A wild day climbing the 4th highest peak in the Lakes, Skiddaw!

I met Christine and Tom at High side ready to tackle Ullock Pike and then Skiddaw. We crossed the steep field, which warmed us up very quickly. We joined the ridge that is Ullock Pike and started to climb into the mist. We were feeling strong winds here so we didn't know what we should expect on the summit of Skiddaw! After making our way across the ridge we crossed the plateau to the start of the steep climb that makes it way onto the flat top of Skiddaw. We all dug deep up the calf burning ascent and eventually came out on the summit plateau. We reached the summit and after a quick stop we decided to descend to Bakestall, which would be out of the wind for a spot of lunch. We found a little sheep fold to have our munch in and then descended to the track that runs back past the farms to the road. About an hour later enjoying the lovely views of the fells behind Skiddaw we were back at the car. We were lucky enough for the mist to clear for a while for us to get great views of the route we had just completed. Great Day! :) Written by Matt Burt

An excellent day walking the fantastic Newlands Horseshoe today!

The round is definitely, without a doubt one of the best walking routes in the Lakes, taking in 6 different summits, all of which offering fantastic views!

We (myself, Suzanne and Trevor) started from the car park just below little town and made our way to the bottom of the northern ridge of Robinson. The first bit of ascent was very steep but a good warm up nonetheless. We covered the undulating ridge line, completed some nice little rocky scrambles and made our way to our first summit of the day, Robinson. From here we got our first views down into Buttermere and of course the great fells that surround it. We now turned to the East and headed towards Hindscarth. Upon reaching this summit we hunkered down in the summit shelter for a bite to eat. After a short stop we were now heading for our highest point of the day. The wind was now picking up a little and the mist was rolling in. We reached the summit of Dale Head in good time and were greeted by amazing views back down the Newlands Valley to the North, and also views down to Buttermere to the South. In the interest of not getting cold we pressed on and descended the steep path down to Dale Head Tarn and in our sights we had our next summit, High Spy. The climb to the summit of High Spy was much easier, and we often stopped to look back at what we had already completed. We walked and talked across the rolling top of High Spy and Maiden Moor, and then got to the col that separates Maiden Moor from CatBells. We quickly dashed up and grabbed Catbells and re-traced our steps back to the col to give ourselves just a few hundred metres of descent back to the cars. On the way we stopped in a nice sheltered spot and feasted on some of Suzzanne's rather amazing Tropical Dried fruit Mix, Epic! Written by Matt Burt

Sound like your kind of walk? Join us in November for our last walk of this route in 2011

Another great day climbing Scafell Pike today! I met Simon, Paul, Bailey the chocolate labrador, and James, a trainee Mountain Leader at Seathwaite Farm. We set off at a storming pace of which we maintained for most of the day. After crossing Stockley Bridge we climbed the hillside and made our way over to Styhead Gill. We passed a few large groups on our way to Styhead Tarn and saw a few more climbing the Corridor Route. Unfortunately the cloud was low and thick, brining heavy rain/ drizzle storms with it so we were not able to get any of the great views. Soon enough we were at the base of Scafell Pike and ready to take on the final ascent. In yet another impressive time we were on the summit of the Pike, but now feeling a very strong wind as well as the rain we made a b-line for the shelter. After a very short lunch stop we continued over Broad Crag and Ill Crag and down to Esk Hause. We then descended Grains Gill, and it was now that we finally got under the mist to get some more views. After a fast but great day on the hills we were soon back at Seathwaite Farm.

A wonderful day above Troutbeck today, we set off at 10am and climbed by the Garburn Track to the Garburn Pass.

From the top of the pass we climbed in bright sunshine to the summit of Yoke, the views were great, south over Morecambe Bay and to the Yorkshire Dales and to the north and west across the Lake District, only the highest tops were in cloud.

We followed the ridge north climbing to the wonderful summit of Ill Bell and it's multiple cairns. There was a great view south over Windermere from the summit.

We continued north crossing the summit of Froswick and climbing to the summit of Thornthwaite Crag.

