A Lazy day on Sheffield Pike
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:41 am
With Grace being a lucky bunny with new boots I decided we should take it easy a have a shorter walk in the fells than usual. We parked at the “not so cheap” Glenridding Car Park and set off towards the Rake.
Finding the start of this route is not the easiest task in the world as it is not shown on the OS map and the path that is shown does not exist anymore.
It turned out we walked a little too far but managed to hook up with the route soon enough. If you venture this way yourself head up before the cottages as the start is somewhere around there.
The weather was fine, a bit cloudy, but with plenty breaks of sunshine giving the fells some nice lighting conditions. A look across Glenridding towards Birkhouse Moor revealed a constant stream of bodies heading up by Mires Beck towards Striding Edge. Other walkers are something you have to put up with in the Lakes but I’m not sure queuing up on a knife edge arête of rock is something that appeals.
We reached to col soon enough and headed left up to the fine little top of Glenridding Dodd. Great views of Ullswater are to be had on this interesting summit and we had lunch in the sunshine.
Heron Pike makes a fine next objective for this route and the walk up Sheffield Pike’s South East Ridge is excellent as it winds its way around crags and flowering heather to the summit plateau.
We paused to take in the views on Heron Pike (a Birkett top) and I was slightly dismayed to find the iron boundary marker very lose in its rock. Hopefully somebody might secure it before it gets claimed as a souvenir or tossed down the crags to oblivion.
It had clouded over slightly and we had a bit spotty rain but it always looked optimistic that it would brighten up again and right on cue, once we had squelched our way to the summit of Sheffield Pike it was sunny again.
I’ve read some less than flattering things about Sheffield Pike’s summit, and granted the path is a bit soggy but as far as views are concerned I’ve certainly visited a lot worse. You still get a fine prospect of Ullswater and today, with Helvellyn in cloud, Catstycam looks quite magnificent.
Following taking in the views on offer we set off towards Nick Head with the fine prospect of Glencoyne Head in our sights. I fought off the urge to tell Grace her boots were obviously fine and set off up Hart Side before we lost the path and decided to head steeply down Bleabank Side to hook up with our return route.
The path back along the upper slopes of Glencoyne is very beautiful especially given the now perfect blue skies. Ahead are good views of Ullswater while turning around shows the impressive Glencoyne Head to fine effect.
We passed by a very smelly dead sheep (oh how Hughie would have loved to roll in that ) and the small row of cottages, charmingly known as Seldom Seen before returning along the Lakeside path to Glennridding for ice cream.
Finding the start of this route is not the easiest task in the world as it is not shown on the OS map and the path that is shown does not exist anymore.
It turned out we walked a little too far but managed to hook up with the route soon enough. If you venture this way yourself head up before the cottages as the start is somewhere around there.
The weather was fine, a bit cloudy, but with plenty breaks of sunshine giving the fells some nice lighting conditions. A look across Glenridding towards Birkhouse Moor revealed a constant stream of bodies heading up by Mires Beck towards Striding Edge. Other walkers are something you have to put up with in the Lakes but I’m not sure queuing up on a knife edge arête of rock is something that appeals.
We reached to col soon enough and headed left up to the fine little top of Glenridding Dodd. Great views of Ullswater are to be had on this interesting summit and we had lunch in the sunshine.
Heron Pike makes a fine next objective for this route and the walk up Sheffield Pike’s South East Ridge is excellent as it winds its way around crags and flowering heather to the summit plateau.
We paused to take in the views on Heron Pike (a Birkett top) and I was slightly dismayed to find the iron boundary marker very lose in its rock. Hopefully somebody might secure it before it gets claimed as a souvenir or tossed down the crags to oblivion.
It had clouded over slightly and we had a bit spotty rain but it always looked optimistic that it would brighten up again and right on cue, once we had squelched our way to the summit of Sheffield Pike it was sunny again.
I’ve read some less than flattering things about Sheffield Pike’s summit, and granted the path is a bit soggy but as far as views are concerned I’ve certainly visited a lot worse. You still get a fine prospect of Ullswater and today, with Helvellyn in cloud, Catstycam looks quite magnificent.
Following taking in the views on offer we set off towards Nick Head with the fine prospect of Glencoyne Head in our sights. I fought off the urge to tell Grace her boots were obviously fine and set off up Hart Side before we lost the path and decided to head steeply down Bleabank Side to hook up with our return route.
The path back along the upper slopes of Glencoyne is very beautiful especially given the now perfect blue skies. Ahead are good views of Ullswater while turning around shows the impressive Glencoyne Head to fine effect.
We passed by a very smelly dead sheep (oh how Hughie would have loved to roll in that ) and the small row of cottages, charmingly known as Seldom Seen before returning along the Lakeside path to Glennridding for ice cream.