Start point: Hartsop (NY 410 130)
Hartsop – Gray Crag – Thornthwaite Crag – High Street – Straits of Riggindale – Kidsty Pike – High Raise – Rampsgill Head – The Knott – Hayeswater – Hartsop
Start Time: 06:55
Weather: Turning to sunny, cold wind. 12°C
Partly Cloudy Temperature 4 ℃ Feels like 1 ℃ Wind Speed 6.0 mi/h Wind Direction NNW Humidity 86%
Wow, how long has it been since I was up some of these fells? Well the last time I was on Gray Crags was in 2009, I can hardly believe it!. When I set off, the eastern fells were overcast with cloud and looking to the west I could see those fells were bathed in sunshine. Not to worry, it soon cleared out to make it a fantastic day, the longest I have done for ages and probably the longest ever for Fletcher, taking in 7 new Wainwright summits for him. I won’t leave it so long next time.

The Helvellyn ridge catches the first light. Taken from the steep, steep climb to Gray Crag we are still in the shade.

Looking down on Hayeswater - since I was last here (admittedly it is quite a while!) it has lost the dam on its western edge.

Gray Crag summit - the Wainwright one. According to the map the second cairn along to the south-east is the highest point.

Looking back along the Gray Crag ridge on the traverse to Thornthwaite Crag. At least there is the odd glimmer of sunshine but out to the west definitely seemed to be the place to be early on.

On High Street summit, the weather really did change now with a cold, cold northerly wind blowing. Time to stop and layer up and try to keep warm - come on Fletcher let's keep moving!

Heading for Kidsty Pike. On Kidsty Pike we bumped into the first person seen today, good to have a chat with Stuart up there as it had looked like we wouldn't see anyone all day.

High Street from the lofty perch on Kidsty Pike - a great place to shelter from the wind for a while and have a coffee break.

It looks as though you can just step across to The Knott in this photo; in reality there is a descent then short climb to get there. Looking at the Knott took me back years to when Angus (my old Beardie companion, the King of the Fells) disappeared in mist up there. Oh what fun I had walking up and down shouting him.

The Knott. Another interesting one - when I got there I found a phone case complete with phone and credit cards lying on the floor. What to do - leave it or take it with me? The phone was fully charged so I knew it couldn't have been there too long. I had seen a lady walking towards High Street as I was descending from Rampsgill Head so I thought it must be hers. As luck would have it, a fell runner joined me on the top and we discussed that she would tell the lady if she caught her. The runner left and on the way to High Street I saw someone coming back and it was the owner so I reunited her with her possessions, good deed for the day complete!