walkhighlands

This board helps you to share your walking route experiences in England and Wales... or overseas.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

A Wander in the West

A Wander in the West


Postby johnkaysleftleg » Fri May 07, 2021 11:57 am

Wainwrights included on this walk: Base Brown, Brandreth, Green Gable, Grey Knotts

Hewitts included on this walk: Base Brown, Brandreth, Green Gable

Date walked: 21/04/2021

Time taken: 4.75

Distance: 10.8 km

Ascent: 800m

6 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

Following last weeks breaking of my Lakeland exile, another fine forecast saw me head over to the Lakes again in the name of making hay while the sun shone. This time Hughie wasn't given the option of bolting upstairs and having a duvet day and happily seemed full of beans when we arrived at Honister on a beautiful morning

Image
Honister morning

The National trust car park was almost empty when we arrived (and free as the machine was turned off) and we were soon heading upwards for a day in the hills. The original plan for this walk, before Covid 19, lockdowns, travel restrictions et al was to take in, not only the four fells I had planned for today but also the rocky monsters of Kirk Fell and Great Gable. If that round was well within my capabilities before the world turned upside down it most certainly isn't at the minute :lol: so the big lads got left to another day to allow are more staged return to the fells.

The last time on these fells we descended from Grey Knotts, a route which in my memory was a right pain, this time I decided to go up this way first and found far more of a built path than I remembered. If it was here or not nine :shock: years ago or we somehow missed it I can't recall.

Image
Hughie seems up for it

Image
Quarry Road

Image
Honister Pass

Image
View towards Borrowdale

Image
And a last look back to Honister

The clunking and clanking of the mornings activity at the quarry remind you of where you are on the way up but once the route levels off the sounds are left behind leaving nothing but empty, quiet, desolate fell top, lovely :D
A short stroll up the now gentle slopes took me to the somewhat chilly summit of Grey Knotts, where I hunkered down out of the wind and had breakfast enjoying the view to the West.

Image
Leaving it all behind

Image
Dale Head from the slopes of Grey Knotts

Image
Panorama from Greystones - click for big version

We meandered along the ridge following breakfast as there was no particular hurry, before another gentle ascent took us to Brandreth's largely flat top. The Views and light were very nice indeed but we didn't linger and made our way down to Gillercomb Head.

Image
Gable and the Scafells from Grey Knotts

Image
A Moody Glaramara

Image
Another nameless tarn

Image
Some Pretty rocks on Grey Knotts

Image
View to Buttermere

Image
More of those Pretty rocks

Image
Looking back to Grey Knotts

Image
Hughie on Brandreth

Image
The Gables from Brandreth

Image
Show me the Way

Image
Ennerdale from Brandreth

My next target was Base Brown, somewhat of an outlier to these fells, and necessitating a fair loss of altitude. In order to mitigate this I ascended the slopes of Green Gable till I was above the worst of the steep, craggy ground and contoured across and down towards the easy upward slopes. Reaching the summit was fairly uninspiring in all honesty, more of a trudge and a tick than any sense of attainment. If you have only climbed Base Brown from this direction I would strongly recommend the route up via the Hanging Stone. it's what this fell, so shapely when seen from Borrowdale, deserves and is infinitely more fulfilling.

Image
View down Gillercomb

Image
Base Brown

Image
Hughie on the way up Base Brown

Image
Base Brown Summit

Image
Seathwaite Fell and Great End from Base Brown

The route to Green Gable involves re-gaining the height lost in visiting Base Brown so it felt a bit of a relentless toil upwards before Green Gable's familiar summit came into view. It was fairly nithering in the wind so I made my way to the top of Green Gable Crags, found a sheltered spot and enjoyed lunch taking in one of my favourite views down Ennerdale as well as studying the mighty Gable Crag.

Image
One of the locals

Image
Gable Crag from Green Gable

Image
Lunch time view, perched atop Green Gable Crag



Image
No Hughie, these are my sandwiches!

Image
Epic Hughie shot

Image
Styhead and Sprinkling Tarns from Green Gable

With Great Gable so close there was a degree of temptation to carry on but I stuck with the plan and slithered down the scree from Wind Gap towards Moses' Trod and the route back to the car.

Image
Crags of Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar

Image
Wind Gap from Stone Cove

Up to this point I'd only seen less than half a dozen other walkers, I'm sure I'd have seen plenty more atop of Great Gable if I'd made my way up there but down on the route named after the famous whiskey smuggler of days past it was deserted as we bimbled back to the car, taking in the views and enjoying being free to roam the hills in such a relaxed fashion.

Image
Hughie on Moses' Trod

Image
The Great and the Green

Image
Pillar from Moses' Trod

Image
Towards Buttermere and Crummock Water

Image
Sunny Slopes of Grey Knotts

Image
Honister Crag

This wasn't so much an exciting walk but it was very pleasant and relaxed. If I felt any regrets at not venturing up Great Gable they were tempered by the feeling that I'd expended enough energy, given my fitness levels, for the day.
I'll be back in Lakeland in May as we've managed to book a cottage for a week for a reasonable sum, probably because it's rather close to a certain nuclear facility :lol: Hopefully we might, as a family, rewind the clock and have a few short hill adventures together.


