Date & Time: Wednesday 26th April 2006.

Location of Start : 4.25 pm start from Watendlath village ( NY 276 163 ) after some light refreshment.

Places visited : The Tearooms, Watendlath Tarn, Jopplety How, Brund Fell, Great Crag, Dock Tarn and back.

Walk details : 4.1 mls, 1075 ft of ascent , 2 hrs 45 mins.

Walked with : Ann and the dogs.

Weather : Overcast and rather grey but warm enough and dry throughout. Light winds

The Bridge at Watendlath Hamlet.

The village and tarn at Watendlath.

We have always missed out on the cafe at Watendlath Farm because we usually end our walks too in the afternoon and they are understandably closed for business. This time we altered our plans . . . . we had tea first before we left . . . . clever or what !

Our objective for today was threefold. First to climb Brund Fell, the highest part of Grange Fell,

secondly to climb Great Crag because we missed climbing it in March, and thirdly to have a closer look at Dock Tarn.

These are the three highest parts of Grange Fell, as seen from the delightfully named lower summit of Jopplety How.

Brund Fell is the highest summit to the left.

Behind are High Spy and Maiden Moor across the other side of Borrowdale Valley.

The muddy stile - still muddy	Ann, Bethan and Harry on Brund Fell top.

The ladder stile leads across the final wall, passing you from peat puddle on this side to peat puddle on the other side.

A few stones have been placed to make the going a little easier, but someone forgot to tell the dogs.

Skiddaw, Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake from Brund (Grange) Fell.

By the way - 26th April - The Ospreys are back and they've laid their 2nd egg. Check out www.ospreywatch.co.uk and the webcam

Looking ahead now to Great Crag.

Our route now took us back over the stile and then down to the Watendlath to Rosthwaite path. From there we walked over to the small wooded area opposite.

Behind is Ullscarf and High Raise, with the high fells of Great End, Scafell and Gable to the right.

After the stile, the path down.	Glaramara and Great End above Borrowdale.

Still the last of the snow hangs on in a few gullies on Great End.

Great End, Scafell Pike (in cloud), Lingmell, and Great Gable (also in just in cloud).

Having crossed the moorland area we picked up the marked path from Watendlath and headed up a steep pitched path towards Great Crag.   The path goes on towards Dock Tarn and then the last part of the climb leaves the main path to reach the summit through the heather.

The two summit cairns of Great Crag.

Pike o' Stickle stands clear of High Raise and can be seen immediately above the second cairn.

Looking back from the summit down to Watendlath Tarn.

The still waters of Dock Tarn.

A small island at the northern end of the tarn.

Dock Tarn nestles in an amphitheatre of granite and heather.

Myself - by Ann ( I think she fancies my new rucksack !! )   The paths up here are well defined but rough, with boulders and angular rocks ready to trip you up if you are not paying attention. The pitched paths have gone a long way to halt the erosion, but they are harder on the knees going down than a softer path. The answer is to tip-toe down (in boots ?) or make a real effort to roll the feet as you walks down.

Back down at valley level now.

A delightful section of walled track takes us back towards the village.

At the far end of the track is the gate taking us through to the tarn and the end of our walk . . .

via the packhorse bridge over Watendlath Beck.

- - - 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.

This site best viewed with . . . A pot of tea and a "Watendlath Made" Cornflake flapjack.

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Previous walk - 23th April 2006 Bowscale and Bannerdale in the sunshine.

Previous time up here - 4th March 2006 Eagle Crag, Sergeants Crag and High Raise in the snow