Haystacks
Haystacks in the Western Lake District Fells
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Haystacks & Fleetwith Pike
A great day today climbing Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike from Gatesgarth Farm. A little high cloud in the morning cleared by early afternoon to give clear blue skies and wonderful views.
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Haystacks
A day with excellent views climbing Haystacks, Wainwright's favourite fell, and descending via Fleetwith Pike
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Haystacks from Gatesgarth
A wet and windy day today climbing Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike from Gatesgarth Farm, above the Buttermere Valley.
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Buttermere to Langdale
A long high walk from Buttermere to Langdale saw us above the clouds for the morning on a brilliantly clear and chilly day.
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77 Peak Challenge Day 2
A great day above Ennerdale and Buttermere for the second day of the 77 Peak Challenge following the ridge from Great Bourne to Haystacks and a bit more.
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24 Peak Challenge
We had a group tackling the challenge over 2 days.Starting in Buttermere and finishing in Langdale on day 1. And starting on The Kirkstone Pass and finishing the challenge at St Johns in the Vale on day 2.
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Haystacks from Gatesgarth
A good day today climbing Haystacks from Gatesgarth.
Weset off from Gatesgarth at 10am and climbed the path up to Scarth Gap, as we reached Scarth Gap we caught a heavy hail / snow shower but as we climbed to the summit of Haystacks this cleared giving us some wonderful views.
We descended to Innominate Tarn and as we dropped down towards Black Beck we caught another shower, this time not as heavy as earler, we dropped down to the Warnscale Hut to have our lunches in the dry.
After lunch we descended by Warnscale Beck back to Gatesgarth.
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Haystacks from Gatesgarth
A wonderful clear day today climbing Haystacks from Gatesgarth, very cold but clear views throughout as we climbed by Scarth Gap descending by the Warnscale hut.
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24 Peaks Challenge
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!!
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Haystacks
A lovely day climbing Haystacks from Gatesgarth today.
The forecast was looking grim, however at 10am as we were about to set off, it actually looked quite good! The clouds were sitting on the tops of the higher fells, but our objective was sitting nice and clear!
We took the good path across the southern end of the lake to to where the Scarth Gap path climbs steeply up the fellside. The group were already deep in conversation so before we all knew it we were high above the lake on the easier section of the path. We continued on upwards to a slightly winder Scarth gap where we had fab views of Pillar Rock in the mist.
We made our way up Haystacks steep north ridge, and picked the easiest walking and scrambling lines. Soon enough we were on the fine summit soaking up the views. After a snack on the summit we walked east across the plateau, past Inonimate To the top of one of the descent paths.
We opted to descend to the Warnscale Bottom hut for lunch as it will provide some warmth and shelter for a while. The hut was great, and we could have stayed in there for a lot longer! We descended from the hut via the good path back to Gatesgarth.
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Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike
A great day climbing Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike today.
We set off from Gatesgarth just after 10am and climbed to Scarth Gap in good time and climbed the rocky path too the summit of Haystacks.
After the short descent to Innominate Tarn we stopped for lunch out of the cool breeze before continuing by Blackbeck Tarn and down to Dubbs before climbing the slopes of Fleetwith Pike.
The views from Fleetwith Pike were wonderful today, over the Buttermere Valley and out over the Solway to Scotland beyond.
We descended Fleetwith Edge back to Gatesgarth Farm.
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Haystacks from Gatesgarth
Well that was a change for the books! Just a few days ago we were basking in glorious sunshine, and today we wake to snow covered fells! Our walk for today saw us take on Haystacks from Gatesgarth.
Starting from a very blustery Gatesgarth Farm we followed the track along the end of Buttermere and to the bottom of the Scarth Gap path. After gaining just a little height we were already rewarded with amazing views. We slowly climbed upwards with the wind pushing us up the hillside. We reached Scarth Gap where the wind was being funneled through and decided to stop for a bite to eat before making our final ascent. The group all scrambled well in the blustery conditions as we made our way onto the summit. We reached the summit of Haystacks, and after a few quick pics we again retreated for some shelter.
