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Coledale Horseshoe
A cloud filled day out on The Coledale Horseshoe but we were rewarded with a Rainbow. Taking in the summits of Grisedale Pike, Eel Crag and Causey Pike amongst others.
August 30, 2013
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A great day despite early bad weather climbing Grasmoor from Buttermere, taking in the summits of Whiteless Pike, Wandope, Crag Hill and Sail.
July 23, 2013
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77 Peak Challenge: Day 3
A damp and windy third day of the 77 Peak Challenge: Today we took on the Coledale Horseshoe with a few added summits along the way.
May 27, 2013
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The Coledale Horseshoe
A good day above Braithwaite today on the Coledale Horseshoe.
We set off from Braithwaite just after 10am and climbed the long Kinn ridge to the summit of Grisedale Pike. As we climbed the last slope to the summit of Grisedale Pike we were in the cloud.
There were a few showers as we followed the ridge over Grisedale Pike and onto Hopegill Head, descending over Sand Hill to Coledale Hause, but none of these were too bad.
We climbed the log gentle climb from the hause to the summit of Eel Crag or Crag Hill, our highest point of the day, stopping in the small wind shelter near the summit for a quick lunch stop before pressing on descending over Sail to Sail Pass before climbing again over Scar Crags and out to the wonderful summit of Causey Pike.
We still hadn't dropped below the cloud, but as we descended from Causey Pike towards Outerside we were at last below the cloud again, we crossed Outerside and were soon over Stile End and down onto Barrow, our final summit of the day and the best views before dropping down the northern shoulder to Braithwaite.
November 8, 2012
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A great day today above Buttermere, from Hause Point we climbed the steep western end of Rannerdale Knotts and followed the ridge east to pick up the path climbing to Whiteless Pike.
The weather was great, although there was quite a strong breeze it was nothing compared to the last few days.
From Whiteless Pike we climbed over Thirdgill Head Man and onto the grassy summit of Wandope, the views were great and we could see as far as the Yorkshire Dales.
From Wandope we crossed Wandope Moss and climbed to the summit of Grasmoor, stopping in the summit shelter for lunch before descending to Coledale Hause and climbing the steep path over Sand Hill to the wonderful summit of Hopegill Head.
From Hopegill Head we followed the ridge down over Whiteside, the great ridge bringing us back down to Lanthwaite Green.
September 18, 2012
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The Coledale Horseshoe
A fantastic sunny day on the Coledale Horseshoe
After meeting in Braithwaite we started our walk by making our way up the steep steps from the Car Park. The start is a bit of a cruel one, but it is great to warm you up! We climbed up the grassy eastern spur of Grisedale Pike, and we didn't have to climb high at all to get some good views over Keswick and Derwent Water. After the initial climb the track flattened out for a while before climbing steeply to the summit. Grisedale Pike is a very interesting mountain to climb, and you can see why it is called the 'Matterhorn of the Lake District'. We enjoyed the views from the summit before making our way to our second summit, Hopegill Head.
From Hopegill head we headed towards the highest summit of the day, Eel Crag. After reached Coledale Hause we followed the gradual track that leads around the back. After reaching the summit we found a nice spot to enjoy our lunches.
After lunch we followed the other half of the horseshoe over Sail, Scar Crags and then onto Causey Pike, an impressive summit overlooking Keswick.
As a couple of the guys were in training for an expedition we opted to add in the extra ascent by taking in Outerside, Stile End and Barrow. We descended off of Barrow back into a Beer Garden in Braithwaite, a perfect end to a great day.
May 29, 2012
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The Coledale Horseshoe
Starting this blog entry with my usual 'Wow!' simply doesn't cut the mustard for today...but Wow!!! What a day!
