Harrop Pike

Height: 637 metres / 2090 feet Grid reference: NY 50074 07809

The cairn on Harrop Pike

Branstree

Walked on 28/11/2011

Start point: Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale (NY 483 057)

Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale – Gatesgarth Pass – Branstree – Tarn Crag (Longsleddale) – Harrop Pike – Grey Crag(Longsleddale) – Great Howe (Longsleddale) – Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale

Distance: 7.5 miles Total Ascent: 767 metres Time Taken: 3 hour 30 minutes Start Time: 09:00

Weather: Cold, wet and windy. 6C

Today I had a walk in Longsleddale, one of the remotest valleys around and I certainly saw no-one today. It was wild on the tops today with a strong wind and some heavy showers which coupled with boggy terrain made the going arduous at times – nice to be out for a longer walk once more though and I enjoyed it.

Branstree route map.

Longsleddale from Sadgill - it all looks a bit ominous ahead.

Beautiful Longsleddale and the River Sprint.

Following the track, Goat Scar to the left and Buckbarrow Crag to the right.

The head of Longsleddale.

Buckbarrow Crag.

Looking back into Longsleddale, the wind picking up and blowing some rain in now.

Cleft Ghyll.

The top of Branstree is in cloud, looking across Wrengill Quarry. Once through the quarry the wind really started to pick up and the cloud was almost down to Gatescarth Pass.

Casper puts the handy dog water bowl to good use on the summit of Branstree.

Out of the clag once more on Selside Brow heading for Tarn Crag with more layers on than an onion, plus the obligatory hat and gloves.

Boggy...

...peat hags, typical terrain in these parts, looking into Mosedale.

Branstree looks pretty clear of cloud now looking back from the climb to Tarn Crag.

Mosedale.

The survey post on Tarn Crag, the wind is whipping up the water in that puddle.

Tarn Crag summit.

The cairn on Harrop Pike is clearly visible from the descent of Tarn Crag.

The cairn on Harrop Pike.

Dougal is getting used to the windswept look.

The summit of Grey Crag.

Dougal and Casper on Grey Crag.

Three old men of the fells.

Grey Crag and the survey post on Great Howe.

Tarn Crag from Great Howe.

The easy gully leading back to Sadgill.

A great view of Longsleddale from the descent.

Sadgill Bridge.

Mosedale East

Walked on 18/06/2007

Start point: Swindale Lane (NY 516 133)

Truss Gap – Swindale Head – Harrop Pike – Grey Crag – Tarn Crag – Branstree – Artle Crag – High Howes (Mardale) – Selside Pike – Captain Whelter Bog – High Blake Dodd – Old Corpse Road – Swindale Head – Truss Gap

Distance: 11.5 miles Total Ascent: 800 metres Time Taken: 4 hours 30 minutes

Weather: Overcast and dull. 19oC.

It has been very wet of late and the weather didn’t promise much today either but I managed to escape the rain for a walk starting from the remote valley of Swindale circling the even remoter valley of Mosedale. There were no views today, the skies were leaden with the merest peep of sunshine. The terrain is generally boggy in this area and I certainly got a good bootful of water today! The remoteness of this area has some advantages though as I only saw one other person all day.

Truss Gap above Swindale Beck.

Swindale Head with Selside Pike up to the right, the route of return.

Following Mosedale Beck.

The gash of Hobgrumble Gill.

Moraine in the glacial valley of Mosedale.

The footbridge across Mosedale Beck.

Following the fence to Harrop Pike - it looks a bit gloomy up there today.

The summit cairn on Harrop Pike.

Casper and Angus on Grey Crag. If you find a red collar up here it belongs to Casper - he managed to lose it shortly after this photo.

Heading for a gloomy Tarn Crag across the bog.

The summit of Tarn Crag with a survey column, a remnant from construction of the Haweswater aqueduct, beyond.

The survey column.

Branstree - the route is following the fence steeply up to the wall, the summit lying at the end of the wall.

Casper on the summit of Branstree. Angus thought the sunken dish of the trig. station made a good water bowl! You may have heard about the plague of caterpillars that has struck the Lake District recently. After seeing great swathes of them near Skiddaw House last week I can report that there were even more on the south-eastern slopes of Branstree today.

One of the cairns on Artlecrag Pike, Selside Pike beyond.

The O.S un-named top (Birkett - High Howes) from Artlecrag Pike. In the centre is another survey column with a couple of un-named tarns beyond. I don't know about a plague of caterpillars but there was a plague of gulls on the slopes of this fell seen as white dots in this photo.

Selside Pike.

The merest glimpse of Haweswater.

Angus and Casper manage a quick swim in the tarns beyond the survey column.

Heading for Selside Pike.

Cascades on the descent to Swindale Head.

Swindale.

Descending to Swindale Head.

This ancient walled track is the Old Corpse Road between Swindale and Mardale.

Branstree

Walked on 09/06/2005

Start point: Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale (NY 483 057)

Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale – Gatesgarth Pass – Branstree (364) – Artlecrag Pike – Selside Pike (365) – High Howes (Mardale) (366) – Tarn Crag (Longsleddale) (367) – Harrop Pike (368) – Grey Crag (Longsleddale) (369) – Great Howe (Longsleddale) (370) – Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale

Distance: 10.1 miles Total Ascent: 972 metres Time Taken: 3 hour 45 minutes

Weather: Overcast and hazy, a warm 17°C.

Today’s walk was a visit to some of the far eastern fells that I haven’t visited for a good while, starting from Longsleddale. Longsleddale is a lovely valley which is very quiet and Sadgill seems very remote at the end of the long valley road. The weather promised much but failed to deliver any sunshine although it was warm. Indeed, there were more than a few spots of rain towards the end.