Height: 780 metres / 2559 feet Grid reference: NY 44738 12577 Category: The Far Eastern Fells
Lying above Riggindale, Kidsty Pike is a regular perch for the Lake District’s only Golden Eagles.
Kidsty Pike from Twopenny Crag
Kidsty Pike
Riggindale Round
Start point: Mardale Head (NY 469 107)
Mardale Head – Rough Crag (Riggindale) – Caspel Gate – Long Stile – High Street – Straits of Riggindale – The Knott – Rampsgill Head – Kidsty Pike –High Raise – Low Raise – Castle Crag (Mardale) – The Rigg – Mardale Head
Distance: 8.5 miles Total Ascent: 888m metres Time Taken: 4 hours 30 minutes Start Time: 07:00
Weather: Sunny spells. 11oC.
It was beautiful this morning, very still and sunny and it was pleasantly warm climbing Rough Crag but as soon as I got to the High Street plateau it was covered with cloud which made it feel a lot cooler. It was a great day for it though and we were in total solitude throughout with just deer and sheep for company.
Calm reflections on Haweswater.
Harter Fell.
Haweswater from the Rough Crag ridge.
Harter Fell from higher up.
Small Water is nestling somewhere in the combe to the left and Mardale Ill Bell.
Fabulous views today.
A glimpse of Small Water.
Blea Water from Rough Crag.
One mucky pup!
Long Stile, the climb to High Street.
Blea Water.
Long Stile over Caspel Gate.
Caspel Gate Tarn.
There were some lovely sunny spells and it was quite warm when the sun was out.
Looking down Long Stile.
On High Street though it was suddenly cloud covered and felt a lot cooler.
High Street summit looking to Helvellyn.
Hayeswater.
Looking back to High Street.
The Knott.
The Knott summit cairn.
Rest Dodd and The Nab with Ullswater catching the sun in the distance.
High Street and Thornthwaite Crag from Rampsgill Head.
Ramps Gill from Ramspgill Head.
High Street from Kidsty Pike.
High Raise.
Low Raise...back in the sunshine!
Haweswater from the south-east ridge.
Descending the south-east ridge. If you find a lens cap along here it could well be mine!
The British Fort on the south-east ridge with Haweswater beyond.
The view from The British Fort.
Riggindale.
On the way home, the head of Haweswater. Select on the image to see a larger version. This photo will be available as a premium canvas print, e-mail me if you are interested for sizes etc.
Riggindale Round
Start point: Mardale Head (NY 469 107)
Mardale Head – Blea Water – Caspel Gate – Long Stile – High Street – Straits of Riggindale – Rampsgill Head – Kidsty Pike – Kidsty Howes – The Rigg – Mardale Head
Distance: 6.2 miles Total Ascent: 735 metres Time Taken: 3 hours Start Time: 07:00
Weather: Overcast and cold. 11C
The sunshine and optimism of an early start soon disappeared this morning with the bulk of fells being covered in cloud. I walked a round of Riggindale waiting for the summer to make a reappearance but was disappointed that it never happened, I was ready for it too with my shorts on…and of course my hat and gloves! No sign of the Golden Eagle today either although I did have a good look.
Riggindale route map.
Looking towards Mardale Waters at the start of the walk.
Harter Fell beyond Mardale Beck.
Mardale beck falls.
It was murky and claggy on all the tops today.
Piot Crag with an old sheepfold in the foreground.
This is shown as a footbridge on the map although I wouldn't fancy chancing it when the beck is in spate!
Blea Water panoramic looking across to Long Stile.
Dougal seems to know where we are climbing to, up to Long Stile which has just appeared from the mist.
Blea Water and Blea Water Crag.
Rough Crag and Caspel Gate, Haweswater in view with the cloud lifting and then coming back again instantly.
Blea Water.
Looking across Riggindale to Head of Riggindale Beck and Kidsty Pike.
The view from Long Stile.
More Blea Water.
Dougal has spotted something to take his interest but there wasn't much else to se on the summit of High Street today.
Looking down on Hayeswater.
Following the Roman Road on High Street.
Twopenny Crag from the Straits of Riggindale.
A brief glimpse of Ramps Gill from Rampsgill Head.
Casper leading the way to Kidsty Pike.
High Street out of the clouds - for now - from Kidsty Pike.
Riggindale from Kidsty Pike.
Doogs and 'roonals on Kidsty Pike.
A lone deer (cheap?) from the descent (because it is not two dear!).
