Height: 792 metres / 2598 feet Grid reference: NY 37454 10437 Category: The Eastern Fells
Looking back to Dove Crag from High Pike
Dove Crag
Fairfield Horseshoe
Start Point: Rydal (NY 365 062)
Rydal – Nab Scar – Heron Pike – Rydal Fell – Great Rigg – Fairfield – Hart Crag – Dove Crag – High Pike (Scandale) – Low Pike – Low Sweden Bridge – Rydal Park – Rydal
Distance: 10 miles Total Ascent: 1180 metres Time Taken: 5 hours Start Time: 07:35
Weather: Beautiful, warming up nicely to 17°C
The weather experts weren’t wrong today, it was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a walk around the Fairfield Horseshoe – one I haven’t done (unbelievably) since 2007. There wasn’t anyone around either until two thirds of the way when we met one or two people. I think this is the last day of the long hot summer as the weather is set to turn over the next few days…
Early morning mist on Windermere, from Waterhead
View along the jetty
What a beautiful sunrise
Inversion over Ambleside and Windermere from the climb to Nab Scar
Climbing to the sun, it is a gorgeous morning
This view was behind me so frequent stops were required to check it out
Misty trees
A great view across Rydal and Grasmere to the Coniston fells and across to Bowfell
The sun is starting to burn away the early mist
Heron Pike from Nab Scar
Looking back to the Coniston fells, Coniston Water is distant left
Clear as clear can be on Heron Pike - Dougal seems to be enjoying himself as well
Heading for Rydal Fell, Great Rigg and Fairfield ahead
Looking to Rydal Head - Great Rigg, Fairfield and Hart Crag in view
Hart Crag reflected
Lapping up the good weather
Great Rigg
Grasmere and the Coniston fells
Fairfield from Great Rigg
Heading for Fairfield but with a peek across Grisedale Tarn to Helvellyn
Cofa Pike and St. Sunday Crag from Fairfield
A great view of Dollywaggon Pike, Nethermost Pike and Helvellyn from Fairfield
Dougal in pensive pose
Windermere and two sentinels of Rydal Head. I'll give you two guesses where Dougal is!
On Hart Crag
Looking the other way towards Patterdale
High Pike from Low Pike
Crinkle Crags and Bowfell across Rydal Water
The outward leg of the Fairfield Horseshoe from Rydal Park
On the way back we met up with Louise and Fletcher at Fell Foot. He is growing by the day!
Scandale
Start point: Ambleside (NY 375 046)
Ambleside – High Sweden Bridge – Low Pike – High Pike (Scandale) – Dove Crag – High Bakestones – Scandale Tarn – Scandale – Ambleside
Distance: 9 miles Total Ascent: 835 metres Time Taken: 6 hours 30 minutes Start Time: 08:00
Weather: Sunny and warm (eventually). 19°C
There was a mixed bag of weather today – poor weather for the initial climb sandwiched by sunshine and blue skies. I was joined on this walk by Clive Hutchby, author of The Wainwright Companion – the book is due out later this year and the photos in it are by me. This walk mimics ‘Dove Crag 5’, the page that was the first one Wainwright drew for the Pictorial Guides on November 9th 1952.
The early climb from Ambleside looking across to cloud enveloped Coniston, nice to see a bit of sunshine.
That looks like it will change though looking across to Scandale.
High Sweden Bridge.
Casper and Dougal on High Sweden Bridge.
Cloud enveloped High Pike from Low Pike and there was a bit of drizzle around now.
The climb ahead follows the wall.
Looking back towards Windermere.
The same view from higher up.
Dove Crag from High Pike...and Dougal having a roll in the mud!
Finally the clouds have cleared and it is summer once more.
Little Hart Crag across Scandale.
The clearing cloud.
Dougal and Casper follow the path to Dove Crag.
You may well lick your nose Casper, you mucky pup!
A view down to Brothers Water.
The cairn on High Bakestones, Red Screes beyond.
Tarn on High Bakestones.
The last remaining cairn on High Bakestones, the others have disappeared.
Me and Clive (and Dougal!).
Little Hart Crag is next up.
Looking across to St Sunday Crag and Hartsop above How from Little Hart Crag.
Scandale.
Brothers Water to the High Street range.
Love is... a heart shaped Scandale Tarn.
Little Hart Crag from the south.
Looking back into Scandale from the descent.
High Pike from Scandale.
It was lovely here today, very peaceful.
