The first Wainwright I have a record of climbing was Silver How on 27 March 1968; it had taken me 54 years, 5 months and 21 days to do my round. Here are my final 17.

Dates: 9 – 17 September 2022

Stayed: Penruddock (rental).

Weather: Mostly good.

9 September – Bonscale Pike, Steel Knotts, Hallin Fell. By Ullswater steamer from Pooley Bridge to Howtown and return. Drizzle at first but soon clearing. Rather a lot of up and down for this cluster of three without connecting ridges.

10 September – Branstree, Selside Pike. From Mardale Head via Gatescarth Pass, descent to Old Corpse Road north of Selside Pike. Road walk back to Mardale Head – lakeside footpath closed.

11 September – Loughrigg. Avoided White Moss parking fee by parking by A591/B5322 junction (St John’s in the Vale) and getting bus to White Moss. Loughrigg summit via Loughrigg Terrace, descent to Rydal via Rydal Caves; bus back to car.

13 September – Eagle Crag, Sergeant’s Crag, Ullscarf. From Stonethwaite. Hard to find path in dense bracken on lower slopes of Eagle Crag until second wall reached and uphill path began. Only vague and intermittent path round the head of Black Gills and Long Crag. Descent from Ullscarf via High Saddle and Low Saddle, then trackless wastes (in good visibility) to join Dock Tarn path near White Crag for descent to Stonethwaite Beck.

14 September – Great Borne, Starling Dodd. Parked at NT car park outside Buttermere. To Scale Force, then Floutern Pass track through Mosedale Head and alongside Red Gill to fence on Great Borne ridge. To Great Borne, then back along ridge and on to Starling Dodd, past Little Dodd to pick up Lincombe Edge path to Scale Beck, Scale Force and return to Buttermere. The path alongside Scale Beck has a malign intent to try to injure anyone venturing that way, but I overcame it on this day.

15 September – Brock Crags, Rest Dodd, The Nab. From Cow Bridge car park on Patterdale – Brothers Water road. Rather than summarise a rather messy route I show my OutdoorActive track. In the prevailing drought conditions the bog between Rest Dodd and The Nab was trouble-free.

16 September – Rosthwaite Fell (Bessyboot). From Seatoller via footpath just E of Strands Bridge, across Combe Gill and up to Tarn at Leaves (poor path). Return by more-or-less the same route.

17 September – Seathwaite Fell, Lingmell. Finish! A bright but chilly morning start after parking along the Seathwaite lane, with frost in the fields where the sun had not yet reached. To Stockley Bridge and the Sty Head path, turning up the fellside on Wainwright’s ‘route B’ where only a vague and intermittent path heads towards the summit of Seathwaite Fell.

A clear path then heads south to reach Sprinkling Tarn, from where I followed the main path towards Sty Head before turning off onto the Corridor Route. Shortly after crossing the head of Piers Gill I turned off the main path to head direct to Lingmell Col, and from there the broad path led me to the summit. Done!

Howtown and Hallin Fell

Bonscale Pike - the Twin Towers

Haweswater in drought

Grasmere from Loughrigg

Rydal Caves

Langstrath from Sergeant's Crag summit

Starling Dodd summit

Brothers Water from Brock Crags

Stonethwaite Fell and Stockley Bridge

Great End and unnamed tarn

Well Done!

Dates: 14 – 21 June 2022

Stayed: Eskdale Green, Eskdale.  AirBnB and Bower House Inn

Weather: Fine, dry, clear.

14 June – Cold Pike, Grey Friar. Up and down from the summit of Wrynose Pass.

15 June – Whin Rigg, Illgill Head. From Eskdale Green via Miterdale Forest. Warm and clear, with views as far as the Isle of Man. Return via Burnmoor Tarn and Miterdale.

16 June – Yewbarrow. From Overbeck Bridge, Wasdale. More of a scramble up Bell Rib than I’d expected; traversed the ridge and returned via path by-passing Stirrup Crag and along Overbeckdale.

17 June – Hard Knott. The only grey and damp day, so a short walk up and back from the summit of Hardknott Pass, followed by a visit to the Roman Fort.

