Red Pike, High Stile and High Crag
A deservedly popular compact but spectacular route, starting & finishing in Buttermere Village - parking in the village is exhorbitant but many people avoid this by parking on the lower slopes of Newlands Pass, slightly surprising that it's still free. Avoid at all costs in high winds - I was blown off my feet at Gamlin End once - and I'm not exactly light, plus there are some long drops.
From right to left Red Pike, High Stile & High Crag
From the village the route follows the track past the Fish Inn and across the northern end of Buttermere lake. Once across the bridge turn left at Sourmilk Gill and after a few yard there is a signed, cobbled path which slants diagonally up through Burtness Woods before emerging into open air. The path then zigzags a bit before slanting back up to Bleaberry Tarn.
Seemingly unhappy walkers on path above Burtness Woods & Buttermere lake - might have had something to do with previous night's alcohol intake
The summit path is obvious to the right of the tarn - it becomes progressively steeper and loosed due to erosion with a short easy scramble up to the summit.
Happy walker at Red Pike summit cairn - but what happened to Barbara's colour coordination? Actually she lent her matching pair of gloves to Philippa.
Red Pike summit view - Crummock Water, Grasmoor on the right, Solway Firth in the distance
From (or near) the summit it is possible to see five lakes in four different valleys- Buttermere Crummock Water, Loweswater, Ennerdale Water & Derwent Water, I wonder if there is anywhere else offering such variety in the area - please let me know.
High Stile from Red Pike Summit - red rocks give the latter it's name.
Most of the ascending has been done now and it is time to follow the obvious ridge to High Stile, with a short ascent and an even shorter scramble up onto the summit cairn.
View from High Stile summit - Red Pike to the left, Bleaberry Tarn in the foreground
High Crag is a similar distance along the ridge with views down into Burtness Combe and across to Grey Crag where some pioneering rock climbing routes were completed in the early days of the sport. All probably very easy now.
High Stile from High Crag - Grey Crag just right of centre
Also views into Ennerdale - now recovering from the best efforts of the Forestry Comission to completely wreck the area in the mid 20th century. To be fair they are now participating in a collaboration to improve the valley including promoting natural flora & fauna - I forget the exact details but I seem to recall there was an article in Cumbria Life recently.
Cloud in Ennerdale Valley, Great Gable left Scafell range in the distance, Pillar right
At High Crag it is time to descend - starting with Gamlin End which used to be a total knee wrecker but is now a lot easier following the intervention of the National Trust although there is a bit of scrambling to get to Scarth Gap (there is a "path" to the left at the bottom of Gamlin End which cuts a corner but it is really a collapsed wall and not recommended). From Scarth Gap there is an obvious although not necessarily staightforward path down to Peggy's Bridge. Before the bridge turn left and follow the lakeside path through Burtness Woods and then back to Buttermere Village where there are splendid rehydration facilities in the
Bridge Hotel.
More pictures to follow when my left leg allows, in the meantime you can see pictures of this section of the walk, albeit in reverse direction on
Roger Hiley's website.
The obvious extension to this walk is Haystacks and down Moses Trod - excellent but beware the madding crowds.