After a slightly breathless ascent to gain the ridge it’s a lovely climb along High Snab Bank and up to Robinson, grassy paths interspersed with pretty tricky short scrambles up Wainwright’s three rock steps. It’s a bit further than you expect (there’s still nearly a mile and 200m+ rise after you crest the steepest part), but well worth it when you reach the summit and the terrific views to Crumock Water and the Buttermere fells suddenly open out in full.
- Aikin Knott & Causey Pike
- Robinson from High Snab Bank
- The rock step scrambles
- Parallel north ridges of the Newlands Horseshoe, Cat Bells at rear
- Causey Pike & northern fells over Robinson ascent ridge
- Robinson Crags
- Crummock Water & Loweswater from Robinson
The route from there to Dale Head, undulating across the top of the three parallel north ridges, is very easy and pleasant, much less effort than it looks on the map; the corner-cutting routes to and from Hindscarth that I’d seen described as faint are now well-trodden and very clear even from a distance. That isn’t much of a hill from this side (although the northern ascent looked at least as good as that of Robinson), but Dale Head – reached along a narrowing rocky ridge and perched on the edge of the precipice – definitely is: and the views throughout this traverse (of the valleys and Skiddaw north, the high peaks west, and the crags of High Spy looking especially forbidding above the Newlands valley), are spectacular.
- Back to Red Pike during ascent of Hindscarth
- High Spy from Hindscarth
- Newlands valley
- Buttermere fells
- Dale Head summit
- Hazy view southwest from Dale Head
The descent path to Dalehead Tarn is beautifully crafted, rock steps embedded into the grass to look almost natural, although after that the brown and marshy surrounds of the pool are rather out of character with the rest of this area and the rough path up High Spy is something of a slog. It’s easy walking again along the cliff-edges from there to the tiny rise of Maiden Moor to ease the legs though.
- Dale Head
- Hindscarth from High Spy
- Crag Hill/Grisedale Pike range from High Spy
- Path to Maiden Moor
- North west fells over Scope End
The (very broad and worn) path down to Hause Gate winds from side to side of the ridge to make the best of the ever-improving vista all round, Derwent Water looking stunning from up here. Up and down the short rise from here to Cat Bells probably isn’t a best first ascent, but it was too close and tempting not to… Even amidst the crowds this is a beautiful spot, a rocky little top jutting steeply out into the sky with nothing to interrupt the views. The thousands that climb Cat Bells probably don’t do so from Little Town though, and the way down is pretty rough – a long slope of shifting unpathed shale and then one of those streams that is confusingly labelled as a path on the map… A few yards back in the idyllic valley cures you of that little hiccup though, simply a beautiful day’s walking.
- Cat Bells & Derwent Water
- Cat Bells backed by Skiddaw
- South of Derwent Water, Clough Head & Bleaberry Fell behind
- Approaching a busy Cat Bells
- Skiddaw & Keswick from Cat Bells
- Robinson from Little Town