Looking back to Kidsty Pike from Kidsty Howes.
Haweswater from the descent.
Haweswater.
Selside Pike and Haweswater.
The ruins of Riggindale Farm.
Riggindale.
I crossed the normally submerged southern end of Haweswater.
Old and normally submerged dry stone walls leading to the disappeared village of Mardale.
Martindale Round
Start point: Martindale Old Church (NY 434 184)
Martindale Old Church – Beda Fell – Angletarn Pikes – Angle Tarn – Brock Crags – Satura Crag – Rest Dodd – The Knott – Rampsgill Head – Kidsty Pike – High Raise – Red Crag – Martindale Old Church
Distance: 10.6 miles Total Ascent: 1048 metres Time Taken: 5 hours 40 minutes
Weather: Long sunny spells. 13C.
Today I was joined by StridingEdge stalwarts Andy Lang and Gary Jones for a circuit of Martindale. The occasion was to take in my final two Wainwrights to complete my third time round them, namely Beda Fell and High Raise. After the early mist lifted, the sun shone making it a great end to the walk and of course to completion of the 642!
Martindale Round route map.
Dawn at Martindale Old Church.
Beda Fell beyond Christy Bridge.
Howe Grain from the climb to Beda Fell. There was a definite nip in the air this morning.
The view to Ullswater along Boredale from the ridge to Beda head.
The mist is forming over Ullswater and creeping up the valleys.
As we climb higher the mist completely circles Hallin Fell, here with Winter Crag in the foreground.
The view from higher up the ridge.
Place Fell and St. Sunday Crag from the first cairn on the summit ridge.
Beda Head, the summit of Beda Fell with Hallin Fell, Bonscale Pike and Steel Knotts in view.
A bit of sunshine on Place Fell.
Looking back to Beda Head now drenched in early morning sun.
Walking the ridge to Angletarn Pikes.
Bannerdale just before the mist started pouring over the tops from the south and obliterated everything for a while.
Looking towards Glenridding and Ullswater from Angletarn Pikes.
The mist starting to clear at Angle Tarn.
Angletarn Pikes from the climb to Brock Crags - all clear now!
Angle Tarn in sunshine but Angletarn Pikes in mist again, showing how quickly conditions were changing.
Brothers Water from Brock Crags.
Gray Crag and Hayeswater with some dramatic clouds pouring over High Street and Caudale Moor.
Martindale from Satura Crag.
Today's walk was to a background chorus of rutting stags bellowing around Martindale. We saw many smaller herds of deer but were fortunate to see this stag on the horizon.
Brock Crags from the climb to Rest Dodd.
Casper on the summit of Rest Dodd.
Rest Dodd from the start of the climb to the Knott.
High Street from The Knott.
Hayeswater Gill and Hayeswater from The Knott.
Looking across to The Knott from the crossing to Rampsgill Head.
High Street from the summit of Rampsgill Head.
High Raise and blue skies ahead.
Andy, Gary and Casper crossing to Kidsty Pike.
Riggindale and a glimpse of Haweswater from Kidsty Pike.
No sign of the Golden Eagle but the Casper has landed.
Still tarn below High Raise.
Golden sunshine once more on the summit of High Raise.
Me with Casper on High Raise, my third completion of the 214 Wainwrights.
Following the High Street ridge to Red Crag.
Redcrag Tarn.
Looking over to Helvellyn from Red Crag.
The descent back into Martindale.
Ullswater along Fusedale Beck.
Steel Knotts ahead but we descended the path to the left of the summit.
Beda Fell across Martindale.
All is lovely now on Steel Knotts.
Beda Fell from Martindale Old Church.
Ullswater on the way home.
Riggindale Round
Start point: Mardale Head (NY 469 107)
Mardale Head – The Rigg – Rough Crag (Riggindale) – Caspel Gate – Long Stile – High Street – Straits of Riggindale – Rampsgill Head – Kidsty Pike – High Raise (497) – Low Raise (498) – Castle Crag (Mardale) (499) – The Rigg – Mardale Head
Distance: 10.2 miles Total Ascent: 1085 metres Time Taken: 4 hours 15 minutes
Weather: Sunny, a glorious Autumn day. 16oC.
I nearly never bothered today, it was wet and miserable first thing this morning but a chance hearing of the weather report on the radio made me get out as it was supposedly brightening during the day. I could hardly believe my luck as I reached Mardale, for the sun was shining and the skies were blue. This was a really enjoyable round (helped by the weather of course!) taking the direct route to High Street via Rough Crag, walking along the Roman Road, trying and failing to spot the Riggindale Golden Eagles and finishing off on the ancient British Fort on Castle Crag above Haweswater.
