Melbreak from the Kirkstile turn, Loweswater.

 

Cloudy and overcast to start, but with the prospect of breaking cloud and sunshine.

Great Gable with Haystack forward of it, at the far end of Buttermere Valley.

Leaving the farm road and through the short section of trees brought us out onto the fell side.

Grasmoor is the large fell in the background. Chris Bethan and Harry in the foreground.

That sunshine improved as we climbed

and threw a good light onto Whiteside, Grasmoor, and Crummock Water below us.

A turn of the path towards the northern side of Melbreak

brings the fine view of the rest of Crummock and Buttermere, with Fleetwith Pike in the distance.

The last few hundred feet of the climb was notable by the drop in temperature and the increasingly frozen path.

A slight detour here gave a close up if the icicles, and the ridges of Hen Comb and Gavel behind.

Melbreak's northern top, and a view back down over Loweswater towards the Solway

with a few of the Scottish hills just visible through the distant blue haze.

I parted company with Chris here, in order for me to return home a little sooner. He went on towards the southern summit and Scale Force Waterfall while I took a more direct route of the west side and down into Mosedale below.

Looking back up the gully . . .	. . . Looking down into Mosedale.

A short diversion brought me down to the Mosedale Holly Tree,

one of the few trees named and given its own symbol on the 1:25k local O.S.Map.

The Holly with my descent route behind.	The new steel bridge over Mosedale Beck

Frozen ground down here would have made the bog-hopping over to the bridge a little easier no doubt.

Home now via the bridle way down the valley back towards Loweswater.

Darling Fell and Low Fell and a little gathering cloud fill the background view.

Back to the trees at the base of Melbreak

more or less where we broke off to start our climb.