There was quite a cool breeze on the tops so we ducked behind a wall to eat our packed lunches with a good view over High Street and north towards Ullswater.

After lunch we descended west dropping down to Threshthwaite Mouth and followed the Trout Beck south descending to the valley and following the track back to Troutbeck.

Wow what a great day! I met Bill at the Wasdale Head INN and we set off to meet the main track that ascends Scafell Pike. We got caught in a couple of waves of drizzle, but despite low cloud for the rest of the day, this was all the rain we faced! At a great pace we ascended the steep track to Hollow Stones, and then continued on to the zig-zags, and at this point we entered the mist. After tackling the steep final ascent we made it to the summit, and Bill was now on the highest point of England for his first time :)

Aftert a short lunch in our usual shelter we summited again and then made our way off the misty summit and descended towards Mickledor. At the rescue box we took the steep broken path down towards Eskdale to meet the path that goes up to Fox's Tarn. This path was a scramble up the waterfalls and it was great fun! We both got to the top of the falls and had really enjoyed the scramble. We now had one last steep ascent of the day, so we got our heads down and plodded up the loose rocks to the summit of Scafell. From the summit we followed the track down past the top of Lord's Rake and then across Green How. We were now under the cloud and getting some fantastic views back over Wastwater, Lingmell, Yewbarrow and even Great Gable had come out of the cloud. We made our way off the steep grassy slope and across the fields to the road that runs back to the INN. We enjoyed the easy plod back to the car park and were both revelling in the fantastic day we had had.

A fantastic day climbing Helvellyn & Striding Edge today, but unfortunately for the last time this year! :(

I met my group, Juanita, June, Lucy, Claire, Julia, Alison and Georgina at our normal spot in Glenridding. (This was my first group of all women, so I was hoping they would play nicely with me! haha) The forecast for the day was awesful, however it seemed the eastern lakes was avoiding the worst of the weather, and aprt from some low cloud it was quite nice. We made our way to Lanty's Tarn and then started to climb up to Birkhouse Moor. We made the summit of Birkhouse Moor in good time, most likely because we were in the fog and were not getting the fine views back towards Ullswater. We were now on the flatter ground making our way towards High Spying How, and the start of Striding Edge. Soon enough we were at the start of the ridge and after a quick briefing we cracked on. Some of the group were nervious, anxious but I am sure excited too! The mist was down so we could not see down either side of the edge, which I think helped. All the ladies scrambled very well, tackling all the hardest sections, even when the gusts started to pick up. Everyone tackled the chimney and then the final scramble. Just as we were reaching the summit plateau the mist blew through for a few seconds to give amazing views of the edge, and the opportunity for the ladies to see what they had just conquered in fine style! I think at that point the sense of achievement that the group was feeling was doubled instantly (although I did hear Claire say it made her feel dizzy!) We got ourselves to the busy summit shelter, but found a place to grab a spot of lunch. The stop was short, and then we made our way to Swirral Edge. We tackled the steep first section but then met the path for easier walking. The cloud had now lifted and we were getting great views of the side of Striding Edge, Catstycam and the fells in the distance. We enjoyed a leisurly walk back down to Greenside Mine and then made our way to the pub for a nice cool drink to round off the day. A fantastic day, and I am already looking forward to when we will be up there again!

A blowy day on Skiddaw today, climbing by the Ullock Pike ridge.

We set off from High Side at 10am and climbed above Southernerdale and up to the summit of Ullock Pike. The views over the Solway were good and the weather was good, as long as we stayed out of the strong winds.

From Ullock Pike we crossed the summit of Long Side deciding to miss out the summit of Carl Side, instead staying on the lower path and making the most of the shelter that this gave us.

The last climb up onto the summit ridge of Skiddaw was climbed with little difficulty and we crossed the ridge to the summit of Skiddaw. We didn't stop for too long though and descended north finding a sheltered wind shelter to eat our sandwiches.

