Height: 500 metres / 1640 feet Grid reference: NY 34752 09233 Category: The Eastern Fells
High Raise and Helm Crag across the Vale of Grasmere, from Stone Arthur
Stone Arthur
Stone Arthur
Start point: Grasmere (NY 339 082)
Grasmere – Alcock Tarn – Greenhead Gill – Stone Arthur – Grasmere
Distance: 3.2 miles Total Ascent: 525 metres Time Taken: 2 hours
Weather: Light drizzle at first, clearing. 3ºC
In complete contrast to the end of last week and the weekend, it was a drizzly start this morning for a walk up to Alcock Tarn and Stone Arthur. There is nothing we can do about the weather though and we have to accept whatever is thrown at us…but it would have been nice for the cold, calm and clear days to continue for a little while. The forecast shows a significant snow ‘event’ this week so hopefully it will all change for the good once more.
Stone Arthur route map.
First view of snowy Wetherlam through the trees.
Helm Crag and the snow capped central fells.
The cold climb to Alcock Tarn.
The Vale of Grasmere.
Sepia Stone Arthur and Great Rigg along Greenhead Gill.
Great Rigg across the boggy small tarn adjacent to Alcock Tarn.
Alcock Tarn.
The Langdale Pikes across the tarn.
Dougal tests the water.
I didn't expect to see this today - the sun!
Bright sunshine at the base of Helm Crag.
Descending to Greenhead Gill with the steep line of ascent up the fell side to the right.
Greenhead Gill.
Grasmere and the Coniston fells.
Grasmere from the top.
Casper and Dougal on Stone Arthur, Seat Sandal beyond.
Steel Fell.
The Langdale Pikes and Easedale Tarn.
Heron Pike and Alcock Tarn.
The ruin on Stone Arthur.
The summit of Stone Arthur.
The path back down to Grasmere.
Greenhead Gill.
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: 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.
Fairfield
Ambleside – Nab Scar (39) – Heron Pike (40) – Stone Arthur (41) – Great Rigg (42) – Fairfield (43) – St Sunday Crag (44) – Birks (45) – Patterdale – Kirkstone Pass – Ambleside
Windermere from the ascent of Nab Scar.
Nab Scar summit.
Hart Crag and High Pike from Heron Pike summit.
The Fairfield Ridge from Heron Pike.
Stone Arthur summit.
Grasmere from Stone Arthur.
Windermere from Great Rigg summit.
Fairfield from Cofa Pike.
Saint Sunday Crag from Fairfield.
Grisedale Tarn
Saint Sunday Crag summit.
Saint Sunday Crag from Birks.