had diverted . . .	. . . to choose the rock gully to climb.	A cheerful smile of success on Dave's face.

Yes Josie . . . we just climbed up there !

With the sun behind us and the cloud down below us, we were hoping for the chance of a Broken Spectre. Unfortunately the cloud was not thick enough to register, nor the sun strong enough to cast a good shadow.

What we did get though, was this rather fine but fleeting glimpse of Beckfoot Farm through a gap in the cloud.

The summit cairn on Crag Fell is set well back from the edge we had just climbed.

The skies at this time were offering a wonderful, alternating white and blue light show.

Time for lunch in calm and sunny conditions, not what we had expected when we first set out.

As we set off after lunch we walked closer to Iron Crag and managed a view of the top end of Ennerdale Lake.

Navigation is easier once you find the fence !

Josie takes care as we cross the rather damp section between the two tops.

The weather station on Grike ridge is passed by on the other side of the fence.

If they don't stop talking and look up

they'll miss the summit cairn.

The summit is graced by both a shelter and a large cairn.

From here on . . . it's down hill all the way.

Over the edge . . .

Below a rather purple woodland caught the eye . . . it was a plantation of colourful mid-winter larch I believe.

Part way down the steep fell side, an old mine spoil heap shows the bright green colour of new season growth.

Reflections of Great Borne on an almost calm Ennerdale Water.

The last part of our route takes us through a gate and into the forest.

We drop diagonally down the fell side and across this steep gully.

The forest path continues down . . .	. . . with a last steep section to reach the Crag Farm road.

Angler's Crag once again and the cloud has lifted since we started our walk.

The intermittent nature of it only served to make this an even more memorable day.

Thanks to Dave and Josie for their company.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with with my Cannon G7 or Ann's Ixus 75 Digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . an after-walk refreshment - if only somewhere in Ennerdale Bridge was open !

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Previous walk - 23rd February 2009 Matthew's First Wainwright

A previous time up here - 7th May 2004 Crag Hill & the Pinnacles with a young dog