A lovely and warm day climbing Pillar from Wasdale today.

We left the Wasdale Head and took the far less trodden path towards the Black Sail Pass. The morning was already feeling warm and the sun was out, it was great! We climbed quickly up the path to the ridgeline that leads up to Pillar. The ridge climbs gently over rocks and boulders and after a final short ascent we were on the flat summit of Pillar.

After taking in the views we left the summit and headed towards Windy Gap. Shortly after leaving the col Rob started feeling a bit off so we opted to change the route and head straight for Red Pike instead. We climbed this grassy ridge slowly and when we reached the summit we had some lunch and enjoyed the incredible views.

We descended from the summit and took the path down the valley to join the roadside. Back in the valley it was roasting, and we enjoyed the walk back to the Wasdale Head in the afternoon heat.

The weather was a bit mixed today, well it was a typical British Summers Day with Showers one second followed by scorching sun the next!

This morning we headed up onto Stickle Barn for a spot of climbing and we managed to get 3 routes in and an Abseil amongst the short showers.

After lunch we kitted up and got into Stickle Ghyll for a really fun Ghyll Scrambling Session. Everyone, especially the kids, did really well tackling all the hard bits we could do on a day when the water was really powerful!

 

Another good day on Scafell Pike, with a group containing a few old faces. Or should I say familiar faces!
We took the usual route from Seathwaite to Styhead Tarn, then picked up the Corridor Route to Lingmell Col and on to the summit of Scafell Pike.
Other than the lack of decent views due to the clag, the weather was quite kind although it did try to rain as we descended via Grains Gill.

A great day above Troutbeck today on the Troutbeck Skyline.

We set off from Trutbeck Church at 10am and climbed the gentle Garburn Track up to the Garburn Pass, turning north at the summit of the pass and following the path north alng the ridge, eventually climbing to the summit of Yoke.

From Yoke we continued north, following the ridge to the summit of Ill Bell. We stopped for lunch at the summit of Ill Bell before continuing north, as we descended Ill Bell a little cloud blew in so that as we crossed Froswick and climbed to the summit of Thornthwaite Crag we were in and out of the cloud.

We descended from Thornthwaite Crag south dropping down onto the Roman Road and dropped down to Hag Gill, following the track back to Troutbeck.

A great afternoons walk above Stonethwaite today climbing Eagle Crag and Sergeant's Crag before descending by Greenup Gill back to Stonethwaite.

We set off from the Langstrath Inn at 2pm and followed the path alongside Stonethwaite Beck and climbed the nose of Eagle Crag, a steep start but this eased as we climbed higher, zig-zagging above Heron Crag to the summit of Eagle Crag.

There were some great views from the summit, all the high tops were out of cloud, although there was some dark cloud moving in from the south which soon enveloped the highest tops.

After a short break on the summit we continued, crossing along the ridge to the the summit of Sergeant's Crag and after a short stop here we descended south east into the valley below Lining Crag, admiring the wonderful Glacial Moraines here before crossing to meet the path descending by Greenup Gill and down to Stonethwaite.

A great day out today at the northern end of Ullswater traversing the ridge above Howtown to Pooley Bridge.

We set off from Howtown at about 10am and climbed the good track on the western flank of Steel Knotts to the summit ridge, turning back along the ridge to take in the wonderful summit and a few photos, todays forecast had been for low cloud and rain so we were more than happy with the sunshine that we were getting so far!

From Steel Knotts (or Pikeawassa) we followed the ridge south, skirting around Gowk Hill and climbing up onto the ridge just south of Wether Hill, meeting the Roman road and following this north over the summits of Wether Hill.

From Wether Hill we continued north, stopping by the remains of the old shooting lodge on the slopes of Loadpot Hill to eat our sandwiches before continuing over Loadpot Hill.

By now the skies were a little greyer and there were a few spots of rain in the air, the cloud had dropped onto the summits of the Helvellyn range and there was rain on the way.

We pressed on and descended onto the grassy shoulder leading out to Bonscale Pike, by now the skies had again cleared and we crossed to the summit of Arthur's Pike.

From Arthur's Pike we crossed to the Roman road again and descended by Brown Rigg to The Cockpit, a wonderful stone circle before descending down to the track to Pooley Bridge.

A great day walking up Skiddaw and seeing the Ospreys today.

After meeting in Keswick I picked up John and Bernadette and drove us to Dodd Wood. The morning was an absolute cracker, and we all started out in our t shirts and sun glasses. A short walk through the forest brought us to the first Osprey View Point. We did get a view of these great birds, but we continued climbing up to the upper viewpoint where we got an even better sighting of them.

After enjoying the viewpoint and learning about the Ospreys we continued upwards. We opted not to summit Dodd, and instead we climbed the steep track up to the rounded summit of Carl Side. The weather had been good until this point, and the views were great, but now the cloud was dropping and some showers were coming through. We climbed up the steep scree onto the now misty and windswept summit of Skiddaw. We ducked into the summit shelter for a bite to eat, but we did not stay long. We now made our way across the plateau and then onto Little Man. As we left this summit we were again under the mist and enjoying great views over Keswick.

