Date & Time: Easter Saturday 15 th April 2006. 10 am start.

Location of Start : Centre of Buttermere Village, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 174 169 )

Places visited : Scale Force Waterfall, Lingcomb Edge, Red Pike, High Stile, High Crag, back via the lake.

Walk details : 9 mls, 3,400 ft of ascent , 7 hrs 40 mins.

Walked with : Members of the Online Fellwalking Club (as below), Ann and our dogs.

Weather : Overcast high cloud, warm with a light breeze at times. A splash of rain on top then turning hazy.

Easter Saturday - Meet outside the Fish Hotel at 10 am.

A club meet to walk and chat with friends, and celebrate five years of the OFC.

Chris with Charlotte and Karenza, Mary and Helen, Kimberley (behind Helen), John, Pete, Ian and Cory, Ann, Lin and Chris.

Fourteen including the photographer, plus our two dogs, Harry and Bethan.

A good walking day in prospect - dry and not too warm.

It was also nice to have good Easter weather for all the visitors who have come to the Lakes to enjoy the fells.

Scale Bridge, across the valley from the village

and time for another group photo opportunity.

Our route would take us on a gradually rising valley path to Scale Force.

Here we crossed Ruddy Beck before it made its way to the lake a short distance behind.

Rising up the slope we enjoyed a wider panorama of Crummock Water

with Melbreak on the left and Grasmoor on the right.

A close up on Low Ling Crag

as it juts out into the Crummock opposite Rannerdale Knotts.

Happy smiles as Lin and Mary stride out towards the waterfall.

Fleetwith Pike and Buttermere Lake are now behind us.

Chris helps Charlotte over a slightly muddy section

Lin hoping to hit the stones, but not always successful.	We arrive at Scale Force

The falls, a hidden beauty of this part of the walk, have been well known as a landmark and a target in themselves,

even since Victorian times when guides took visitors on excursions to see the "highest water falls in England"

Pete and Cory contemplate a short scramble.	Close up of the main falls from above the rock step.

Kim, Karenza, Charlotte and their dad, Chris.

Chris decided at this point to shorten their day in view of the children's abilities and the prospects for the rest of the walk.

They returned to Buttermere leaving us to climb up the path alongside the rising beck, a steep climb up towards our first summit of Red Pike.

Scale Beck leading up onto the fell side	A view back, with the green slopes of Melbreak beyond.

This area was white with snow just a week or so ago, and the trees are showing little sign of spring growth.

Cresting the ridge is always an exciting time.

Buttermere, Robinson and Dale Head from Lingcomb Edge.

Looking along the Edge and up towards Red Pike.

The view west included Starling Dodd and Great Borne which we climbed less than a month ago.

Funny to think there was enough snow then for a good toboggan run, and now its all gone.

Ice cream at the top . . . well ice at least.	A view back from Red Pike.

Red Pike summit as Chris and Mary reach the top.	More folk arriving - helping each other up the final lose scree path.

After many quiet winter walks recently we were surprised by the large number of people on the summit, and more were arriving even as we stopped to take in the view. It was almost a culture shock. We haven't seen so many people on one summit since Great Gable last Remembrance Day !

Click here for a more crowded panorama of Red Pike Summit

So we moved a short distance away to a less crowded spot for our lunch.

The RAF Air Sea Rescue Helicopter out on a training exercise did a dramatic fly past within the corrie of Bleaberry Tarn, and therefore several hundred feet below us.   Click here or on the picture for the fly past action replay.   ( The 45 second video should open and play in your Windows Media Player. Note: It may take a minute or so to download on slower connection speeds - please be patient )

Pete, some snow, and Bleaberry Tarn	The ridge route to High Stile

Chris, Lin, Cory, Ian and Pete,

on the next summit of the day - High Stile.

Ann chatting to John and Helen about the view and the route ahead.

More people again - but the fells are big enough for all to enjoy.

Only room for two on High Stile's lower cairn however.

Overlooking Crummock Water

High Crag, the next objective

with a fine panorama of the high fells beyond.

Eagle Crag leading down to Burtness Combe	Grey Crag, where several groups were rock climbing today

Classic Ennerdale

Black Sail hostel looking very small at the head of the valley, dwarfed by Great Gable and Kirk Fell.

Mary, Helen and Ian, with High Crag behind.	Gamlin Edge, down via the pitched path

The small tarn on the last picture provided welcome relief for the dogs

and a fine reflection of Pillar Fell once the ripples had settled.

Frogs spawn, and lots of it, even in these high tarns.	Haystacks and the Scarth Gap path.

Rather than extend the walk further over the intermediate rise of Seat Fell

we took the path to the left and descended by the wall to cut the corner to the Scarth Gap path below.

Buttermere's unofficial "Hole in the Wall"

The well maintained lakeside path.	Hasness House, cover shot for the local O.S. Map

Back to the foot of the lake at the end of the walk.

A final look back today at Fleetwith Pike from near the bridge.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon IXUS 400 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

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Previous walk - 10th April 2006 One Cockup after another - or "Making a Meal of it".

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