Height: 662 metres / 2172 feet Grid reference: NY 26937 01629
A glimpse of the Scafells beyond Wrynose Fell from Hell Gill Pike.
Hell Gill Pike
Greenburn Round
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. 13C.
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!
Greenburn route map.
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.
Great Carrs
Start point: Three Shire Stone (NY 277 027)
Three Shire Stone – Wet Side Edge – Little Carrs – Great Carrs – Hell Gill Pike – Wet Side Edge – Three Shire Stone
Distance: 4 miles Total Ascent: 400 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 30 minutes
Weather: Wet and windy. 10oC.
Today is Armistice Day and alongside the two minute silence at 11am, there was special service taking place on Great Carrs to commemorate the crewmen (seven Canadian and one Briton) who died in a World War II plane crash there. The Armistice Day service was held to rededicate a memorial to the crew members of the fateful Halifax bomber which crashed after becoming lost in bad weather in October 1944. Officiated by the Vicar of Coniston, the Rev Mark East, the ceremony was attended by representatives of the RAF and the Canadian Embassy.
The weather was absolutely atrocious up there with the wind being gale force on the top, so no lovely views today!
A bit busy around the Three Shire Stone today.
Looking along Wrynose Pas and Wrynose Bottom along the River Duddon from the steep climb to Wet Side Edge.
The memorial service on Great Carrs...
...The Last Post...
...and the new memorial.
Just how windy is it up here Angus?
A drink in a tarn on Hell Gill Pike.
A Coniston Round
Start point: Coniston (SD 304 976)
Coniston – Walna Scar road – Brown Pike (48) – Buck Pike on Seathwaite Fell (49) – Dow Crag (50) – Goat’s Hawse – Coniston Old Man (51) – Brim Fell (52) – Levers Hawse – Great How (53) – Grey Friar (54) – Little Carrs (55) – Hell Gill Pike (56) – Great Carrs (57) – Swirl How (58) – Prison Band – Swirl Hawse – Black Sails (59) – Wetherlam (60) – Coniston
Weather: Overcast with sunny spells. Very windy.
A long Coniston round today taking in all the highest tops and some of the less well known ones. It was a drizzly start but this soon cleared and there were lots of sunny intervals with some cloud coming in. There was a strong breeze all day growing to gale force by the end of the walk.
You may have noticed a distinct lack of Tarns on this walk. This is because there were so many to be seen, I have given them their own page and they can be viewed here.
The initial ascent was via the Walna Scar road which is a good hours trek from Coniston before the highest point is reached. The picture is of Cove Bridge across Torver Beck
and a shelter on the roadside 'just big enough for one person or a honeymoon couple' - AW.
A sharp ascent from the Walna Scar road to the summit of Brown Pike. The furthest fell is Black Combe with Caw visible behind Walna Scar.
An easy traverse to Buck Pike. Dow Crag is the next fell along the path, in the distance Great Carrs, Swirl How and Great How Crags coming round to Brim Fell on the right.
Another short walk to Dow Crag summit. Looking down easy gully to the pinnacle.
Looking through Swirl Hawse to Dunmail Raise in the distance.
From Dow Crag, it's a descent to Goat's Hawse and then a steep ascent back up to the Old Man of Coniston.
Dow Crag from the Old Man.
An easy, grassy ramble to Brim Fell
and then another descent/ascent of Levers Hawse to the summit of Great How
Off the beaten track now to a fairly long trek contouring round to Grey Friar, Looking out towards Eskdale and the Scafell range and then another contour round to Hell Gill Pike and Little Carrs.
Little Carrs summit looking towards Little Langdale Tarn.
The summit of Hell Gill Pike. Harter Fell is on the left and Hard Knott on the right. The Hardknott - Wrynose road can be seen on the bottom right of the picture.
An easy ascent again to Great Carrs summit...
and the memorial to the World War 2 Canadian Air Force bomber that crashed there.
Into the mist and gale force wind now up to the summit of Swirl How
Then a steep descent of Prison Band before ascending Black Sails. The picture is from Black Sails summit showing Coniston Water and Levers Water.
The sun shines over Langdale from Black Sails. Right of centre, Pavey Ark can be seen overlooking Stickle Tarn with the distinctive shape of Pike O' Stickle to the left.
Another easy traverse to Wetherlam. Pike o' Blisco and The Langdale fells are seen here from Wetherlam summit.
Mine workings on The old Man seen from the sharp descent of Wetherlam
Miners Bridge on the way back to Coniston.
Coniston Tarns
Start point: Coniston (SD 304 976)
Coniston – Walna Scar road – Brown Pike (48) – Buck Pike on Seathwaite Fell (49) – Dow Crag (50) – Goat’s Hawse – Coniston Old Man (51) – Brim Fell (52) – Levers Hawse – Great How (53) – Grey Friar (54) – Little Carrs (55) – Hell Gill Pike (56) – Great Carrs (57) – Swirl How (58) – Prison Band – Swirl Hawse – Black Sails (59) – Wetherlam (60) – Coniston
It was amazing how many tarns and stretches of water could be seen on this Coniston Round; they are shown on this page.
Boo Tarn, just off the Walna Scar road. This was nothing more than reeds and marsh.
Blind Tarn seen from Buck Pike. It is named blind because there is no outlet.
Goat's Water from Goat's Hause. Coniston Water and Morecambe Bay can also be seen.
Low Water from The Old Man of Coniston with a glimpse of Levers Water to the north east.
Levers Water and Coniston Water from Great How Crags.
Red Tarn between Cold Pike and Pike O' Blisco from Grey Friar summit.
Seathwaite Tarn from below Swirl Band.
Esthwaite Water and Windermere from Wetherlam.
Greenburn Reservoir and Little Langdale Tarn from Little Carrs.