We descended down the long tourist track and then climbed onto Latrigg.  We stopped on the bench near the top for a whole to soak up the views across the Lakes. After descending from the slopes of Latrigg we made our way back through Keswick.

Another fantastic weekend of toughing it out on the 24 Peaks Challenge in 24 Hours.

On Saturday morning I met the group in Buttermere, and after a few minutes of finalising kit we were on our way (8.17am). The start of the challenge is not a kind one as we got straight into the climb by heading up the steep steps leading to Red Pike. We made great progress up this steep climb, despite intentionally taking it easier as to not burn out. After the final scramble we were on the summit of Red Pike after 1 hour and 20 minutes. There was a bit of mist on the Buttermere Fells but there was more over towards Great Gable where we would be heading later.

From Red Pike we followed the ridge and a short climb brought us up to summit number 2, High Stile. From High Stile another ridge walk brought us quickly onto summit 3, High Crag. With 3 summits in the bag within a couple of hours we now had a large descent to deal with. We descended the steep slope of Gamlin End before heading across Scarth Gap. From here we scrambled quickly up the slope to the summit of Haystacks, unfortunately not one of the 24 peaks!

We headed south from Haystacks past Inominate Tarn and weaved our way around the many tarns and outcrops before joining the track that climbs up to the Moses Trod Path. We joined this path for a short while before cutting off to hoin the northern slope of Green Gable. A short drag up into the mist brough us summit number 4, Green Gable. Great Gable soon followed as we headed across windy gap and up over the boulders to its windswept summit. We didnt linger long as we were planning on having Lunch at Styhead pass. We reached Styhead Pass after the knee crunching descent and the break was very well received!

After the break we were back on the ascent and we made our way up the Corridor Route to the summit of Lingmell. We were still climbing really well and focused on now reaching the highest summit in England. The group continued to climb well and after about 20 minutes we were on the summit of Scafell Pike. We were lucky enough to have some views so we took a moment to soak them up before heading onto our next peak. We crossed Broad Crag Col follwed by Broad Crag and Ill Crag before a short ascent brought us up to Great End. We continued with great pace across Esk Hause and summited Esk Pike shortly after. 9 down, 1 to go. We crossed Ore Gap and picked our way through the boulders and onto the summit of Bowfell.

With all of Day 1's peaks done we now just had to descend, and we had 1 hour 30 to get to the bottom to do it in 12 hours. We descended to the Three Tarns before turning east and joining The Band. We walked very quickly down the good path and we got to the bottom at about 12 hours exactly!

The alarm clock went off way too soon on Sunday morning, but we had some unfinished business to attend to, so out of bed we had to get! Unfortunately 3 of the 10 were unable to continue onto day 2 of the challenge.

After meeting in Ambleside at 7am we got our lift to the Kirkstone Pass, a great place to start the second day as its 350m above sea level. However, despite having a head start the first slope up Red Screes was by no means an easy one. We set off and the sun was already breaking through the patchwork of clouds, it was looking like a good day. We actually made amazing progress up this steep slope and we were on the summit after just 35 minutes.

We took a few minutes to have a breather on the summit, but then we made our way across the grassy slopes to Dove Crag. Hart Crag and Fairfield followed soon after. With just over 2 hours gone we were now on the toughest section of the day. We descended down the steep western side of Fairfield before climbing the very steep slope on the side of Seat Sandal. From this summit we had to descend straight away. Back in the col we chose to take the steep runners path up to the summit of Dollywagon Pike, this was hard work, but once again the group climbed well.

We were now onto the easier section of the walk and the summits would start to come much quicker. After Dollywagon Pike we took in Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn, White Side and Raise. We had just 3 summits left and we seemed to be walking better than ever. It had been windier across these last few summits, but the sun was starting to come out again. We cracked on to the Dodds, and we had soon taken in Stybarrow Dodd, Great Dodd and our final summit, Watson's Dodd. We had done it, all we had to do was descend down to the roadside.

We descended down the grassy slope towards Castle Rock, and after passing the rock face we had made it to the roadside. John met us at the bottom and produced some champagne to celebrate our success. We had managed to complete the second day in just 8 hours 20 minutes, brining our total time to 20 hours and 20 minutes! Well done Chaps!!

A slightly damp and misty day climbing Blencathra from Threlkeld today.

before we set off unfortunately we could already tell we would not be getting across Sharp Edge today as it was quite damp, but we were keen to have a good walk all the same! We headed out of Threlkeld and joined the steep slope at the bottom of Halls Fell Ridge. We made great time up the steep grassy slope and before we knew it we were at the scrambling.

We took great care and enjoyed the scrambling that Halls Fell Ridge has to offer. Soon enough we were on the summit of Blencathra, but unfortunately no views today. We opted to descend off of the mountain via Scales Fell, of which half way down we managed to duck under the mist for some good views.

We followed the path along the base of Blencathra back to Threlkeld.