High Sweden Bridge in the sunshine this time.
A fine view from the descent to Ambleside.
Dovedale
Start point: Bottom of Kirkstone Pass (NY 402 113)
Kirkstone Pass – Hartsop Hall – Dovedale – Dove Crag – High Bakestones – Scandale Tarn – Little Hart Crag – High Hartsop Dodd – Kirkstone Pass
Distance: 7.9 miles Total Ascent: 915 metres Time Taken: 3 hours 15 minutes Start Time: 09:30
Weather: Sunny. 17°C
Wow, what a day today – it seems summer has arrived and it was the first time this year that my shorts had an airing. Fantastic views all around as well, you can’t beat it.
Dovedale route map.
Middle Dodd.
Place fell and Angletarn Pikes reflected in a new tarn.
High Hartsop Dodd.
High Hartsop Dodd again and the this will be the route of descent later.
Dove Crag and Hart Crag.
A panoramic view from the Settlement.
Into Dovedale (after negotiating the cows at Hartsop Hall with the two 'cow magnets'!).
Climbing to Dove Crag.
The start of the stone stairway. Dougal and Casper are going the wrong way but you can make out some people climbing the path in the distance.
The view from the top of the climb.
Hartsop above How and the far eastern fells. I got talking on the climb and managed to miss the Priest Hole - next time!
Windermere and Coniston Water from Dove Crag.
It looks hazy to the south east.
Westerly wall panorama including the opposite leg of the Fairfield Horseshoe.
The cairn on High Bakestones.
Little Hart Crag and Scandale Tarn.
Little Hart Crag reflected in Scandale Tarn.
High Bakestones and Dove Crag across Scandale Tarn.
Hot, hot, hot for Casper and Dougal on Little Hart Crag.
Little Hart Crag.
Red Screes from Little Hart Crag.
The view from the secondary summit on Little Hart Crag.
Heading for High Hartsop Dodd - it looks like Dougal has been already and is coming back to see where we are!
Dove Crag from the ridge to High Hartsop Dodd.
Brothers Water from High Hartsop Dodd. Someone's ashes have been put on the summit cairn, a fine place to end up.
The start of the descent.
The steep drop.
Caiston Beck.
Dovedale
Start point: Bottom of Kirkstone Pass (NY 402 113)
Kirkstone Pass – Hartsop Hall – Dovedale – Dove Crag – Bakestones Moss – Little Hart Crag – High Hartsop Dodd – Kirkstone Pass
Distance: 6.4 miles Total Ascent: 730 metres Time Taken: 3 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Strong wind, snow flurries. -2ºC.
It was really cold this morning again but the blue sky and crisp clearness of the weekend was gone to be replaced by strong winter weather. All was icy and frozen around Kirkstone Pass with heavy snow flurries at first. Once on the climb to Dovedale the wind really picked up and on the Dove Crag ridge it was severe and walking was difficult at times. When I got back to valley level I felt like I had taken a real pounding up there.
Blimey, it was cold this morning when I set off. This photo of Middle Dodd and Kirkstone Beck looks cold too.
A frosty wall - mono photos seemed to match the conditions better than colour a lot of the time I thought.
Middle Dodd and Caiston Glen.
Heading into Dovedale.
Icy Dovedale Beck.
Dove Falls.
A ray of sunshine looking back into Dovedale.
Dove Crag.
Getting closer to Dove Crag.
A bit of blue sky up there on the final part of the climb to Dove Crag. It all looks calm in this photo but the wind was picking up now making it feel even colder.
Looking across to the High Street ridge.
The Far Eastern fells - there seemed to be less snow around to the north.
All hell was let loose once up onto the Dove Crag ridge with very strong winds and painful spindrift.
It was as cold as it looks up there.
Looking back to Hart Crag and Fairfield.
Tough going following the wall.
A bit of sunshine to the west through the spindrift.
The summit of Dove Crag.
A quick descent to Bakestones Moss now to try and get out of the wind.
A view of Brothers Water from the descent.
Windswept Casper.
Place Fell from a frozen pool on Bakestones Moss.
Scandale with Scandale Tarn below from Little hart Crag.
St. Sunday Crag from the summit of Little Hart Crag.
Casper on Little Hart Crag.
Red Screes from the tarn on the summit of Little Hart Crag. I had intended going there but not today, it was too wild.
Escape route to High Hartsop Dodd.
