Mellbreak for that photo again

Date & start time: Wednesday 6th January 2010, 2.50 pm start.

Location of Start : The red phone box, Loweswater , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : Kirkstile, Kirkhead, Mellbreak (Nth top) and back via the traverse path.

Walk details : 3.6 mls, 1800 ft, 2 hrs 20 mins.

Highest point : Mellbreak (Nth top) 1655 ft ( 509m)

Walked with : Myself and the dogs, Harry and Bethan . . . Ann joined me later.

Weather : Promising and living up to the promise this time.

A second go at getting that illusive snowy panorama from the top of Mellbreak.

I stand a better chance today compared to two days ago because it's a blue sky and sunshine day with not a cloud in the sky.

The phone box is just visible to the left as I start the walk up Mellbreak again.

The Twin peaks of Whiteside and Grasmoor.

Tractor tyre marks are the only tracks from here on.

Kirk Head Farm and the start of the lane up Mosedale.

Fresh snow overnight . . .	. . . meant that ours were the first footprints of the day

Loweswater appears to be fully frozen over today.

Lorton Valley is certainly frozen over . . . in the nicest possible way.

The path across the scree at the start of the climb.	Harry and Bethan head over to see the view.

Sunshine Kids . . . happy to be here.

Surprise View . . . different every time.

The view out to sea with Scotland in the background.

Near the top, the wind has blown the snow into small, knee high drifts.

From the top now I can look down on the three fells of Darling Fell, Low Fell and Fellbarrow.

Harry looked like a Polar Bear recently but today Bethan looks more like a mountain wolf, only she's the wrong colour.

Looking round this is Criffel over Darling Fell.

To the right, the snow capped peak with the hint of a hat.

Further right again, a distant view of Helvellyn and High Spy through the gap.

The High Stile Ridge and the rounded Red Pike.

The idea of the walk was to climb to the summit in order to catch a snowy panorama from the top. - - - o o o - - -   Click here or on the small photo above to see the final 380 degree Loweswatercam picture.   Hopefully I'll be able to print it out and hang it up in the house at some point. Has anyone got some extremely wide photo paper ? - - - o o o - - -

Time for a quick jog across the top . . . but slowed by several patches of deep snow.

The dogs seem to be able to move more quickly than me . . . but they always do.

The wind blown, snow filled heather as I cross the top.

Beautiful conditions, so different from two days ago.

The traverse path starts here somewhere.

In fact the dogs have found the route but are walking it the wrong direction . . . they should be going to the right.

My footprints from the other day are partially hidden by fresh snow.

Route finding was sometimes more difficulty than usual.

The traverse ends up at the base of the crags on the northern end.

Ann, who didn't wish to climb to the top, has nevertheless come out for a walk and I join her at this point.

Climbing the first part of the scree . . .	. . . to get the full view down the valley.

Everything that goes up must come down.

The sun starts to set in the sky behind us and as a consequence the shadow of Mellbreak climbs higher up the slopes of Grasmoor.

The colour changes again as we descend.

Pink-side Fell.

A rather tree-mendous effort at an arty photo.

Shadows now on the bridge by the Kirkstile.

A rather excellent and successful walk.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . that panorama in safely in the bag.

Go to Top

© RmH.2009 # Email me here # or leave me a Guest Book Entry

Previous walk - 5th January 2010 Fangs Brow in the freezer

A previous time up here - pick one from my "Fells Page" under M for Mellbreak

Next walk - 7th January 2010 Keswick in the Snow