After a short lunch stop we continued north descending over Bakestall down to the supply road following this down past Dash Falls to Peter House Farm, following the paths across the fields back to High Side.

WINDY!!!!! That is the word of the day for sure!

An amazing day was had today climbing the beast that is Grasmoor from Buttermere on a fantastic loop taking in 5 Summits! I met Lucy outside the Bridge Hotel, and we got straight on our way towards Whiteless Pike. From Ghyll Wood we started the steep ascent up Whiteless breast towards Whiteless Pike. This ascent gobbles up much of the height gain for the day, so although it was hard we knew the rest of the day would be easier, phew! However  as we gained height we seemed to be entering the stronger streams of wind. The gusts were very powerful, so much so that they were pushing us around and knocking us off balance. The gusts just kept coming which made the walking hard, so much so that at one point we were both on our knees not able to move another step. We had a quick chat as to whether we wanted to persevere with the walk, but we thought we should crack on a bit further to see how we got on...and it was definitely a good decision! We summited Whiteless Pike and made our way across the ridge line to summit the small mound of Wandope. Our next objective was the biggest of the day, Grasmoor, so we made our way across the wide plateau to start our climb. As we got up the short ascent to reach the summit plateau of Grasmoor we met another walker who said 'enjoy the wind! I hope you're ready for it!' We thought we had already been subjected to the worst it could possibly be, but we were wrong! haha We battled with the wind across the long plateau and summited, but quickly headed for shelter in the small summit shelter. We took this opportunity to have our lunch. We pressed on after this short stop and made our way towards Crag Hill. We ate up the short ascent to the the summit and were greeted by some amazing views over towards Skiddaw, the rest of the Coledale Horseshoe and Keswick. Somehow we were out of the wind here so we took the chance to sit down and enjoy the amazing view. We now had just one summit remaining, Sail, so we made the short descent and ascent and were soon standing next to the summit cairn. After a short descent we turned South and followed a track down towards Rigg Beck. By this time we were out of the worst of the wind, and the sun had come out! So much so that I was brave enough to take off my jumper and walk in just a t-shirt! This was a lovely quiet walk back into Buttermere, traversing the hillside. We got back to Buttermere just as it was starting to cloud over again and had both had a great day, although feeling a bit pushed about because of the wind! Written by Matt Burt

Apologies for the late post, but here is what we got up to yesterday!

I met the group at Seathwaite Farm and unfortunately the weather was very grim! In the usual TLDW fashion we were up for the challenge and ready to take on Scafell Pike! We set off towards Stockley Bridge admiring the full waterfalls along the way. We took on our first ascent of the day and made our way over to Styhead Gill.  On our way to Styhead tarn we passed another group of walkers. The Leader of the group approached me and said 'Did you speak to those others going down? They said there is only 10ft visibility!'....the reaction in my head was firstly, thats pretty standatd for SFP, but also Awesome! Although fog and mist spoils the views it can enhance a mountain day in ways to make it feel like a much more dramatic environment. We joined the corridor route and made our way up the hillside. By this time the rain had eased and the wind was starting to dry us off! In great time we had made our way to the final ascent to the summit, and after a brief rest stop we headed for the summit. The mist was blocking any views of what was to come for the group, so they were unawares of how much further there was to go, but soon enough we were on the summit plateu about to summit. We got to summit, had a few photos and headed straight to the shelter to get out of the wind. As with many of our lunch stops this time of year it was short as we all started to cool down, so we heaved ourselves out of our seats and got on our way across the tops. About an hour later we came off Ill Crag and suddenly, as though someone had opened the curtains we got amazing views across to Esk Pike, Bowfell and the Crinkles. This was a great moment for the group as the last time we had seen anything was at the start of the corridor route! We admired the views and continued to Esk Hause. Here we were hit by a very bracing wind, which must have been blowing at over 70mph and gusting more, we stood here for a minute or two so the group could experience such strong winds (without having to put there head out of the window on a motorway of course!). We continued to the head of Grains Gill and were again greeted with amazing views towards the gables and down into Borrowdale. We made good time back down to Seathwaite Farm and arrived back after 6 hours 59 mins and 30 secs, with a guide time of 7 Hours....Perfick'!

