Date & Time: Wednesday 30th May 2007. 10 am start.

Location of Start : Three Shires Stone, Wrynose Pass, Cumbria, Uk. ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : Wet Side Edge, Grey Friar including the Materhorn Rock, Swirl How, Great Carrs and it's Memorial, Little Carrs and back via Wet Side Edge.

Walk details : 4.9 mls, 1775 ft of ascent in total, 4 hrs 10 mins.

Highest point : Swirl How 2602 ft ( 802 m )

Walked with : Jill and David Rowland, John P with Polly, Ann and our dogs.

Weather : Sunshine and blue skies, but with rain forecasted by 2 pm. A cool south westerly breeze.

 

 

 

A beautiful morning in prospect as we meet Jill and David at the top of Wrynose Pass. Bethan is saying hello to Jill as we get ready to walk.

There's a strong breeze blowing and Jill and David, who arrived here a few minutes before us, are well wrapped up already.

Not a major river crossing at the top of a mountain pass, but it looks like it as we cross the stepping stones over the shallow peaty pool.

A picture of Wrynose Bottom on the right. ( and a retriever's bottom on the left !! )

Looking west to Hardknott Pass and Harter Fell in the sunshine.

An easy path gently climbs the dry side of Wet Side Edge . . . with just an occasional steep rocky step like this one.

Soon up on the ridge, we get ever expanding views north.

The high Southern and Central fells start to show above Cold Pike and Pike O' Blisco.

Mountain passes are often favourite routes for aircraft on training flights

and today was no exception as this RAF Tucano quietly flies through below us.

A 50yd diversion on reaching the ridge took me to a larger cairn, giving this clear view down to Little Langdale Tarn and Windermere beyond.

Having now turned to start the next part of the climb, ahead are Little and Great Carrs plus Swirl How.

Three tops we aim to reach later in the day.

As the name suggests, Wet Side Edge does have some wet bits but not as many as you would expect.

This delightful pool was just off the beaten track. The increasing altitude allowed more extensive views of the Central fells.

Click here or on the photo for a wider, annotated panorama.

John and Polly arrive, but it seems Harry has grabbed centre stage.

" This is my island "

 

" Swimming is all very well

but sitting on this island is just that little bit warmer. "

 

I think he wants to swim, but the pool was a little too shallow, and the bottom a little to stoney for comfort so he'll pretend he's swimming by sitting in the middle of the pool.

 

You work out your own theory !!

 

Onward and upward.

Just after this section we took the path off to the right away from Little Carrs, and headed for Grey Friar.

John, David and I pause to wait for the girls - I'm sure they were right behind us !

Is that really them back there ?

Catch up time as Jill and Ann climb through the jumble of rock that marks the start of Grey Friar's summit area.

On a good day, Grey Friar has one of the nicest views of the Scafells, and today is a good day.

Here are Scafell, Scafell Pike, Broad Crag and Ill Crag from the Matterhorn Rock.

The rock in the foreground doesn't look very impressive from this angle . . .

but from the west it resembles the mighty Matterhorn in Switzerland.

Just needs a picture

of some daft person on the summit

 

accompanied by

his trusty mountain guides

 

without who's help

he may not have made it to the top !

The rock strewn summit of Grey Friar is one not to be missed.

Not only is it a great individual fell, but it also commands good views all round the Southern Lake District fells.

Ann and Jill give a victory wave for the first summit of the day, and a new Wainwright peak for Jill.

On the opposite side, Grey Friar's second and slightly higher cairn, with views south to Brim Fell, Coniston Old Man and Dow Crags.

Looking back as we cross to Swirl How.

In the distance is the sea, Sellafield and just out of sight, a hazy Isle of Man.

Great Carrs from the col between it and Swirl How.
Wetherlam beyond Swirl How as we climb the last few hundred feet.

Blue skies stretching from Swirl How's summit cairn, across distant Skiddaw and Blencathra and as far as Scotland.

The second of three summits for today, so it's time for a bite to eat.

We sheltered in the crags just below the summit in order to get out of the cool south westerly breeze.

The Scafells and prominent peak of Bowfell, as seen above Great Carrs.

After lunch we started our way back, heading first for this adjacent summit.

Great Carrs is the location of one of the Lake District's better known memorials, to a plane crash that killed eight guys in 1944.

This is all remains of the Halifax Bomber that struck the summit in bad weather all those years ago.

The poignant scar and shards of metal remain today . . .
. . . but now a formal memorial stone also commemorates the men who died.

Looking back to Coniston and Dow Crag from Great Carrs summit.

GPS Man on the summit

protecting himself

from the increasingly strong and cool breeze.

Nice one John !

Wet side Edge again as we make our way down.

The skies are turning grey now as the forecasted bad weather approaches from the south.

 

The Herdwick Sheep stop and watch us pass, as we walk back on the path above the Wrynose valley.

The weather is noticeably poorer now and doubt is expressed whether we will get back before the rain.

The photo above is the same path on the way out.

 

As it happened, we had luck on our side . . .

The rain held off, and we reached the car just as the first drops of moisture were beginning to blow in the wind.

After hearing the forecast, the earlier start than first planned had paid off !

 

- - - 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 . . . a correct weather forecast for the first time in ten days !

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Previous walk - 26th May 2007 Great Cockup, Meal and Calva with Jo and John

A previous time up here - 14th September 2003 Brim Fell and Coniston - Holly's 212nd Fell

Next walk - 2nd June 2007 Cross Fell and Wild Boar Scar on the Pennines