Rannerdale Knotts and Whiteless Pike for a shorter walk

[gld73]

Another day of good weather, another day of not having the morning free plus having to be back in good time for a hospital visit - so an afternoon walk only. Having done Mellbreak the previous afternoon, this time I drove just a little further and parked at the Rannerdale Knotts parking area to do a couple of hills on the other side of Crummock Water. A few cars there on this sunny Sunday, but not packed.

Earlier this year I did 9 Wainwrights of the Coledale round in bad weather and didn't get much in the way of views, but despite being so close I hadn't extended the route to include Whiteless Pike and Rannerdale Knotts. A stand alone walk just to do those 2 wouldn't be a long route, so a nice wee afternoon filler and ideal for today's time limitations:

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

Photo taken from the car park entrance - it's just a very short walk along the roadside to the start of the signed path up Rannerdale Knotts

Mellbreak was looking good across Crummock Water - I'd been up it the day before, a stunning day for inversions, Crummock Water had been smothered by cloud then

Looking back towards Scale Force across Crummock Water - it was a beautiful day in the sunshine but anywhere in shade was very cold and frosty

The path up Rannerdale Knotts was a mixture of grassy path, stony, or laid slabs as here, always clear to follow throughout

In the sunshine, it was looking a summer day, not December (view north along Crummock Water towards Fellbarrow and Low Fell)

Rannerdale Knotts summit - not very high up, but still a lovely viewpoint

Whiteless Pike, the other hill I'm aiming for today

Would have been a nice panorama if I hadn't chopped off the summits of Grasmoor and Whiteless Pike!

A cold day down the Buttermere valley

After the short, steep ascent to get to the summit of Rannerdale Knotts, it was now a nice easy ridge walk along the length of Low Bank

Looking back along Low Bank to Rannerdale Knotts, with Mellbreak behind

At the col, I turned left, taking the path up towards Whiteless Pike. It gave a nice view of the way I'd come along the length of the ridge on the left, and the way I'd be heading back down Rannerdale, the frosty, shaded valley running alongside

Following the path towards Whiteless Pike

Looking SE across Newlands Hause to Robinson

Whiteless Pike summit (I didn't have time to continue on to Wandope today, but I'd done that before on a Coledale Round. Much nicer conditions today than I'd had that day!)

Looking over towards the Derwent Fells from the summit; one of those days when every hill in the Lake District looked to have great conditions

Grasmoor immediately to the north

I headed down Whiteless Pike the same way I'd come up, then took the path heading down to Rannerdale. The drop in temperature between t-shirt weather in the sun on the hills, and then hat, coat and gloves weather in the shade was a shock! At least it meant any muddy sections were mostly frozen

Towards the bottom, the sign is a reminder that at another time of year, this area would be covered in its famous bluebells

Nearly back at the car and one last look back, showing the contrast between the freezing temp of Rannerdale and the sun-adorned slopes of Whiteless Pike