Start Point: Walna Scar road (SD 289 970)
Walna Scar car park – Low Water – Brim Fell Rake – Brim Fell – Coniston Old Man – Bursting Stone – Walna Scar car park
Distance: 7.8 km Total Ascent: 580 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 25 minutes Start Time: 15:35
Monday was a fabulous day, lots of blue sky with the sun beating down from above and the fells looking resplendent with a covering of snow. That, however, changed almost as soon as I set off for a late walk when I was hoping to catch a great sunset. The cloud soon came over the fells and the wind was ever increasing as I climbed – so no sunset to speak of and not an evening for hanging around on the top. It was a great walk nevertheless, just different to the one I had envisaged and showed how quickly conditions can change on the fells. Thankfully I was prepared for all conditions and had a great walk in the most wintry conditions.
At least there was a bit of sunshine at the start of the walk!
Snow capped Black Sails and Wetherlam.
Black Sails ridge above Levers Water (just visible).
Above the snow line now at Low Water.
In the bleak mid winter - Low Water and Coniston Old Man from Brim Fell Rake. The path to the summit is picked out well in the snow.
Swirl How left and Wetherlam right, seen from Brim Fell Rake. The icy wind was really picking up now and I was still jacket less. When should I stop to layer up?
Coniston Water and a glimpse of sunshine contrasting with the wintry world up on high.
Climbing above Levers Water.
Coniston Old Man - the trig column and cairn are visible clearly now.
Great How Crags and Swirl How, their Western slopes getting a last glimmer of sunshine.
Onto the top of Brim Fell now looking towards the Scafells.
From higher up looking northwards, Great Carrs is now visible along the ridge and distant Blencathra looks like it is in the sunshine.
Close up on Blencathra which looks very Alpine.
Brim Fell. Here I hid behind the cairn to get appropriately attired for the conditions on the ridge (which was very cold and very windy!).
Fletcher strikes an Angus pose (Angus was our previous fell-dog who rather enjoyed this type of pose in the wind!).
I wonder what the wind direction is?
Fletcher leads the way to The Old Man.
Dow Crag.
Looking back to Brim Fell.
Walking the snowy ridge.
Lots of snow up here this evening..
Trig column, remains of a snowman and cairn.
Coniston Old Man.
A quick hello to old friends - Angus, Casper and Dougal.
The weather was too severe to hang around for very long so it was straight over the summit and directly down with this final view to Coniston Water to the south.