18 June – Slight Side. A long and mostly featureless plod up and back from the small car park near Wha House, Eskdale. Credit to the three guys at the summit, down from Scafell and heading back up to continue to Scafell Pike and Lingmell, and possibly more. Also to the young man pushing and carrying a high-spec mountain bike who intended, he said, getting it to the summit of Scafell and riding back down.

19 June – Green Crag, Harter Fell. From the Woolpack, Eskdale, via Lower Birker and returning via Penny Hill Farm. Walked the first half of Green Crag ascent in the pleasant company of someone with four Wainwright rounds completed. Two summits, and a good day despite two minor injuries and two soakings of different parts of the anatomy!

20 June – Buckbarrow, Seatallan, Middle Fell. A short steep ascent from Harrow Head, Wasdale, then an easy circuit over Seatallan and Middle Fell, descending to the road at Greendale and a road walk back.

21 June – Kirk Fell. From Wasdale Head via Black Sail Pass. I didn’t enjoy the steep slippery scramble up the narrow gully above the pass with loose gravel underfoot and flaky rock either side. Nor the long descent from below Great Gable on a path of loose stones. I won’t be going again!

Grey Friar summit

Irton Road Station

Bell Rib, Yewbarrow

Cottages in Boot, Eskdale

Harter Fell from Green Crag summit

Buckbarrow

Middle Fell summit

Great Gable from Kirk Fell

So I’ve booked three visits; Ambleside in April, Eskdale/Wasdale in June and Penruddock in September. This is a memo of five days based in Ambleside. The weather was perfect – clear bright days, cool but not cold, and dry. In fact the whole Lake District was dry; very little water in the becks, bogs drying out, and in places the peat beginning to dry and crumble. For first two days it was very windy on the tops, blowing a hoolie on Clough Head and the Longsleddale fells.

Saturday 23 April

• Clough Head

Skiddaw and Blencathra from Clough Head summit

Clough Head was the last of the Eastern Fells for me to complete, and I did it en route to Ambleside. I started on the old coach road from Wanthwaite in St Johns in the Vale, up through the old quarries to the open fell, then north-east from the summit to rejoin the coach road which I followed back to the start.

Sunday 24 April

• Grey Crag, Tarn Crag (Longsleddale)

Gray Crag summit

Tarn Crag summit

Tower on Tarn Crag summit

Longsleddale

Bridge in Longsleddale

Longsleddale pastoral

Another clear bright day but still very windy on the higher ground. Luckily I was able to park at the roadhead at Sadgill Bridge before it got too crowded. From Tarn Crag I descended north then west to the valley road and the River Sprint to return to Sadgill Bridge.

Monday 25 April

• Shipman Knotts, Kentmere Pike, Harter Fell

Ill Bell from Shipman Knotts

High Street from Harter Fell summit

Harter Fell summit (Wainwright)

Small Water and Haweswater from Harter Fell summit

Kentmere pastoral

There aren’t many places to park at the top of the Kent Valley. When I got as far as the (closed) gate shortly before Brockstones I chickened out, and after what must have been a 13-point turn in the road tried my luck at the church the other side of the valley. There’s parking for a few cars at the village hall opposite; as suggested by a notice I left some money in the honesty box. Had I been brave enough to go through the gate I could have parked where I’d originally planned by the Nunnery Beck bridge.

I took the old road which goes over to Longsleddale, turning up the fellside around the 350m contour to follow a path keeping close to the wall which leads to the top of Shipman Knotts. From there it’s a simple walk over open ground to Kentmere Pike then Harter Fell. It was a clear bright day and the views from Harter Fell more than made up for the rather dull approach. The twisted iron and stones at the summit had been rearranged by weather and visitors since Wainwright recorded them.

From Harter Fell I took the short steep path down to the Nan Bield pass, then the bridleway to Brockstones and the last kilometre or so to the car.

Tuesday 26 April

• Sour Howes & Troutbeck Tongue

Two singletons today. Foul weather had me baling out of Sour Howes when I climbed Sallows in September last year. Today couldn’t have been more different – clear, bright blue skies; a great view down to Windermere and another towards Troutbeck Tongue, the afternoon’s objective.

