With Loes away to see a friend in Scotland, I thought I'd have plenty of time to do all the jobs around the house and garden.

When the day suddenly cleared, the sun came out, I was feeling good after a nice lunch and the dog needed a walk, then you've just got to get out and climb a mountain.

Not much time left to travel, then pick a local one with a good view, so what if it's the 104th time I've climbed it !

I followed the "no through road" which passes Kirkhead Farm and soon becomes the Ennerdale Bridleway.

Ultimately you can walk past Hen Comb, then up and over Floutern Pass to reach the Ennerdale Valley.

Cows sitting down in the field are said to be a sign of of rain to come . . .

but perhaps these ladies and a large bull are just relaxing in the sun after their nice vegetarian lunch ?

Perhaps I should be doing the same ?

Up through the clearing in the trees and I face the climb up the northern end of Mellbreak.

But then on the other hand I could change my mind and climb a different way . . . hence the title "Mellbreak in reverse".

So part way up I bear left, climb up on a path through the summer bracken and head for the traversing route across the side of the fell, just for a more gradual ascent.

Zooming in once above the tree line at the cottage and my two neighbours, the Church and The Pub.

Loweswater looking across the cleared fell side of the old Mill Hill Farm, now incorporated into the High Nook Farm curtilage.

The traverse path isn't always a constant climb, there's the odd steeper section across a small scree slope to cross.

Alongside the path, another wind blown or bird carried seed has grown into a sizeable fifteen foot spruce tree,

whilst down in the valley the Mosedale Holly has taken many more years to reach its maturity.

The path climbs, crosses the head of a steep, dry gully and I follow the route up what remains of the hollow towards the top.

That holly down below is a real landmark . . . just a shame the main path doesn't pass close to it.

The Ennerdale bridleway has already branched right to cross the valley and the 'round Mellbreak path' is by this time rising as a dark line through the bracken below.

I reach the coll between the two South and North tops of the fell, where a passing cloud dulls the colour of the heather for a few minutes.

It would add an extra mile to head over to the 1666ft - 512m summit and back, so today I'll be content with the North top a mere nine feet lower.

Nearing the top now and the shadow clears away and crosses to Whiteless Pike on the opposite side of the Buttermere Valley.

The visibility is so good that I can see Helvellyn in the background just to the right of Whiteless.

My companion beats me to the cairn once again.

The view over Loweswater and the Solway Plain includes a hazy outline of the Scottish Hills.

The tallest Scottish summit in the photo is that of Criffel, which I've always wanted to climb ever since Ann and I moved up to Cumbria.

Sadly she never made it, but I have an opportunity to climb to the top this weekend, as it is the subject of the next Mob Walk in four days time.

The wider view from where Dougal was standing includes the slopes of Hen Comb, Gavel, Blake, Carling Knott and Burnbank . . . the Loweswater Fells.

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

At the top I met an American young lady who's up on holiday from London.

She's come up the steep slope on the western side of the fell and was not looking forward to the descent down the northern end.

Safely down we reach the easier descent on the last of the scree and head down to the woods.

A quick look back at our route . . . but most of it is hidden from down here, especially if you avoid the worse of the scree.