April 13th 2007 - 13.67 miles - 4,064 ft of ascent
Eagle Crag (Stonethwaite) to Walla Crag (Keswick)
Stonethwaite - Smithymire Island - EAGLE CRAG - SERGEANTS CRAG - HIGH RAISE -
Low White Stones - Greenup Edge - ULLSCARF - Standing Crag - Blea Tarn - Shivery Knott -
ARMBOTH FELL - HIGH TOVE - The Pewits - HIGH SEAT - BLEABERRY FELL - WALLA CRAG
NINE Wainwrights in one walk is the kind of long trek I am now starting to love. Really hard work, especially when it is hot
weather, but the sense of achievement when finished is amazing. It was very hazy all the way so there
are not as many pictures
as maybe I would have liked, but as you will hear, this is not a walk I plan on doing again any time soon.
We were camping at Castlerigg Farm camp site, EXCELLENT place to stay by the way and this walk was one
I had been looking at for a while. With Odette and the family with me I took the oportunity to knock off nine summits in one go.
I had really read up on this walk, (using David and Andrews sites) and I knew that even after a weeks amazingly hot weather
this was still going to be no place for kids. Please do note this.. You see on the Wainwright web site now the clamour for
'youngest person to do all 214', well when a kid dies trying to do these kind of fells then maybe the clamour might die down a bit.
The bog's along the Pewit's and other places are not to be played with!
My first objective, Eagle Crag with Sergeants Crag behind it. If you lived locally, this would be an excellent after tea climb.
It's
VERY hard work, but the views from the top..and the sides (more later) are stunning.
The place where you cross Stonethwaite Beck, marked on my map as Smithymire Island.
Excellent picnic spot, deep pools for the dogs, just great.. ohh that's Bessyboot behind
Did someone mention water???? Jay has been on enough walks with me now to know that if its hot,
and we come across water,
jump right and and cool off.. he doesn't need much persuasion now....
Having a rest in the shade half way up Eagle Crag
You can't really see it, but this is the gully part of the climb.. no big deal.. just a bit of planning..
Towards the top of Eagle Crag there are paths leading all over the place. Just a word.. don't let little ones wander in front of you..
some of the paths lead to dead ends and are simply there because there is a view at the end of them... want an idea??
You can see Sergeant's Crag in the backgound.
Must say that this was a LOT further down than it looked. Langstrath below. along way below.. he he
Jay sat on the top of our first summit, again Sergeant's Crag behind
Stonethwaite valley with Great Crag on the right.
The forground rock on the right is Sergeant's Crag summit, looking back to Eagle Crag.
Looking through the haze to our next summit, High Raise with Pike of Stickle just popping up to say hello on the right.
Zara's turn...
From about a third of the way up to High Raise, looking back to Sergeant's and Eagle Crags.
A rather murky High Raise summit. I have been here now 3 times and not once from the same direction.
The Langdale Pikes
I didn't bother with any pics along the route to Ullscarf, too hazy. I mentioned at the start that this is not a walk
I will do again in a hurry.
This is one boring, wet place! I know that people walk for different reasons,
some people like the open fell side... I don't.
At least it's not that I don't like it.. I just like some people to say hello to.. and during Easter week,
along a 14 mile trek.. I saw..
4 people.. boring!!!!!
Taken from below Standing Crag, with Blea Tarn off to the left.. would loved to have watched them laying this fence..
As close as we got to Blea Tarn
Looking back to Standing Crag. Not sure if this is used for climbing, but it's a lot more impressive than it looks,
but I couldn't get a shot when I was close to it as the sun was slap bang above it.. pic would have been usless.
The pic two up, (fence through the water one).. they had to jump in...
Armboth fell forground, Raven Crag behind. There are two tops to Armboth..
we went to both.. and this one has a nice grassy top to it..
The view over to High Seat
Time for a rest and on the only bit of dry grass for miles.
Onto the actual summit of Armboth..
Same place.. and my obedient dogs sat and 'waiting' for me to call them..
High Tove's summit, with the Helvellyn range behind. The one thing this place does give you is an excellent idea how
far it is to walk the whole Helvellyn range, Nab Scar to Clough Head... one day maybe...
Ok.. everyone is now going to shout.. THAT'S NOT HIGH SEAT'S SUMMIT!
and of course they are kind of right, the actual summit is 50ft to the left.. pic to follow..
but it's the other side of a fence and my GSD's don't like style's and as you can see they were black and dirty
and I wasn't helping them over.
The one we climbed to is all most level with the summit, so for now, this will have to do. If you look at the pic
two up you can see how much of a drop there is off to the left, doesn't seem to be one in this pic..
Looking from High Seat to Bleaberry Fell, notice the small unnamed tarn to the right...
I was glad of this.. they had jumped into a really bad pool just before High Seat and were covered in black sludge.
Bleaberry Fells summit is right above Jays ears.
From Bleaberry summit back to High Seat, and now you can see the two summits.
Very hazy now, hardly see Walla Crag to the left and Skiddaw is just about there.
The view over Derwent water no better.