Dovedale from High Hartsop Dodd.
It all looks a bit brighter than it did earlier from the steep descent from High Hartsop Dodd.
The Fairfield Horseshoe
Start point: Rydal (NY 365 062)
Rydal – Nab Scar – Heron Pike – Rydal Fell – Stone Arthur – Great Rigg – Fairfield – Hart Crag – Dove Crag – High Pike (Scandale) – Low Pike – Low Sweden Bridge – Rydal Park – Rydal
Distance: 10.5 miles Total Ascent: 1180 metres Time Taken: 5 hours
Weather: Clear at lower level, tops in mist. 4oC.
It was lovely and clear first thing this morning for a walk of the Fairfield Horseshoe with which I added a slight detour out to Stone Arthur above Grasmere. It was interesting to watch the weather almost constantly changing with clouds forming in the valleys before they lifted as I reached the top of Fairfield. The descent of Hart Crag and Dove Crag was done in very wintry mist with a covering of snow on these higher fells. By the time we got through that, the high cloud had come in to dull conditions somewhat and make it feel even cooler out of the sunshine.
Bright early morning sunshine casts a golden glow on the climb to Nab Scar.
Looking back down to a cold looking Rydal.
Loughrigg Fell and a mirror finished Rydal Water.
Heron Pike.
Nab Scar.
Looking over Grasmere to Crinkle Crags and Bowfell.
Heron Pike from Nab Scar.
Red Screes across Rydal and Low Pike.
The summit of Heron Crag. Great Rigg, Fairfield and Hart Crag are covered by a blanket of cloud.
Casper enjoying the warm sunshine on Rydal Fell. Get it while you can!
Hart Crag clears from the cloud for a while.
Great Rigg ahead. I contoured around to the left to take in Stone Arthur.
Looks cold over to Bowfell and the Scafells.
Hart Crag and Dove Crag across a frozen pool.
Rydal Head.
A panoramic view looking across Rydal to the route of return - Hart Crag, Dove Crag, High Pike and Low Pike
Descending to Stone Arthur.
High Raise and Helm Crag across the Vale of Grasmere, from Stone Arthur.
Seat Sandal from Stone Arthur with mine and Casper's shadow on the summit.
Dollywagon Pike through Grisedale Hause between Seat Sandal and Fairfield.
Climbing to Great Rigg from Stone Arthur.
Looking back towards Heron Pike from Great Rigg.
At this point things were happening quickly with the cloud all around. It looked like there was an inversion over Great Langdale way and here too the clouds looked to be forming and dropping into Rydal valley and I had hopes of an inversion here too.
Seat Sandal with the Coledale fells in the distance. Here too the cloud was forming below the summit.
Looking back to Great Rigg from the climb to Fairfield.
Over on Dove Crag, the cloud seemed to be pouring over it into Dovedale.
The cloud over Hart Crag and Dove Crag.
Seat Sandal now has a cloud cap.
All snowy and bright on the approach to Fairfield's summit.
Dollywagon Pike, Nethermost Pike and Helvellyn - plus of course Striding Edge - from the summit of Fairfield.
Cofa Pike and St. Sunday Crag.
A cold wind whipped up whilst we were on Fairfield summit. That put paid to any chance of an inversion today I think.
In the cloud now leaving Fairfield for Hart Crag.
It really was cold between Hart Crag and Dove Crag.
Almost out of the mist now as it was blowing across the fell side here.
A glimpse of the eastern fells through a break in the clouds.
Looking back to Dove Crag from High Pike.
Back in the sunshine now son.
Scandale.
High Pike from Low Pike.
Looking across Rydal to the outward route.
Low Pike.
Scandale Beck looks cold in the fading light. It didn't stop my canine companion from having a little dip though!
Nab Scar and Heron Pike across Rydal Park.
Fairfield Horseshoe
Start point: Rydal (NY 365 062)
Rydal – Nab Scar – Heron Pike – Rydal Fell – Great Rigg – Fairfield – Hart Crag – Dove Crag – High Pike (Scandale) – Low Pike – High Sweden Bridge – Ambleside – Rydal Park – Rydal
Distance: 12.9 miles Total Ascent: 1281 metres Time Taken: 5 hours
Weather: Sunny and warm. 27oC.
I knew it was going to be a warm one today – it was 23oC when I set off from Rydal this morning! It was hot and muggy with a welcome breeze on the higher parts, and very quiet up on the Fairfield Horseshoe. Angus and Casper kept themselves cool by wallowing in mud, glorious mud that baked on in the sun, and is proving impossible to get off.