Honister Fells.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

User avatar
johnkaysleftleg
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 3339
Munros:25   Corbetts:11
Fionas:11   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:7   Hewitts:172
Wainwrights:214   Islands:8
Joined: Jan 28, 2009
Location: County Durham

Re: A Wander in the West

Postby gld73 » Fri May 07, 2021 12:15 pm

Lovely pics - I'm heading 'home' to west Cumbria for a few days later this month, that's whetted my appetite for getting back out into the fells.
User avatar
gld73
 
Posts: 899
Munros:178   Corbetts:76
Fionas:69   Donalds:12
Sub 2000:94   Hewitts:60
Wainwrights:107   Islands:13
Joined: Aug 11, 2015
Location: Inverness

Re: A Wander in the West

Postby trailmasher » Sun May 09, 2021 7:46 pm

Nice one JK and a good set of hills for a 'round' with some of the usual first class photo offerings :clap: I concur with your comment on the best way to climb Base Brown as any other way is just a long slog and the views via the Hanging Stone route are excellent 8) Shame on you for calling Hughie a 'knob' :lol: :lol:
User avatar
trailmasher
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 1302
Munros:13   
Hewitts:179
Wainwrights:214   
Joined: Nov 26, 2014
Location: Near Appleby - Cumbria

Re: A Wander in the West

Postby martin.h » Wed May 12, 2021 6:00 pm

It's nice to have a "pleasant and relaxed" wander in the hills especially in these, they're worth spending time in.
Excellent photo's again JK, they remind me that we've just gotta get back up there :D

Cheers
User avatar
martin.h
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 654
Munros:223   Corbetts:25
Fionas:15   Donalds:15+2
Sub 2000:4   Hewitts:151
Wainwrights:214   Islands:29
Joined: Jul 31, 2011
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Walk wish-list

Re: A Wander in the West

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Wed May 12, 2021 6:41 pm

gld73 wrote:Lovely pics - I'm heading 'home' to west Cumbria for a few days later this month, that's whetted my appetite for getting back out into the fells.


Thank you, so many great fells in the West of the Lakes to enjoy.

trailmasher wrote:Nice one JK and a good set of hills for a 'round' with some of the usual first class photo offerings :clap: I concur with your comment on the best way to climb Base Brown as any other way is just a long slog and the views via the Hanging Stone route are excellent 8) Shame on you for calling Hughie a 'knob' :lol: :lol:


At first I was wondering just what you were on about there, then I remembered the video :lol:
The ‘little scamp’ was edging far to close to the edge of the crags and generally being, well, a knob :lol:
Thanks for the kind comments TM.

martin.h wrote:It's nice to have a "pleasant and relaxed" wander in the hills especially in these, they're worth spending time in.
Excellent photo's again JK, they remind me that we've just gotta get back up there :D

Cheers


Cheers Martin, relaxed and pleasant is just about allI can manage at the moment 8)
User avatar
johnkaysleftleg
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 3339
Munros:25   Corbetts:11
Fionas:11   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:7   Hewitts:172
Wainwrights:214   Islands:8
Joined: Jan 28, 2009
Location: County Durham

Re: A Wander in the West

Postby Alteknacker » Wed May 12, 2021 11:09 pm

What a great part of the world, with the usual fantastic pics from you to prove it - I'd love to know how you get them so clear and the colour so perfect!

I walked these in a clockwise direction from Glaramara, but passed on Base Brown - it's one I still have to do, if I can ever summon up the enthusiasm... If I do, I'll remember your tip about the best approach route.
User avatar
Alteknacker
Scrambler
 
Posts: 3473
Munros:176   Corbetts:33
Fionas:1   
Hewitts:264
Wainwrights:118   
Joined: May 25, 2013
Location: Effete South (of WIgan, anyway)

Re: A Wander in the West

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Thu May 13, 2021 12:15 pm

Alteknacker wrote:What a great part of the world, with the usual fantastic pics from you to prove it - I'd love to know how you get them so clear and the colour so perfect!

I walked these in a clockwise direction from Glaramara, but passed on Base Brown - it's one I still have to do, if I can ever summon up the enthusiasm... If I do, I'll remember your tip about the best approach route.


Many thanks, as ever, for your kind words Alte. The colours are down to the camera, as far as I'm aware, as I don't particularly ever mess with them. I guess it's my reward for lugging a DSLR around the hills.
Base Brown via the Hanging Stone would make a nice start from Seathwaite on the way up Great Gable, certainly better than just following the hoards up to Sty Head.
User avatar
johnkaysleftleg
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 3339
Munros:25   Corbetts:11
Fionas:11   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:7   Hewitts:172
Wainwrights:214   Islands:8
Joined: Jan 28, 2009
Location: County Durham

6 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Outside Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests