Date & Time: Friday 4th May 2007. 2.20 pm start. ( NY 129 055 )

Location of Start : Harrow Head, Greendale, Wasdale, Cumbria, Uk.

Places visited : Greendale Gill, Middle Fell, Greendale Tarn, Buckbarrow Moss, Buckbarrow, and back down to the car.

Walk details : 5.5 mls, 1800 ft of ascent , 4 hrs 10 mins.

Walked with : Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : A sunny blue sky, but hazy with a warm breeze.

Ann setting off down the road, towards the Middle Fell turn.

 

After a brief spell of poor weather, the sunshine that we had during the Easter holidays has returned and we are walking again in shorts and t-shirts.

The gardening is done for now, the beans are planted, the spinach sown, the tomato plants are watered in, and a fresh line of rocket seeds have seen the light of day, only to be covered by a layer of little soil and a lot of water !

This afternoon we have driven over to Wasdale on the western side of the Lakes, with the intention to climb Middle Fell.

In order to be convenient for our return, we parked the car at the top of the hill, near the Buckbarrow path that we planned to use on our descent. This meant we had the half mile road walk at the start of the day, which is always easier than leaving it till the end when you're more tired.

The dramatic Wasdale Screes form a backdrop to this view south over Buckbarrow Farm.

   
To our left, the dry, rocky slopes of Buckbarrow . . .
. . . and beyond the stone, the path that climbs towards Middle Fell.

Greendale Farm this time, with the screes of Illgill Head behind.

Climbing further and looking across to the Whin Rigg end of the screes.

The rich green, farm fields contrasted strongly with the dry bracken of the open fell side.

A close up of the house at Greendale, and in the foreground an interestingly shaped dry stone wall invites questions as to it's design.

Just passing the house is the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Land Rover, unfortunately with siren and blue lights flashing, due to a call-out.

Further up the fell side we could not fail to notice this modern cairn, or should we say a tall pillar, built high above Greendale.

It was superbly built and was a great place to view the valley.

The high fells are the Scafell group with their top just in cloud but the sunny weather was rather too hazy for clear views.

   
Round the corner we had our first view of Greendale Gill . . .
. . . which we crossed after a steady climb up the valley side.

After a warm climb we reached the level ground near the tarn, then we continued up again and crossed the grass and boulder strewn slopes of Middle Fell.

Even Harry and Bethan stopped playing and relaxed a little on this hot day.

Looking west, the haze stopped any long distance views from the Middle Fell summit cairn, the first summit but second cairn of the day.

The haze didn't stop us having a warm and sunny sunbathe during a rather late lunch though.

From our lunch spot we had views across Wast Water to The Scafells.

Behind Yewbarrow, to the left, we could just make out Great Gable and Kirk Fell.

The RAF Rescue Helicopter passing close overhead, after presumably helping out at the rescue.

Looking north, as we walk down the opposite side of Middle Fell.

Ahead the major peak is Haycock, with Seatallan the shaded fell side to the left.

Looking down now from the hause above the tarn.

We decided not to climb Seatallan today but to make for Buckbarrow, by walking down past the right hand side of the tarn.

Greendale Tarn

The broad side of Middle Fell overlooking the tarn, and our ascent route can be seen up the right hand sky-line.

Ann is just visible in the corner of the photo, as we contour round the lower slopes of Seatallan trying to avoid the wetter ground.

A small sheep fold on the way across the fell side.

This slightly different route today would allow us to visit a rather remote stone cairn which can just be seen in the distance.

Another fine, tall cairn, again almost a pillar, just catching a view down into Wasdale.

Ann adding a touch of colour to a hazy scene.

The cairn was rebuilt in recent years by the local farmer and fell runner Jos Naylor

and was completed on the day that the late Queen Mother was interred. It replaced an earlier cairn shown on the old maps.

The strange thing was that it doesn't appear to mark any route or particular viewpoint. Does anyone know of it's fuller history ?

Quarter of an hour later, our second summit but fourth cairn of the day was Buckbarrow.

Here the dogs stop for a photo as we drop down from the actual summit and cross over to the slightly lower viewpoint.

From the sheer edge of this fell, we looked down on Gill Farm and Tosh Tarn below.

and Bethan wanted to enjoy the view too . . .

before we took a more gentle descent route back down to the car below !

 

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Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon G7 Digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . cheese and rocket sandwiches !

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Previous walk - 2nd May 2007 A catbells Litter Pick with George Fisher's Staff

A previous time up here - 25th February 2004 Middle Fell on a sunny but freezing day

Next walk - 11th May 2007 A short Allerdale Ramble to Watch Hill