A great day on The Fairfield Horseshoe.

After meeting the group at our shop in Ambleside, we set off through Ambleside and towards Rydal Park. We made our way through Rydal Park and could see the little cloud that was around was clearing nicely. After passing Rydal Mount we were now on the steep climb up towards Nab Scar.  As we climbed the views became more and more impressive, and we had great views over Windermere, Coniston Water, Rydal Water and Grasmere. We summited Nab Scar and then the gradient eased as we climbed towards Heron Pike.  We continued to make great progress as we made our way to the summit of Great Rigg. Ready for lunch we pressed on and decided to stop in the shelter on the summit of Fairfield.

After lunch we headed along the back stretch to Hart Crag and then we  followed the wall up to Dove Crag which provided great views over Windermere again.  We descended by the wall down the gentle grass slope over High Pike and Low Pike in the warm sun before descending to High Sweden Bridge. From the bridge we followed the good track back into Ambleside.

 

A fantastic day today climbing Mellbreak & Hen Comb.

We set off from the Kirkstile Inn at 10am and climbed the direct path up onto Mellbreak and crossing the ridge to the summit.

We descended the grassy path to meet the Floutern Pass path and climbed this to meet the path up onto Hen Comb, by mow this mornings cloudy skies had gone and we were now in bright sunshine. We stopped to eat our sandwiches on the summit of Hen Comb before descending back to Loweswater and the Kirkstile Inn.

A fantastic day climbing Scafell Pike from Seathwaite.

The forecast wasn't great for today, but saying that, compared to some of the recent weather it was OK! As we stood in Seathwaite about to set off a small shower passed through and we thought that would the story of the day. We made great progress up to Stockley Bridge and just as we started to climb by Taylorgill Force a harder shower kicked in. Those who hadn't already put their waterproofs on put them on before climbing higher. Just as we reached the flatter ground running up to Styhead Pass the shower stopped and the cloud started to clear, it was looking quite bright! It warmed up rapidly and we were soon taking off the waterproofs again.

As we reached Styhead Pass Lingmell was out and it was looking like Scafell Pike would also show its summit in the next few minutes. We joined the Corridor route and enjoyed the climb, and the amazing views. The weather just got better and better, and as we reached the summit of Scafell Pike we had great views, yay!

We enjoyed lunch just off of the summit before descending to Broad Crag Col. It suddenly seemed to turn cold and we found ourselves with our layers and gloves on. After descending past Calf Cove and joining the top of Grains Gill the sun had come back out and we were soon stripping off the layers once more. A fantastic day climbing in some good weather, finally!

As we left Seathwaite and headed towards Stockley Bridge we were caught in a couple of showers, and the showers were on and off for most of the day. As we reached Styhead Pass it seemed the low cloud was slowly lifting, but it was unlikely we would get views from the top of Scafell pike. We joined the Corridor Route and climbed well up to Lingmell Col. After the final steep climb we reach the summit of Scafell Pike, and after a few snaps we headed for the shelter. After a spot of lunch we descnded past Broad Crag and Ill Crag. Just above Calf Cove the mist cleared through and we got some great views of great Gable and Kirk Fell. The afternoon got better as we descended down Grains Gill as it seemed to get a bit brighter and the views down Borrowdale were great.

A very good day on the classic Helvellyn & Striding Edge.

We left a very humid Glenridding heading for a cloudy Birkhouse Moor. We climbed the grassy slope exceptionally well and made great progress to a misty summit of Birkhouse Moor. With the bulk of the climbing under our belts we enjoyed the gentler ground over towards Striding Edge. The mist was now starting to lift and it firstly revealed Catstycam, and then the edge came out itself. Just as we set off across Striding Edge a Sea King Helicopter came past us quite close! We all enjoyed the scrambling across the edge and by the time we got to the summit of Helvellyn it was clear and we enjoyed some great views. Afte  a spot of lunch on the summit we descended down Swirral Edge and then climbed up to the conical summit of Catstycam. After enjoying these views we descended its eastern nose down to the main track that leads into Glenriding via Greenside Mine.

A good day on Silver How today with a Navigation Course.

From Elterwater we climbed above High Close and ran several navigation exercises along the ridge, stopping for lunch on the summit of Silver How before continuing as far as Swinescar Pike before returning along the ridge to Dow Bank and back down to Elterwater.

A good day in Yorshire today as a group of 16 people completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks in challenging conditions!

The group set off just after 8am from Horton In Ribblesdale in less than perfect conditions and made good time climbing Pen-Y-Ghent and crossing the long boggy section to Ribblehead.

Spirits were still high though and after a short lunch stop at Ribblehead they were off again up and across Whernside and down to Chapel Le Dale in around 3 hours.

After another short food stop at Chapel Le Dale they were off again up the steep climb onto Ingleborough and then the long descent back to Horton In Ribblesdale.

Everyone made it around the course and back again in under the 12 hour mark, the last few with 2 minutes to spare! Not the quickest times but considering the conditions underfoot a great achievement.