Tuesday 13th October 2009

Start point: Fell Foot, Little Langdale (NY 296 032)

Fell Foot - Rough Crags - High End - Wet Side Edge - Hell Gill Pike - Little Carrs - Great Carrs - Top of Broad Slack - Swirl How - Prison Band - Swirl Hawse - Wetherlam - Birk Fell Hawse - Greenburn - Fell Foot

Distance: 5.9 miles     Total Ascent: 883 metres     Time Taken: 3 hours 45 minutes

Weather: Changeable, cool. 13oC.

Route Map

Today I had a walk around Greenburn from Little Langdale, the weather didn't seem to hold much promise when I set off but it was fascinating to watch the rapidly changing conditions as I walked, with it seemingly changing by the minute. It was very wintry and cold on the top of Great Carrs, I even had to put my winter jacket on - good job Casper was wearing his!

Early morning, Coniston Water.

Brown Howe, Coniston Water.

Autumn reflections.

The mist rising from the lake.

Who knew what the weather would throw up today? It was cold and hazy when I set off from Fell Foot, here with Rough Crags ahead and Wetherlam beyond Wet Side Edge.

Rough Crags from one of the many shepherd's cairns along the path.

A magnificent Rowan tree on the banks of the River Brathay.

Wetherlam from the ridge.

The head of Greenburn with cloud on the top of Great Carrs.

To the east was a layer of cloud covering Little Langdale and beyond.

Little Langdale from High End, Little Langdale Tarn in view.

Pike o' Blisco from High End.

Looking across Greenburn, there is a bit of mist around there too as the sun tries to burn through.

Wet Side Edge.

The view across Wrynose Pass to Cold Pike, Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and Pike o' Blisco with mist forming below.

The inversion to the east was slowly but surely creeping towards me. Ooh, I was getting all excited now!

The view from the top of Wet Side Edge.

A glimpse of the Scafells beyond Wrynose Fell from Hell Gill Pike. From here it was up into the mist, pretty cold it was too.

The memorial to the Canadian Air Crew on Great Cars.

Heading for Swirl How.

Casper in eerie light on the summit of Swirl How. It was freezing up here, time to put the gloves on.

Descending Prison Band towards Wetherlam as the mist clears.

Levers Water.

Prison Band.

Looking back to Prison Band across Swirl Hawse.

The path to Wetherlam - all sunshine and blue sky now.

Cold Pike, Pike o' Blisco and the Crinkles have disappeared under cloud now from the summit of Wetherlam.

The inversion to the east.

The cloud beginning to break over Little Langdale.

Descending Wetherlam Edge, a rougher path than you might think.

I took the path down into Greenburn from Birk Fell Hawse and almost in the blink of an eye the valley filled with cloud. With the sun shining from directly behind there was a Brocken Spectre constantly there for a while, seen here looking across to the Langdale Pikes. What a fantastically graded path this old miners track was too, a real joy to walk.

Brocken Spectre.

Pike o' Blisco from the very edge of the inversion.

Can't get enough of this one!

Almost as quickly as it settled in the valley, the mist rapidly began to rise as it warmed. This photo was as I was descending and the mist was racing up to meet me.

Descending to the ruins of Greenburn Copper Works.

Greenburn Copper Works. It is hard to imagine what this tranquil place would have been like during the heyday of these works, but I bet it was a bit different to now!

There were some magnificent cascades and pools on Greenburn Beck, I must remember this place for next summer as a likely swimming spot.

Rowan Tree alongside Greenburn Beck, now in bright sunshine.

Casper walks the plank to get across Greenburn Beck.

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