We stopped just off of the summit for round 2 of lunch, from where we had amazing views of a snow covered Great Gable, and Scafell Pike behind that.
After lunch we made our way slowly across Haystacks' tarn topped summit and down to our descent path. This path offered some shelter from the wind which was a great relief! It was this part of the day that the sun made its most constant appearance which made the descent very enjoyable.
Not before too long we were back on the valley bottom and so we made our way back to the farm.
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Haystacks from Gatesgarth
The scorching conditions continued today as we took on Haystacks from Gatesgarth.
After meeting at Gatesgarth Farm we made our way across the base of the lake to the path that climbs to Scarth Gap. We started to ascend up the fellside slowly and took plenty of time to enjoy the spectacular views. There was next to no wind, and it was already feeling very hot, it was going to be a very fine day! As we reached Scarth Gap we gained some great views of Pillar and Kirk Fell. It was at this point not one, but two Tornado Jets flew and banked straight over our heads. They seemd close enough to touch, and the noise was just incredible. After a few seconds of spinning heads and full body tingles we continued on upwards through the slight scrambles and to the lovely summit of Haystacks.
We stopped on the summit for rest and a snack before continuing along the plateau past the many outcrops and the beautiful tarns, most notably Inominate. We enjoyed great views of the Gables, and even the Scafell Massif behind. We found a great little spot by Green Crag for lunch which had a clear view straight down the Buttermere valley over the two lakes. After our extended lunch break in the sun we crossed Warnscale Beck and enjoyed our descent in the sunshine. As we got closer to the valley bottom it just got warmer and warmer, and we could have easily been trekking through Crete!
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Haystacks from Gatesgarth
For some a mountain is only a true mountain if it stands above 600m. This unwritten rule used to have Wainwright foaming at the mouth, especially when it came down to his favorite fell, Haystacks. He loved this mountain, and of all the fells in Lakeland, this was his number 1. What it lacks in stature it more than makes up for with its other fine attributes. Our walk today on Haystacks, despite the lack of ascent, and the few miles walked was most deffinetely a mountain day!
I met Mags and Anne at Gatesgarth at the southern end of Buttermere, and at this point it wasn't raining. However, this did not last long! We followed the path along the shore of Buttermere and joined the Scarth Gap Pass (A massive well done to the teams that have worked very hard over the last year or so improving this path, it's great and thank you!) We climbed up the fellside and traversed to Scarth Gap. The rain had now set in and the wind was quite gusty, but we were determined to get to the top.
We got to Scarth Gap and then scrambled up the western face of Haystacks, one of its many great features. We got to the rocky summit but keen not to stop for long we pressed on towards Inonimate tarn, A.W's final resting place. Despite the rain the visibility wasn't too bad and we had good views of Fleetwith Pike and down to Buttermere.
We worked our way across the tarn topped plateau, around the buttresses past Green Crag. There are a couple of huts in this area which offer great refuge, especially on wet days like this. We opted for the Warnscale Hut. The hut is small but cosy, it had foam mats on the seats, a nice guest book and even some whiskey! (Which we thought best not to drink). After a nice long stop and some drier layers we continued our descent.
This was when our day really started to become a bit of an adventure. A large ghyll cut across the stream and was very swollen. We wern't happy to cross it and took the tough but wise descision to re-ascend to join the path that runs down the other side of Warnscale Beck (The Fleetwith Pike Side). We ascended back up the path to where it crosses the beck, but unfortunately again the swollen beck was blocking the usual crossing point. To find a suitable crossing point we followed the river towards Dubs Bottom a large comb, where the main beck split into many smaller streams which were all individually much easier to negotiate.
With the obstacles tackled we were now back on our descent. We followed the good path down to Warnscale Bottom and then back to Gatesgarth. A fantastic adventure today on a fine mountain!
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