Windermere from Sour Howes summit

Troutbeck Tongue from Garburn Road

Climbing Troutbeck Tongue from the wall above Hagg Gill, I descended west from the ridge about 150m north of the summit cairn to join the footpath alongside Trout Beck south of the footbridge. There is a gate in the wall at approximate GR 420065. It was an easy descent in April, but may be a struggle through bracken later in the year. Keep north (right) of the old quarry.

Troutbeck from Troutbeck Tongue summit

Wednesday 27 April

• Lingmoor Fell via Side Pike

Squeeeeze!

Choosing the route which visits Side Pike I had a small but interesting scramble when I initially failed to find the path to lower ground which after backtracking (allegedly) joins the path coming up from Bleatarn House. It involved a bit of a squeeze! As promised by Mr W the views of the Pikes and the rest of the Langdale fells were excellent.

Langdale Pikes from Side Pike

Langdale Fells from Lingmoor Fell summit

Side Pike from near Bleatarn House

That brings my Wainwright total to 184. Two more visits this year should see me finish the round.

This note is just a memoir of those days with a few photos taken when it wasn’t raining.

Friday 24 September

• Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Great Rigg

Rydal Water

Saturday 25 September

• Calf Crag, Gibson Knott

Stepping stones near Travellers Rest

Sunday 26 September

• Raven Crag, High Seat, High Tove, Armboth Fell

View from High Seat

Monday 27 September

• Fellbarrow, Low Fell

Tuesday 28 September

• Sallows

Wednesday 29 September

• Loft Crag, Harrison Stickle, Pavey Ark, Thunakar Knott, High Raise, Sergeant Man

Stickle Ghyll, Langdale

Stickle Tarn, Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark

Staying at The Shepherd’s Arms, Ennerdale Bridge.

Day 3 – 27 May

Mellbreak

Route: From NT car park NW of Buttermere village; Crummock Water path to Scale Beck crossing; W up Black Beck until path on R (not on all OS maps) leaves for Mellbreak at NY148173. Return by similar (but better) route crossing to Scale Force and following path across lower slopes to join lakeside path at 2nd(?) footbridge (NY153170).

Weather: Fine and clear.

The classic view of Mellbreak across Crummock Water

Unlike many Lake District fells Mellbreak stands alone, not linked by a ridge to any other hill. It’s a fine objective, and this day was a good day. Of the two tops the southern one (on the left in the photo) is the higher by three metres, which is fortunate because a) it was the one I reached first, b) I wanted to go into Keswick later and c) someone I met at the top said walking to the other top wasn’t worth it and the dip was very boggy. It was a good enough excuse. But it was a good short day and i shall definitely go back.

Grasmoor across Crummock Water; Rannerdale Knotts in the middle ground.

Crummock Water & Buttermere from Mellbreak

Day 4 – 28 May

Haycock, Caw Fell

Route: From car park at Bowness (Ennerdale) to first bridge over River Liza (Char Dub); up tongue between Deep Gill and Silvercove Beck. E to Haycock, back and W to Caw Fell; retrace route to return.

Weather: Murky.

The walk along the lakeside track in Ennerdale is always a pleasure. Yellow Welsh poppies featured prominently along the way. The path up the tongue is clear and easily found by continuing straight ahead after crossing the bridge over the Liza, turning right uphill after crossing a footbridge over Silvercove Beck and before crossing another over Deep Gill.

This path doesn’t seem to quite make it to the summit ridge; it veers off to the west about 100m short. Destination (if any) unknown.

There is a substantial wall along the summit at the depression between Haycock and Caw Fell. The two summits I visited are on different sides but there are enough fenced gaps or stiles to make climbing it unnecessary.

It stayed dry, the summits were clear and visibility was reasonably good but the air was grey and murky, draining the colour out of the landscape to a dull palette of browns and greys – so no photos except for the two summits.

The cairn by the wall at Haycock summit

Caw Fell summit

Thanks to my hosts at The Shepherd’s Arms for a friendly welcome, a comfortable bed and good meals. And thanks too to The Gather, Ennerdale @GatherEnnerdale for tea, hot chocolate, cake and scone.

Staying at The Shepherd’s Arms, Ennerdale Bridge.

