Start point: Walna Scar road (SD 289 970)
Walna Scar road – Brown Pike – Buck Pike – Dow Crag – Goat’s Hawse – Coniston Old Man – Brim Fell– Levers Hawse – Great How – Grey Friar – Great Carrs – Swirl How – Prison Band – Swirl Hawse –Wetherlam – Red Dell – Boulder Valley – Walna Scar Road
Distance: 11.8 miles Total Ascent: 1320 metres Time Taken: 5 hours
Weather: Cold and windy. 4oC.
That wasn’t supposed to happen! The weather was predicted to be the same as yesterday, blue skies and general loveliness above the clouds – however, rule #1 is there is no accounting for the weather. There was a strong wind and grey skies above the low lying fog with the upper clouds only clearing at the very end of the walk. This was a good long walk on the shortest day of the year and the fells were surprisingly busy today.

Walking along the Walna Scar road, we were quickly above the low lying cloud, here looking to Torver High Common.

At Cove Bridge, it was fairly obvious that this wasn't going to be a still blue sky temperature inversion day. Brown Pike is in the cloud beyond the bridge.

Once onto the Brown Pike - Buck Pike ridge the icy wind was really blowing up a gale. A fleeting gap in the clouds reveals Harter Fell.

The easterly view to the Furness Fells over Low Water shortly before being engulfed in cloud again. It was a cold, strong wind that blew walking along to Brim Fell and beyond.

Levers Water from Little How Crags after walking through the worst of the storm - but it was back into the mist for the climb to Grey Friar then Great Carrs and Swirl How.