I met the group above Braithwaite ready to take on the mighty Coledale Horseshoe, a Lake District Classic and a personal favorite. The start of this walk does not lend any warm up period as we immediately climb the staircase that leaves the car park. We gained height quickly as we walked up the slopes towards the summit of Grisedale Pike, and into the cloud and mist. However, again it was a lovely clear day, with crisp air and the sun was already brightening up the sky. A hundred metres of so from the summit we were into the mist and our views restricted, but just under the summit we emerged above the cloud, to see the most spectacular cloud inversion! For miles below all we could see was a blanket of cloud covering the entire district, with just the summits of the biggest mountains such as Skiddaw and Blencathra, Great Gable, the Scafells poking through. it really did stop us in our tracks. To add to the amazement a Brocken Spectre was being cast on the clouds behind us (A large magnified shadow with a circular rainbow or spectrum around it, there is a picture of it below) After summiting Grisedale Pike we made quick progress over to Hopegill Head and then Sand Hill. We dropped into Coledale Hause with the biggest peak of the day, Eel Crag, ahead of us. With the group fancying a bit of a challenge we opted to take the scramble up the North face of Eel Crag, of which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. We stopped for a spot of lunch on the summit and continued to enjoy the views and the cloud inversion. We pressed on over Sail, Scar Crags and finally Causey Pike. We decided to make our way back to Braithwaite through the centre of the Horseshoe, so after a small back track we made our way down towards Outerside and passed between this small peak and Stile End.
An absolutely phenomenal day, with great banter, and great views! Enjoy the pictures :)
November 20, 2011
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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
October 24, 2011
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The Coledale Horseshoe
Whilst eating my bowl of chocolate Shreddies this morning I had my first look at the today's weather report, and it didnt look good. The report put a lot of emphasis on showers in the West, exactly where we were heading for the day. Well once again the report has been proven wrong, as today we have had glorious sunshine for the duration of the day. We started in Braithwaite and had the long slog up Grisedale Pike to contend with first, but the great thing about this is that once you have summited this peak, you have already completed most of the days ascent. After about and hour and forty five minutes we were standing on the summit feasting on excellent views out towards Scotland to the north, and the rest of the Lake District to the East, South and West, Stunning! The beauty of the Coledale Horseshoe is there are many route options, and you can do as much or as little as you like, but today we were going for it all! Myself and Rosemary set our sights on Hopegill head, and after a short while we were on the summit, and had gained views down to Melbreak alongside Crummock Water. After a spot of lunch we set off for the highest Peak of the day Eel Crag (Crag Hill), and taking in Sand Hill on the way. Shortly after 2pm we were on the summit of Eel Crag, and had broken the back of the horseshoe, now at our highest point we could see through to Buttermere, the Scafells, Langdale and even across to the Helvellyn Range. We continued on and took in the undulating peaks of Sail, Scar Crags and Causey Pike, which really marked the end of the horseshoe. After a slight backtrack we descended off the side of Causey Pike, walked over the summit of Slight Side and headed for our track back to Braithwaite, and then back to the car.
The Coledale Horseshoe has always been my favorite walk in the Lakes, and today reafirmed my love for this great walk. Thank you weather and thank you for the great company Rosemary!
August 27, 2011
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The Coledale Horseshoe
A great day above Braithwaite today, setting off from Braithwaite we climbed along the Kinn ridge to the summmit of Grisedale Pike, climbing into the cloud on the last slope to the summit, there was very little other than whiteb to see from the summit so we pressed on.
As we were following the ridge to Hopegill Head the cloud started to break and we were rewarded with a sight of a Brocken Spectre.
We crossed to the summit of Hopegill Head and descended across Sand Hill to Coledale Hause, following the new path to the summit of Crag Hill, some deep snow drifts as we climbed to the summit.
From Crag Hill we crossed to Sail and dropped down to Sail Pass, dropping out of the cloud here at last, descending from the pass and dropping doown to follow the ridge down over Outerside, Stile End and Barrow.
The views from Barrow were great, the sun was starting to set. We descended the northern ridge of Barrow as the sun started to set.
December 2, 2010
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