Day 1 – 25 May

(am) Lank Rigg, Crag Fell, Grike; (pm) Hen Comb

Route (am): From bend on Cold Fell Road S of Ennerdale Bridge (NY066130), track then path to col between Whoap & Lank Rigg; Lank Rigg; fence corner at NY102135; track & path to Crag Fell; path to Grike; old mine track to Cold Fell Road; road to start point.

Weather(am): Cloud/mist on hills above about 450m. Strong north-westerly wind on tops and exposed ground. Drizzle.

An easy walk on tracks and paths. Paths are clear on the ground even if not shown on OS maps.

Lank Rigg summit comes into view.

Route (pm): From Bowness (Ennerdale) road S of Whins (NY100165); Floutern Pass track past Floutern Cop then path to Hen Comb. Return same route.

Weather (pm): Mostly bright and clear.

There’s a small space for parking at the roadside S of Whins. DO NOT try to park at Whins itself – local information says the farmer doesn’t like it. For the same reason, keep to the public bridleway until you reach open access land.

Floutern Pass has a reputation for being boggy, but from this side is wasn’t particularly bad – just a bit squelchy in places.

Hen Comb summit; Buttermere in the distance

Ennerdale Water from the Floutern Pass track

Day 2 – 26 May

Burnbank Fell, Blake Fell, Gavel Fell

Route: From Bridleway end N of Lamplugh (NY105225); path on right before high point of track leads to “pile of stones” and Burnbank Fell summit. Path along ridge to Blake and Gavel Fells. Retrace route to return.

Weather: Fine and clear.

The day didn’t start well. I had planned to walk these three south to north starting from the parking at Felldyke and using the only path through the forestry plantation at the far end of Cogra Moss reservoir that gives access to the open fells. Twenty minutes in I found the path – and this sign.

Not a good start.

I thought of ignoring it, but further thought about the consequences of turning an ankle on a tree root and needing help, or being accosted by a forestry worker on a quad bike led me to turn round and walk back to the car.

The second attempt was to start from Lamplugh, where a bridleway leaves the road and then a farm track heads to the open fellside. At least, that’s how things were in Wainwright’s day. Landowners seem to be less tolerant of hill-goers these days: this was at the junction with the farm track. There was also a big sign on a gate – “NO ACCESS TO OPEN FELL” daubed in paint on a board.

AW wouldn’t approve.

Driving still further north and Plan C came good. There were more than twenty cars parked on the roadside at the start of the bridleway that leads over to Loweswater and the Kirkstile Inn. I guessed others had the same issues as me.

Once properly on my way the walk and climb up to Burnbank Fell was straightforward. The summit itself is set back from the steeper ground; the best views of Loweswater are from the “Pile of Stones” as the summit plateau is reached.

Loweswater from Burnbank Fell

The summit itself is unremarkable, dominated by the summit ridge fence berated by Wainwright. Following the ridge and the fence to Blake Fell and Gavel Fell was a simple high-level stroll.

Burnbank Fell summit cairn and fence.

Friday 16 October

This is another of the Wainwrights in the area which are no more than undulations in a ridge coming down from higher tops – in this case Hart Crag and Fairfield. The best place to start is Deepdale Bridge, where there is space for a few cars to park at the side of the road. The places were all taken when I arrived, so I parked further on at Cow Bridge and walked back along the road.

I took what turned out to be a little-used permissive path and wasted time trying to find the way through the lower woods and fields to get onto the path shown on the map which leads onto the ridge. Once firmly en route it was a matter of following the path up a series of lumps and bumps separated by marshy hollows. Despite a promising weather forecast I was in mist and intermittent drizzle from about 400m. Checking between map, GPS and altimeter I determined I had reached and passed the ‘summit’; I saw no sign of the cairn on a grassy knoll described by AW, but by crossing every bump above the 580m contour before the path dropped down again I’m satisfied I can claim the tick.

I returned the same way, except for following the clearer path across the pastures to Deepdale Bridge and taking a footpath which parallels the road (not visible from the road itself) back to the car. This is the only picture I took during the walk; the mist higher up hid the views.

