Date & Time: Wednesday 21st March 2007. 11 am start.

Location of Start : Honister Pass, Cumbria Uk. ( NY 235 197 )

Places visited : Honister Hause, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Moses Trod, the Old Drum House, back to Honister.

Walk details : 3.5 mls, 1250 ft of ascent, 3 hours 20 mins including lunch.

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

Weather : A beautiful, sunny and fresh winter's day. High cloud was increasing but held off nicely.

 

 

 

The forecast was for a fine day, dawning bright and sunny, with cloud moving in by midday, getting increasingly overcast as the day went on.

In reality the forecasters were spot on - it was a great day.

The Grey Knotts path starts by crossing the grounds of Honister Quarries.

The bus is used for their Mine Tours, and the rough piles of slate waste are raw material for the "£10 and fill yer boot" scheme which they run.

That's fill your 'car boot' rather than 'fellwalking boot' you understand !

   
Cross the fence and straight up by the fence
Ann in photographic pose before the climb starts

Honister Crags on a perfect winter's day.

The snow of the last few days was still hanging about though it was fast melting from the south facing slopes.

Half way up now, Bethan checks out the snow.

The fells in the background form part of the Helvellyn Ridge. Visibility is very good today.

   
The rock cleft was reasonably full of snow,
but the big problem was ice on the path.
   
   
Minor diversions onto the grass solved most problems.
Yewcrag Quarries, with little snow on Dale Head.

A fuller panorama from the first level ground as we near the summit of Grey Knotts.

My name is Zoro - check out my mark !

If only that Bethan was Catherine Zeta Jones we could make big movies,

go places, make money, live dangerously - cos' I'm Hard - I'm Zoro.

- - - o o o - - -

[ Don't panic his cut is healing well, but seeping very slightly]

[ a quick wipe made it looked better again.]

Standing on the top of Grey Knotts we got a fine view of Buttermere and Crummock Water.

The lady here was the first walker we had seen on the fell so far. Untill now it had been untrodden fresh snow all the way up.

Her partner was admiring the view from the alternative summit close by.

Behind is the bulk of Pillar Fell, Pillar Rock being the darker vertical rock section to the right of centre.

A simple ridge walk now across to Brandreth, passing several un-named tarns on the way.

Behind is Glaramara and beyond it, High Raise.

   
The sun reflecting on both the frozen tarn and the snow.
Cold conditions made the boggy sections easy to cross.

One of my favourite Lakeland views.

The two valleys of Ennerdale and Buttermere from near Brandreth's summit.

Click here or on the photo for a larger, anotated panorama.

Lunch on Brandreth summit in a slight breeze, enough to put a jacket on, but not enough to cause us to search for shelter.

The high cloud had broken again to give us a good supply of sunshine.

While we were quitely sitting there, minding our own business

we were buzzed by a Tornado

screaming round Great Gable, pulling "G's" above us

and zooming off over Kirk Fell.

Impressive, but what a big, noisy carbon footprint !

View from just below our lunch spot

Green Gable and Great Gable with Kirk Fell to the right.

   
Ann amidst good snow after crossing the Brandreth Fence.
It's that jacket again - just testing.

Down onto Moses Trodd, Harry concentrates, but Bethan is in a world of her own as usual.

Homeward bound now as we walk the Dram Road back down to Honister.

Honister Quarries at the end of the walk. Their water fountain was looking particularly cold today.

- - - o o o - - -

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 . . . cold weather, sunshine and soft, dry snow.

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© RmH.2007 # Email me here # Guest book (on the front page)

Previous walk - 20th March 2007 Catbells, and another visit to the vet !

A previous time up here - 7th June 2005 An evening on Grey Knotts and Brandreth.

Next walk - 24th March 2007 Seven go to Esk Pike in the sun