The ridge route for today's walk over Rough Crag and up to High Street, here seen over Haweswater.
Harter Fell at the head of Mardale.
Mardale Ill Bell.
Mardale Beck in spate, as were all the watercourses in the area due to recent heavy rain.
Harter Fell from The Rigg.
Looking across Haweswater to Lady's Seat and Castle Crag, the route used in descent from Low Raise later.
Riggindale and the Mardale skyline.
Haweswater from the steep climb to Rough Crag.
Mardale Waters from the Rough Crag ridge - Small Water is in the cirque to the left, Blea Water in the one to the right.
Some warm Autumn sunshine on Rough Crag for Casper and Angus.
Blea Water, High Street above.
Looking across Riggindale to Kidsty Pike.
Haweswater Reservoir and Mardale from Rough Crag - Golden Eagles nest on the crags here, the only pair in England. The valley was flooded in the 1930's to create a reservoir for Manchester and the village of Mardale was lost under the water forever.
Long Stile leading to High Street over Caspel Gate.
Looking back to Rough Crag, Branstree in view over the tarn.
Rough Crag from Long Stile.
A sparkling Blea Water, Harter Fell beyond.
Looking along Riggindale to Mardale.
The summit of High Street, deserted today.
Looking south-west to the Coniston fells in the distance, Red Screes and the Fairfield group in the middle distance.
A closer shot of Fairfield. Great Gable and the Scafell range are in the left distance.
The shadows of the three amigos looking to Hayeswater.
...and the uncluttered version.
Walking along the Roman Road to the Straits of Riggindale.
Kidsty Pike from Twopenny Crag.
Ramps Gill from Rampsgill Head, The Nab to the left.
The eastern fells from Rampsgill Head.
We could hear the bellowing of the stags in Martindale Deer Forest below - they certainly caught the attention of Angus.
Where Eagles Dare - Angus on Kidsty Pike, well known perch of the Golden Eagles.
Looking across to the Helvellyn massif from the path to High Raise.
Fairfield from High Raise, Great Gable on the distant right.
Helvellyn from High Raise. Striding Edge is the ridge in the centre with Swirral Edge and Catstycam to the right.
The rock littered summit of High Raise.
The tumulus and cairn on Low Raise.
Haweswater from Lady's Seat and the magnificently situated ancient British fort atop Castle Crag in the foreground.
Whelter Bottom from Castle Crag.
Haweswater from the ruins of the fort.
Still lots of sunshine for the boys to soak up.
Crossing Randale Beck.
Mardale Skyline
Start point: Mardale Head (NY 469 127)
Mardale Head – Gatescarth Pass – Adam Seat (1) – Little Harter Fell (2) – Harter Fell (Mardale) (3) – Nan Bield Pass – Mardale Ill Bell (4) – High Street (5) – Rough Crag (Riggindale) (6) – Rampsgill Head (7) – Kidsty Pike (8) – Mardale Head
Weather: Sunny with snow and hail showers.
This is the start of my quest to climb the 541 Birkett Fells!
Haweswater from Mardale Head...
and Gatescarth Beck.
The Boundary Stone at the summit of Adam Seat, 'L' on one side
'H' on the other (Longsleddale and Haweswater).
Haweswater from the summit of Little Harter Fell. (Compare AW The Far Eastern Fells - Harter Fell 10).
Harter Fell summit in a snow shower.
Kentmere
A rainbow over Small Water ('the finest of Lakeland's tarns), from the descent to Nan Bield Pass.
Mardale Ill Bell summit with Yoke, Froswick and Ill bell in the background.
Two views of High Street summit.
Rough Crag and Haweswater from High Street. The area around the small tarn is called Caspel Gate.
Harter Fell and the Nan Bield Pass from Rough Crag summit, Small Water is just visible.
Hayeswater and the distant Patterdale Fells from the Roman Road.
The mist swirls across High Street on the walk to Rampsgill Head.
Looking North from Rampsgill Head's summit. The Nab is to the left with Hallin Fell in the centre adjoining Steel Knotts. Ullswater is just visible right of centre.
High Street from Kidsty Pike summit.
The sun shines on Riggindale and Rough Crag.
A long meander of Riggindale Beck...
and the ruins of Riggindale Farm.
The Mardale Skyline.