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Grasmoor & Whiteside

Grasmoor & Whiteside


Postby poppiesrara » Sun May 13, 2012 11:31 pm

Wainwrights included on this walk: Grasmoor, Hopegill Head, Rannerdale Knotts, Wandope, Whiteless Pike, Whiteside

Hewitts included on this walk: Grasmoor, Hopegill Head, Wandope, Whiteless Pike, Whiteside

Date walked: 12/05/2012

Time taken: 4.5

Distance: 17 km

Ascent: 1330m

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Finally, a decent weekend day and a chance to head for the Lakes for a beautiful (but quite gruelling - months of tramping round the Dales and Peak does rather make you forget what a steep climb feels like) circuit of Grasmoor and its neighbouring fells.

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From Lanthwaite Green, the climb up to Whiteside makes for a fierce and relentless start to the day – there’s a clear path all the way, but a very stony and steep one bordering on a scramble in places and gaining an awful lot of height in the first mile or so. The summit ridge climbing to Hopegill Head, interestingly rocky and close to the precipitous south face in places, seems a leg-easing stroll after that – the next objective of Grasmoor looking a vast craggy lump from this side in comparison with the finer rocky ridges of the Grisedale Pike circuit close to the east.
Grasmoor 015.jpg
Loweswater Fells from ascent of Whiteside

Grasmoor 017.jpg
Mellbreak & Crummock Water over Whin Ben

Grasmoor 021.jpg
Whiteside ridge to Hopegill Head

Grasmoor 024.jpg
Head of Gasgale Gill, Crag Hill behind

Grasmoor 036.jpg
Down Gasgale Gill

Grasmoor 038.jpg
Grasmoor from near Hopegill Head

Grasmoor 040.jpg
North over Ladyside Pike to Whinlatter

Grasmoor 042.jpg
Whiteside from Hopegill Head

After an easy descent to the head of the falls in Gasgale Gill, there’s a gentle path around the edge of Dove Crags up to Grasmoor – a broad grassy plain of a summit that seems amazingly friendly from this side once you’ve seen its other three daunting faces. From here, you get the first of several great views over Buttermere and its surrounding fells to the giants of the Lakes to the south.
Grasmoor 049.jpg
Over Coledale to the northern fells

Grasmoor 059.jpg
South over lakeland from Grasmoor

Grasmoor 064.jpg
Over Loweswater to the coast from Grasmoor

It seems quite a long flat way across to Wandope, a rather forgettable damp little rise enlivened by its eastern cliffs, before the way narrows along the edge to Whiteless Pike – another enticing rocky ridge, but with the wind starting to whip across, one to hurry on through. Very steeply down from there, with some gratitude for the stone steps cut into the path, through sudden crowds (almost no-one to be seen on the preceding fells, but plenty puffing their way up Whiteless Pike with varying expressions of apparent regret!) to the head of Rannerdale.
Grasmoor 073.jpg
Wandope

Grasmoor 079.jpg
Whiteless Edge

Grasmoor 086.jpg
High Stile ridge from descent of Whiteless Pike

Grasmoor 089.jpg
Rannerdale Knotts

The grassy path heading up Low Bank to Rannerdale Knotts looks irresistible from there and the mile or so along the ridge is indeed terrific, undulations over grass and little rock summits with stunning views south.
Grasmoor 090.jpg
Buttermere fells

Grasmoor 100.jpg
Over Buttermere to Fleetwith Pike, etc

Grasmoor 102.jpg
Mellbreak & Crummock Water from Rannerdale Knotts

Given that, and the thought of this as a little ‘family’ hill so close to the roads, I’d rather expected something as good dropping west to the carpark. It’s not. Much the worst path of the day, in fact, eroded into a morass in places, painstakingly steep and slippery in others, and very little fun at all. It’s a couple of miles back up the road to Lanthwaite from there, but short extensions onto the bordering footpaths (into Rannerdale to enjoy the blanket of bluebells, then down along a well-made lakeshore path) are well worth the effort, with a final view of Grasmoor’s daunting west face that gives you a little (slightly unjustified!) puff of pride to have made it up there…
Grasmoor 103.jpg
An idea of the angle of descent to Crummock Water...

Grasmoor 108.jpg
Whiteless Pike from Rannerdale

Grasmoor 109.jpg
Through the bluebell fields in Rannerdale

Grasmoor 111.jpg
Mellbreak from Rannerdale

Grasmoor 116.jpg
Whiteside & Whin Ben from Lanthwaite

Grasmoor 117.jpg
West face of Grasmoor
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poppiesrara
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Re: Grasmoor & Whiteside

Postby ChrisW » Mon May 14, 2012 5:41 pm

Beautiful pics of a great hike P, looks like the weather has taken a turn for the better while I've been entertaining my family (last two weeks) glad to see it. Your comment "with varying expressions of apparent regret" made me laugh..................that could be applied to me at some point during every hike I undertake :lol:
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Re: Grasmoor & Whiteside

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Mon May 14, 2012 7:27 pm

Yet to do any of those fells. Consider my appetite wetted :-)
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Re: Grasmoor & Whiteside

Postby colgregg » Mon May 14, 2012 11:06 pm

Great report and pics Poppy.
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Re: Grasmoor & Whiteside

Postby L-Hiking » Tue May 22, 2012 8:08 pm

Nice one Poppy with some nice pics there..What a beautiful place Rannerdale is at Bluebell time

Cheers :thumbup:
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