From: Pelter Bridge Car Park (NY 364 059)
Pelter Bridge car Park – Nab Scar – Heron Pike – Rydal Fell – Great Rigg – Fairfield – Hart Crag – Dove Crag – High Pike – Low Pike – Low Sweden Bridge – Rydal Park – Rydal Hall – Pelter Bridge Car Park
| Distance: | 17.7km/11 miles |
| Total Ascent: | 966m |
| Time Taken: | 5 hours 30 minutes |
| Start Time: | 06:50 |
| Weather: | In mist throughout. 8ºC |
| Finlay’s Wainwright Count: | 76/214 (8 new this walk) |
The Fairfield Horseshoe is a long and enjoyable walk, although I do have some history with Fairfield itself. Wainwright in the book says it is confusing in mist and I can attest to that. In the days of yore, pre-internet etc, I have been completely lost not once but twice on there – once in a white out (possibly the only full on white out I have experienced, scary stuff!) and once in the mist when I ended up going 180 degrees in the wrong direction. In clear weather it seems easy – how could anyone get lost on there?
Bearing that in mind, it there was low level cloud when I set off from Pelter Bridge to walk the horseshoe in the clockwise direction. The forecast was for possible inversion above 700m so I was hopeful I could get above the cloud and into the glorious sunny inversion conditions. Let’s see…
The view to Windermere from the steep pull up to Nab Scar. Shortly after this I came across two tents with the campers packing up. Were they going up or down? Down was the answer, so they didn’t think conditions were going to improve. Once onto Nab Scar and the summit cairn we were in the cloud and from there it was fingers crossed to see if we could get above the cloud. It didn’t seem hopeful even at this point; the wind was picking up and there was moisture in the air so it didn’t feel like inversion conditions to me. 
Early morning view (and perhaps the last one of the day!). Not much further on than this and we were up into the clag; at times it was hard to see more than a metre in front of us and of course it grew colder as we we climbed. 
Finlay on Heron Pike. As can be seen we were well and truly in the clag and it was like this all the way up to Fairfield. I didn’t see another person until a runner passed me in the opposite direction on the climb up to Fairfield summit plateau. I thought that must be some sort of record on this popular walk, especially as it was during the half-term holidays. 
A little bit of colour at Fairfield summit and still no-one around. Bearing in mind what I said at the beginning of this post, I was extra careful leaving the summit for the homeward leg back toward Ambleside – I was determined to make sure I didn’t have a third strike on there! On the return leg over Hart Crag and Dove Crag, the wind picked up and it was really quite cold and damp and pretty miserable in the mist. I’m glad I had Finlay for company, he is a great companion. Again, in record breaking style I think, we saw no-one until Low Pike when there were one or two ascending in the opposite direction. There were a number of children too which was heartening to see and they were hopefully getting a lifelong love of the fells from the experience. 
Heading back into Ambleside there were some lovely autumnal colours around. A little bit of sunshine would really make those colours pop. 
Nab Scar from Rydal Park, still in the mist. 
The Grot at Rydal Hall and Rydal Falls. 
…and the view from the Grot. 
Colourful Acer. Well that was a long walk without any views today – all part of the fell walking experience I guess. It is not the first time (nor the last I expect) that I have been out all day in those conditions. Here’s to next week (and at least I navigated off Fairfield correctly this time!).