 

Written By Matt Burt

A good days Navigation Training on Silver How today.

We climbed from Elterwater and climbed above High Close onto the ridge and ran several navigation exercises along the ridge by Dow Bank and up to the summit of Silver How, stopping on the summit of Silver How for lunch and continuing after lunch along the ridge by Swinescar Pike before returning along the ridge to descend to the west of Megs Gill and down to Thrang Crag Quarries and Chapel Stile following the river back to Elterwater.

Another great day on Helvellyn & Striding Edge today!

I met Bill and Hazel at our usual spot in Glenridding and we started on our way towards Lanty's Tarn. As we passed the Tarn and started to make our way towards Birkhouse Moor we got some magnificent views across to High Street and St Sundays Crag. There was cloud in the sky but it was allowing rays of sunshine to break through and give us the most dramatic views. We did exceptionally well up the climb to Birkhouse Moor, especially in the wind that was whipping up and over the wall. We summited Birkhouse Moor and started to make our way towards Striding Edge. There were quite a few people around and people on the edge, even in these windy conditions, which was a great sign! We reached the edge and with Bill and Hazel were up for a challenge, so we made our way on to the top, and started to take the hardest line possible. Again Bill and Hazel done well and we had soon tackled the Edge and were on the summit plateau. The wind was really ripping across the top so we decided, after a very brief stop in the shelter, to head for cover over on Swirral Edge. We found our lunch spot half way down the edge, and again after a short stop due to getting cold we got on our way. After Swirral Edge we made our way up a very windy Catstycam. We found ourselves being blown to the top and then getting pushed from all directions, it was great fun though! We followed the path off Catstycam and down to the main path to Greenside Mine. We enjoyed the end of the walk through the valley being sheltered by the wind and even with a bit more sunshine breaking through the clouds. Crackin'! Written by Matt Burt

One of the clients, Bill, is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro for Marie Curie Cancer Care next year in memory of his beloved wife who sadly passed away to the illness in 2006. Here is the link for Bill's fundraising page to give him a hand for a great cause and towards his great adventure, and also help you get rid of some loose change! haha http://www.justgiving.com/Maria-Donaghy

 

A good day today climbing Black Crag and Holme Fell from Tarn Hows, a rambling route over two beautiful lower fells near Coniston

A good day climbing Scafell Pike from Seathwaite today, although no views from the summit of Scafell Pike we did get some good views on the way up and down.

This morning I met a group all the way from Essex in Glenridding, ready to climb Helvellyn. We set off up the track and soon found ourselves at Lanty's Tarn. Everyone found themselves stripping off their layers as the weather was simply amazing! We continued up the steep hillside and rounded the hilltop by Birkhouse Moor to gain amazing views of Helvellyn itself. We walked across the flatter ground to High Spying how, now gaining great views into the valley bottom and down to Red Tarn; we pressed on and made our way onto the edge. Everyone in the group scrambled exceptionally well, especially as it was their first Lake District Mountain experience. We took the hardest line all the way along the edge, tackled the chimney and quickly scuttled up the final scramble. We made our way onto the summit, and after a few pictures we  headed for Swirral Edge. We made quick work of Swirral Edge and descended to Red Tarn. Soon enough we had followed the track down past Greenside Mine and back to the Car Park. A great day out at which everyone should be chuffed with their achievments!

A wonderful day above Grasmere today, we set off from Grasmere just after 10.30am and climbed by Allan Bank, now with it's new roof, and followed the path up by Wray Gill to Brigstone Moss, climing to the summit of Silver How.

The views were great today, nothing distant, but the views over Grasmere and Windermere were magnificent.

We followed the ridge west climbing onto the summit of Lang How to stop for lunch.

After lunch we continued along the ridge, over Swinescar Pike and up to Blea Rigg before descending by Easdale Tarn and Sour Milk Gill back down to Easdale and Grasmere.