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Met up with Karl on Sunday for a bout of Wainwright bagging. Karl has already done most of them but decided to start from scratch and make a project of ticking them all off methodically. Great idea! As for me, I just like getting out on the fells - I don't care how many times I do them or in what order!
Grasmere was our starting point, from which a relatively short and easy walk would reap a surprisingly rich harvest.
We found a spot in the village to park for free.
Set off walking up Alllen Bank at about 9.10am. Couldn't help noticing nice Autumn colours in the trees.
- Helm Crag from the Allen Bank lane
"So Karl", says I, "we're going Silver Howe, then Blea Rigg, then Pavey Ark, right?" "Aye", says Karl. "Well", says I, "we might as well go up Jack's Rake then." "Aye", says Karl, "s'pose we might." "Good", says I - "don't s'pose we go back via Helm Crag?" "Naw", says Karl, "Tarn Crag".
I was just a tad disappointed; I'd been harbouring a desire to do both Jack's Rake and the Howitzer in the same walk ever since reading a WR by pamfox which described just such a scwalk (conceived and led by simon-b). But I bit my tongue as I didn't want to disrupt Karl's Wainwright strategy.
- Vale of Grasmere; Seat Sandal and Fairfield at the back
- Where the path to Silver Howe crosses Wray Gill
- Grasmere and Rydal Water from Silver Howe
- Cairn on summit of Silver Howe
- Reedy tarn near Lang Howe
- Easedale Tarn from the way up Blea Rigg
- Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark above Stickle Tarn
- Pavey Ark with the diagonal trench of Jack's Rake slanting leftwards across the crag
- Climbers on The Bracken Clock (E2) and, left, Rake End Wall (VS).
- Stickle Tarn
- Typical Sunday on Jack's Rake - join the queue!
- The queue a bit higher up
- Pavey Ark from Harrison Stickle
- Summit of Harrison Stickle looking down Langdale ...(ed. 17/10/15) - oops, it's the summit of Loft Crag. Phew, glad I fixed that before anyone noticed (or at least before anyone said anything!)
- Harrison Stickle from Loft Crag
- Pike o' Stickle from Loft Crag
- Loft Crag from Pike o' Stickle - the fine buttress on the right is Gimmer Crag
- Harrison Stickle from Pike o' Stickle
- Lots of folk on Thunacar Knott
- Cairn on summit of Sergeant Man, with raven in sky
- Codale Tarn
- View from Tarn Crag
- Tarn Crag above Easedale Tarn
All in all a very interesting and satisfying walk, which would have been even better had it included Calf Crag, Gibson Knott and Helm Crag (sorry Karl)!