5 Days in the lakes - Day 4 - 5 Wainwrights before lunch

[stevesey]

Day 4 - Slightly earlier start today as our objective was Kirk Fell from Honister via Great Gable (back via the Black Sail Hut and Haystacks which seemed like the easiest way of making a circular route out of it) and some had a theatre trip in Keswick that night!

track (4).gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

Any cloud lifted quickly today so clear tops from the outset and much better views throughout. Our shirking group was joined by a couple with more life experience than average who were keen to bag Kirk Fell.

Starting at Honister feels like cheating a bit and we were soon passed the slog up onto Grey Knotts onto Brandreth and then Green Gable, a quick drop into Windy Gap and the scramble up onto Great Gable meant we were at the summit dead on noon, too early for lunch, so after admiring the views for a bit we pressed on to Kirk Fell and "5 Wainwrights before lunch".

The drop of Great Gable slowed us a bit, then while we were starting to ascend Kirk Fell the other side of Beckhead Tarn a couple of Hawk (jets) flew over the Tarn at about Great Gable height, swung around the Scafells and came back for a second pass - this time much lower, the lead plane coming in very low, but still descending, and following Gable Beck down into Wasdale, before pulling up over Scafell.

Had to to give way to a farmer with two dogs rounding up sheep as we ascended Kirk Fell - seemed to be gathering them from the Ennerdale side and taking them down to Wasdale. Given the warnings about not venturing out in the fells without suitable equipment/clothing it's a little ironic to be passed by a farmer in a t-shirt and jeans up there.

Kirk Fell tarns provided a pause to look at Dragonflies and views to the Scafells, then off to the summit for lunch. A couple on the summit advised us to stick to the fence post line descending and not be drawn into the gully they had just ascended. The chap had a bloodied and bandaged knee to show for it, she was on circa 200 Wainwrights so not inexperienced.

Lunch was consumed and the long and often scrambly drop to Ennerdale undertaken. The aforementioned gully didn't look attractive as a descent option anyway - but the path to the left did involve a 5ft step with a single but good foot hold in the middle.

The number of vehicles we could see in the valley bemused us, until we got close enough to the Black Sail Hut to see a major refurbishment was taking place . Welsh, not local, slate being used on the roof though (one of our group was a roofer). A quick chocolate stop by the hut, before heading up to Scarth Gap and Haystacks, we didn't linger long on Haystacks, but headed off to the Innominate Tarn for a pause before heading for the tramway and back to Honister.

An excellent day - one of the best. Would tomorrow be as good?

Photos: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/106459429880001195754/albums/5929914346718879681

Route: http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/NTM3NDM2

[stevesey]

Hid this one - until guess the pic was completed.

[Ibex]

Nice walk. I did one similar a while back, but sort of the other way around.
Started at Honistor slate mine and went up to Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Kirk Fell, back down and up the North flank of Great Gable. That was hell of a climb!
From the top of that we went down Green Gable and then Base Brown and down to Seathwaite farm, where we had left a second car.

That was a good walk!

More great photo's there as well.

[stevesey]

I was originally thinking of doing the route the other way round, having been up Great Gable from Green Gable before and reading that the North West ridge was a more interesting ascent route (also gave more options for some to go around, rather than over, later tops at the end of the day).

Was glad we did it the way we did though when we looked back at Great Gable from Kirk Fell - the ridge looks narrow and seems to lead to a vertical face from that angle - not sure what response I would have got telling the group we where going up there!

[Ibex]

I know what you mean about the look of Great Gables NW ridge from Kirk Fell.
Me and AJ sat on the Kirk Fell summit looking at it, and I was thinking........................that looks a bit beasty.
Its not nearly as bad as it looks though. Just knackering.

Our worst mistake was missing the East summit on Kirk Fell though. We got back to the hostel and realised we had missed it by about 15 feet. D'oh.