Excellent day around Dale Head

[The English Alpinist]

The morning clouds of Borrowdale.

Into March now, the fifth and last month of my bid to do all the Wainwrights in one winter. With 11 walks still to do, clearly a big effort was going to be required. I was paying the price for missing 3 weeks at the end of January to mid-February. Luckily, a cluster of routes could be approached from Borrowdale, so I based myself for 3 days in about the only affordable and vacant accommodation I could find at short notice (Scales Bunkhouse) and used the excellent bus service around there to go to and fro.

I started this one from Grange Bridge bus stop. The morning presented moody clouds which gradually improved as the day went on. Only the Dale Head to Robinson section remained liable to cloud by the time I got there, but it was intermittent and I had lots of great views. A difficult section of settled snow in the col and climb between High Spy and Dale Head gave me doubts about being able to complete the route, but with patience I got through and the rest was exhilarating with the weather behaving itself.

I had made good time and figured out I could have walked into Keswick from Newlands, and got there before the last bus would get there (I could not make the one before, but was early for this one). It would have taken exactly the same time to do this as it would to walk over the Hawse at Cat Bells to return to Grange Bridge. However, it didn't feel 'right' not to complete the full circle (this was one of my self-imposed rules for the project, each walk to end where it began). So, over the Hawse I went, and I'm glad I did. It was truly picturesque in the late afternoon sun, and neat to compare it to my ascent there 6 hours earlier. I killed the time waiting for the bus by sitting in a cafe in Grange (disappointing coffee though, not up to Costa standard).

My base camp for 3 days: Scales.

The bunkhouse at Scales.

The view from Cat Bells.

On Maiden Moor.

Ascending to High Spy.

Excellent summit cairn on High Spy. Finger points the way to Dale head.

I hit difficult snow on the climb to Dale Head.

Dale Head is reached, with High Spy behind.

AW at his best and most informative.

One of the iconic views of Lakeland. Dale Head.

Cloud was intermittent on there. Makes a very different atmosphere!

Heading along to Hindscarf.

On Hindscarf.

Around to Robinson now.

A view of Honister Pass (looking back to Dale Head).

The summit of Robinson, looking across to Grasmoor

The excellent descent of Robinson (north ridge).

Newlands valley.

Wish I could draw like him.

I come full circle.

No bull on this walk. An excellent day!

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Great view of Skiddaw from Grange.

[ChrisW]

Another cracker of a day TEA, it's getting so close now I'll bet you can taste it....edge of the seat stuff to finish