The path to Nab Scar directly ahead.
Looking over Rydal Water to Loughrigg Fell from Nab Scar.
Long legs and a long tongue from Casper.
Wow Angus! Is it really that hot!
...and the result.
Rydal Fell with Great Rigg and Fairfield beyond.
Looking over Rydal Beck to High Pike and Low Pike (the return leg of the horseshoe), Red Screes beyond.
Rydal Fell with Hart Crag immediately behind.
Looking back to Heron Pike and Windermere from Rydal Fell.
The top part of The Fairfield Horseshoe. Select on the image for a larger, annotated version.
The boys enjoy the view.
Approaching Fairfield from Great Rigg.
Seat Sandal.
Cofa Pike and Saint Sunday Crag from the summit of Fairfield.
Dollywagon Pike, Nethermost Pike and Helvellyn from Fairfield.
Casper on the summit of Hart Crag.
Fairfield and Hart Crag from Dove Crag.
Desperate to get cool in the sweltering heat.
Low Pike along the wall from High Pike.
Red Screes across Scandale.
Looking back to High Pike from Low Pike, Little Hart Crag to the right.
High Sweden Bridge.
Looking over to Nab Scar, Heron Pike, Rydal Fell and Great Rigg on the descent to Ambleside.
The same view from Rydal Park.
Fairfield Horseshoe
Start point: Ambleside – Rydal Road Car Park (NY 376 046)
Ambleside – Rydal Park – Nab Scar (118) – Heron Pike (119) – Rydal Fell (120) – Stone Arthur (121) – Great Rigg (122) – Fairfield – Hart Crag (123) – Dove Crag (124) – High Pike (Scandale) (125) – Low Pike (126) – High Sweden Bridge – Ambleside
Weather: Very warm, mainly overcast.
After a short lay off, it was good to get back out on the fells today with a classic round – The Fairfield Horseshoe. The weather looked promising but the haze never lifted although it was lovely and warm
From the car park at Ambleside, I followed the A591 to the delightful Rydal Park and walked through here to Rydal Mount.
Scandale Beck in Rydal Park. From Rydal Mount (Wordsworth's old residence) the path is a steep stairway up to Nab Scar. On the way, there is a great view over Rydal Water over to Loughrigg.
Loughrigg and Rydal Water from the ascent of Nab Scar. The summit cairn of Nab Scar is to the left of the main path - it was too hazy for views today.
Nab Scar summit cairn
and the path to Heron Pike. The path climbs again from Nab Scar to Heron Pike and flattens off to reveal a quartz summit stone.
Rydal Fell from Heron Pike summit. Great Rigg, Fairfield and Hart Crag are on the horizon. From Heron Pike, the path descends then ascends again. To the right of the main path at the end of a wall is another cairn. The actual top is not named on O.S maps, only the whole fell. Birkett has named the summit after the fell, namely Rydal Fell.
Heron Pike from Rydal Fell summit. From Rydal Fell, I made a detour from the usual Fairfield Horseshoe circuit by contouring around Greenhead Gill and striding out to Stone Arthur (which overlooks Grasmere) by picking up the main Stone Arthur - Great Rigg path.
Looking along Greenhead Gill to Grasmere.
Grasmere from the summit of Stone Arthur. The tarn on the left is Alcock Tarn. From Stone Arthur, it was back along the main path and a steep ascent to Great Rigg.
The path to Fairfield from Great Rigg summit.
..and again from further along Great Rigg. Fairfield is in easy reach from here.
Saint Sunday Crag from Fairfield summit. From Fairfield it is a rocky descent then another ascent to Hart Crag to begin the return leg of the horseshoe.
Hartsop above How from the rocky summit of Hart Crag. From the descent of Hart Crag, a wall guides you virtually all the way now. It is an easy ascent to Dove Crag from here.
Looking towards Ambleside along the wall from the summit of Dove Crag.
High Pike along the wall.
High Bakestones and Little Hart Crag from the summit of High Pike.
High Pike from the summit of Low Pike. The summit of Low Pike is to the right of the main path and requires a slight scramble to reach it. From Low Pike, I detoured to the left and headed for High Sweden Bridge - a lovely place for a dip.
High Sweden Bridge. The path from High Sweden Bridge takes you directly back to the car park in Ambleside.