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After his recent success of climbing Mellbreak, Martin has ventured out onto Hen Comb on his own

and fancied doing Low Fell, the one he looks out on from his back door.

However I felt the weather and snow conditions were suitable for a slightly more adventurous outing together today.

My companions for the day . . . in height order, Martin, Dylan and Dougal.

A lot of the snow has gone from the high fells and so a walk up Whiteside looks a good option for this first time winter-walker !

We decided to walk from the door rather than take the car . . . hence the title "Pure" Whiteside.

To reach Lanthwaite Green on foot we walked up through the woods on the Lanthwaite Bridleway.

There's snow on Grasmoor on the right but the climb up Whiteside looks relatively uncomplicated.

It's warm and sunny down here but I have a distinct feeling that will not be the case on the high fell

due to the easterly winds we've been experiencing this week.

Crossing the Buttermere road we leave Lanthwaite House behind and head out onto the fell.

Liza Beck as it emerges from the Gasgale Valley.

The cold weather has formed icicles on the rocks and in the stream bed.

Time to start up the fell, the walk over from home has hopefully warmed ourselves in readiness for it is a steep ascent.

We gain height rapidly as a result.

As we do the view back expands to include all the local fells and the three valleys that merge together at Loweswater.

The unassuming summit of Whin Ben . . . a single stone hidden in the heather marks the top.

We have chance to pause and gather our strength once again, ready for the steep climb ahead.

Well, we might stop a little longer and have a sneaky look at the view.

Godferhead seems to be enjoying a ray of sunshine, which doesn't quite extend to their wildlife pond in the field behind.

The same sunshine covers the coastal region of Workington,

seen over Sourfoot Fell where we walked a few days ago on Paula's Low Fell Round.

Already on the next rock outcrop . . . waiting for us once again.

Across the way is the slightly greener edge of the Dove Crag Arête.

It's a nice walk up Grasmoor but avoiding that rock step in the wet on one walk proved difficult.

On the side of the path as we climb the last section towards the summit, we came across some dwarf conifers.

What at first looked like woody heather was in fact a ground hugging evergreen which has draped itself down the rocks.

This and several other trees had discovered that there's no point in growing tall where strong winds and low temperatures are involved.

We 're nearing the top and Martin commented that this is the first time even that he has climbed above the 2000 ft contour !

The weather is stable and the cloud high so he should get an uncomplicated remainder of the walk.

Leveling off now so we must be getting near the summit.

We can see into the Dove Crag corrie but there's no lake in it as the glacial ice didn't scrape it out deep enough to form a water-filled hollow.

All smiles and warm jackets as we reach the summit of Whiteside.

Martin stands on the summit , or would have done if the wind hadn't have been quite so strong.

Click here or on the photo above for a larger version of this photo

Out to the west we can just make out the Isle of Man, hiding in the mistyness.

It's there beneath the fourth taller cloud from the left (or the right for that matter).

The wind is rather strong and the thought of stopping for refreshments on the summit was put aside.

We would need somewhere with more protection from the north easterly wind . . . perhaps this side of the next taller part of the ridge.

Celebrating the first patch of lying snow

in the form of a remnant of a cornice overlooking the Gasgale Valley.

More of a panorama of Grasmoor but this time extending around on the left to our next objective, Hopegill Head.

A reverse of the earlier shot looking back along one of the best high level ridges in The Lakes.

The sun has come out and tucked away here with the wind protection we had sought, we could stop and enjoy the view across the Solway.

Lorton and Cockermouth below but the eye-catcher here is the grain silos at Silloth on the Solway Coast.

The white silos were built to store the incoming grain needed to make the biscuits at Carr's factory in Carlisle.

Next time you have a Ginger Nut or a Carr's Cheese Melt . . . that white building has played it's part in your enjoyment.

Zooming in to the max, we can make out the fields and snow on Criffel and the Dumfries Hills of Scotland.

Back to the business in hand as we walk the bitterly cold ridge towards Hopegill Head

We're wrapped up warm but if you take your gloves off to fiddle with the camera then you sure feel the wind chill !

A small rock outcrop allows the chance of a photo of the now distant Whiteside and the Gasgale Crags below us.

Nearing our second summit now as the Ladyside Ridge climbs to meet us at the top.

Next to this small waterfall the spray had coated the grass and turned the strands into frozen sticks.

Onward and downward avoiding more sheet ice, formed on what would have been waterlogged paths.

At the next change of slope there was a delightful ice grotto.

Frozen waterlogged paths had grown tall ice crystals, lifting the gravel into the air.

Where the path had been muddy and wet the ice crystals had grown and lifted the surface of the soil up into the air. 

When you walked on it your foot compressed the frost as you collapse it back down to the normal soil level.

This is visible, real time freeze and thaw action leading to soil instability and greater long term erosion of the path surface.

Peter Wilson, in his book Lake District Mountain Landforms calls this needle ice.

Nearly down now, the dogs coped well with avoiding the ice.	Surprised to see Herdwicks quite so high in these cold conditions.

Even down here the wet paths were occasionally covered in ice and needed avoiding.

Looking back at Hopegill Head and Sand Hill that we had just conquered.

Not far now, we've reached the fallen boulder, but the valley is a long one at the end of the day.

The waterfall at the rock step.	More sheet ice on the path nearby.

Some of our diversions were a little more rocky than others.

Our mountain guides show the way.

Nearly back down at the bridge.

Decisions . . . do we retrace out steps via the bridleway or walk a different footpath through the woods ?

The footpath next to Lanthwaite Farm wins the day.

That gets us onto one of the larger tracks through the top of the woods.

All roads lead towards home . . . back on familiar daily dog-walking territory.

As we glance over our shoulders on the final road walk to home, the sun highlights the fells

but gives no clue to the sub zero wind-chill that we experienced on this lovely winter walk.

- - - o o o - - -

Martin was taking photos too of course and he offered me his view of the day.

Click here or on the photo to play Martin's sideshow

of the day he first climbed above a 2000 foot map contour line, high on Whiteside and Hopegill Head.