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.