Brothers Water from Hartsop above How

Thursday 15 October

I decided to give myself a shorter day and visit the rather inaccessible Hart Side using the path above Ullswater which AW suggests has the finest views of the lake anywhere in the area. A path marked on the OS 1:25,000 map starts from the old quarry which is now a National Trust car park half a kilometre south of Dockray. It’s not signposted as a public footpath, but is a narrow strip squeezed between the old quarry wall and the field fence. It starts steeply, passes a derelict quarry building, and clambers up a short rock step before emerging into more open land. The field fence becomes a wall; a little further the path crosses to the other side and follows the wall, gaining height in a series of short uphill sections. The views are certainly excellent, though the low sun over the lake meant no photographs. A little over a kilometre in, a faint path comes in from the right; this is the old miners’ track from Dockray.

Eventually, after passing below Brown Hills the path turns away from the wall and cuts across country, leaving the views of the lake behind. Reaching another wall and following it uphill brings you to within a short distance of a large monument marking Birkett Fell. Hart Side is in view; the summit is the spot height 756m (‘Cairns’), a little north of where the OS map puts the words ‘Hart Side’.

AW is right to be dismissive of the summit and surrounds; featureless uplands of grass and marsh, not a place for a leisurely lunch stop in a cool fresh wind. I stopped instead near the wall below Brown Hills before continuing back, taking the old miners’ track back to Dockray over Watermillock Common and finishing off by walking the last half a kilometre along the road back to the quarry car park.

Hart Side summit

Ullswater from Brown Hills

Wednesday 14 October

I’ve decided to pay less attention to Mr A Wainwright. His off-putting description (“steep, laborious”) of the direct ascent of High Hartsop Dodd above the Kirkstone Pass road persuaded me to take a path up Caiston Glen instead. I started on the south side of Caiston Beck having parked at the nearby lay-by, eventually crossing the beck at the old mine workings. Paths in the farm fields below the intakes are poorly defined, difficult to find, and boggy. They don’t improve much as you get higher. It was a tedious plod up the glen to the Scandale Pass.

Things improved from that point. A clear path rises north from the wall at the pass, leading to the summit of Little Hart Crag. Clear skies and improving views lifted my mood.

I stuck to my plan and followed the ridge down to the “summit” of High Hartsop Dodd which has the compensation of splendid views of the Patterdale valley. I met some people who had come up the “steep, laborious” route direct from the valley; they seemed happy enough.

Retracing my route to Little Hart Crag and the Scandale pass I then went up the other side of the pass – again on a clear path – to reach the summit of Red Screes. The views from here will go down as some of the very best. I could see almost all the high summits of the Lake District arrayed in a 360° panorama. Sunlight glinting off the sea in Morecombe Bay twenty miles away was a lovely bonus.

The fourth Wainwright of the day was Middle Dodd, Red Screes’ companion Dodd to Little Hart Crag’s High Hartsop Dodd.

The descent down the ‘nose’ of Middle Dodd was steep but not too slippery; I took it slowly and steadily, not wanting to risk a slip. Back into the farm fields, the bogs and the vanishing footpaths finally brought me back to the road where I’d started.

Despite the grumbles it had been a good day!

Little Hart Crag

Little Hart Crag summit

High Hartsop Dodd summit

Patchwork walls

Hart Crag, Fairfield, Helvellyn

Red Screes summit

Middle Dodd summit

Red Screes

Tuesday 13 October

A cool day, clear in the valley but drizzle and mist on the heights.

Arnison Crag

Once you crack the problem of finding where to start in Patterdale the ascent of Arnison Crag is straightforward and fairly quick, even if like me you’re not as fast as you used to be on steep ground. Start by walking round the front of the hotel away from the lake and find the path starting from the yard where the bins are kept. I missed this at the start, taking instead a path a short way along the road which soon joins the shorter path from the hotel.

Birks

Consulting Wainwright I had expected to do some serious navigation in the mist to get from Arnison Crag to Birks but nowadays there is a clear path to Trough Head and then up alongside the old broken wall to the ridge top. I was in drizzly mist by the time I reached the ridge. A short walk takes you to the unremarkable summit of Birks, from where I returned to the valley down the main ridge. My ViewRanger track might make this clearer.

A sinuous wall

Arnison Crag summit

The unremarkable summit of Birks

Ullswater