Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green Gable, Base Brown & Haystacks

Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts, Brandreth, Green Gable, Base Brown & Hay Stacks

Friday 11 July 2014

Route

Parking

Mileage

Terrain

Weather

Time Taken

Total Ascent

Wainwrights

Map

Gatesgarth - Fleetwith Pike - Black Star - Drum House - Grey Knotts - Brandreth - Green Gable - Base Brown - Green Gable - Moses Trod - Blackbeck Tarn - Innominate Tarn - Hay Stacks - Scarth Gap - Peggy's Bridge - Gatesgarth

Gatesgarth (Charge) - Grid Ref NY194150

10.2 miles

Good mountain paths but care needs to be taken on the steep descent of Hay Stacks down to Scarth Gap

Gloriously sunny, very little wind and excellent visibility

7hrs 15min

4330ft (1320m)

6

OL4 - The English Lakes (North Western Area)

GPX File

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Walk Description

This was one of those days where the weather could not have been any better. We were up early to drive over to Gatesgarth but fell foul of our planning as when we were coming through Honister we were stuck behind the Gatesgarth shepherds moving their flock. No matter - there was still plenty of parking to be had once we arrived at Gatesgarth where there is a small fee to park.

The route leaves Gatesgarth along the road towards Honister and soon strikes up the fell side to Fleetwith Pike. The ascent is steep but the views today were reward enough for the toil. Reaching the summit we had fabulous views down Buttermere and over to Pillar and Kirk Fell. The path then heads over towards Black Star before heading down to the Drum House via the quarry track. From Drum House we headed over to Grey Knotts, taking the Coast to Coast path coming over from Loft Beck, leaving the path to make a 200 yard detour to the summit.

The route over to Brandreth and then on to Green Gable follows a clear path and the views are with you all the way, particularly as the huge bulk of Great Gable gets ever nearer. From Green Gable we did consider descending down to Windy Gap and making the steep ascent up to Great Gable but there was already a procession of walkers doing exactly that therefore having been up Great Gable before we left it for another day. We headed back down towards Brandreth but then took a right fork to make an out and back to the summit of Base Brown.

From Base Brown we retraced our steps to Green Gable before heading down to Moses Trod to pick up the popular path up to the summit of Hay Stacks via Innominate Tarn. Reaching Hay Stacks, as per usual there were people hogging the summit therefore we hung around a bit before politely asking them to shift in order that we could get a suitable photograph. From Hay Stacks there is a tricky little descent down to Scarth Gap, which needs a bit of care taking over it before there is a bit of a knee crunching trip down the pass to Peggy's Bridge before the arrival back in Gatesgarth.

Great conditions today on what was an absolutely fantastic route over some beautiful ground.

Gatesgarth

Fleetwith Pike ahead

The memorial on Fleetwith Pike

Buttermere

High Crag & High Stile - the path down from Scarth Gap to Peggy's Bridge can be seen cutting across the lower slope of High Crag

Hay Stacks

The steep ascent of Fleetwith Pike

Glorious views over to Pillar & the High Stile ridge from the summit of Fleetwith Pike

The summit cairn on Fleetwith Pike looking down to Buttermere

Looking down on the return route to Hay Stacks we would take from Green Gable - Great Gable and Kirk Fell are the fells in the centre

Angie on the summit of Fleetwith Pike - it was simply glorious up here today

Hay Stacks in the foreground with Kirk Fell left & Pillar to the right

Grasmoor, Whiteless Pike, Robinson & Littledale Edge

Dave & Fudge above Honister Crag

Heading down to the Drum House with Grey Knotts ahead.
We took the Coast to Coast path running beneath Grey Knotts and left this to make a 200 yard journey to the summit