Lake District Wild Camp 7-8/6/15

Route: Wasdale Head-Yewbarrow-Red Pike (Wasdale)-Scoat Fell-Steeple-Haycock-Wasdale Head.

The last couple of months had flown by and I was keen to get back to my favourite wildcamping destination.

After a fair amount of planning I'd decided on a week in the Lakes which would involve two wildcamps, separated by a bed and breakfast stop (Lingmell House) in between to freshen up.

I arrived at Wasdale Head mid morning and made my way beside Wastwater towards Yewbarrow.

I was soon off the road and making my way across the pleasant fern covered grassland.

My chosen route would involve scrambling up the southern end of Yewbarrow and it looked pretty daunting from below.

Bell Rib on Yewbarrow.

The path steepened considerably and progress slowed as my full pack held me back. The grass was soon replaced by loose rock as the scramble began.

The scramble kept my mind occupied as I sought out the best route upwards. Thankfully it had looked far worse from below and wasn't exposed in the slightest.

.Middle Fell, Seatallan and Dropping Crag.

A glance back showed impressive views over Wastwater to Illgill Head and beyond.

Wastwater and its screes.

Yewbarrow south top.

The original plan was to camp near Red Pike the first night but Yewbarrow was far more open than I'd imagined, not to mention the fantastic views of the Scafells that it offered. I was more than happy to stay put.
Finding a suitable place to pitch took some time due to there being hardly any flat spots away from the path. I sourced water from a clean looking pool and eventually found a slightly soggy bit of ground which was fairly level.
Phone signal was good so I whiled away a couple of hours in the sunshine.

As the evening drew to a close I pitched the tent facing the Scafells and watched the evening light slowly rise and start to dim on neighbouring fells.

My alarm sounded at 4am and I wasted no time in getting dressed and stumbling out of the tent. I clumsily made my way towards the Northern end of Yewbarrow.

The Scafells at first light.

I found an ideal vantage point and perched on a rock whilst Herdwicks grazed nearby. I was thankful I'd brought gloves as the slight wind was much colder than anticipated.

Sunrise on Red Pike (Wasdale).

As I broke camp I headed west over the top of Yewbarrow which would avoid the more direct and steeper scramble down to Dore Head.

As I made my way past Gosforth Crag Moss I was surprised by the size of the animals grazing in the distance. They looked massive and were certainly not sheep!
After half filling my reservoir and a quick drink, I headed in the direction of Dore Head.

I was quite surprised to see cows on the fells and as I got closer I saw they had calves with them so I cautiously gave them a very wide berth. Dozens of pairs of eyes watched my progress and I was relieved when I finally got to Dore Head.
My first ascent of the day began as I made my way slowly up to Red Pike with a small packet of jellybeans for company!

Looking back at Stirrup Crag on Yewbarrow.

As it was lunch time I decided to stop for a quick meal a short distance from the Red Pike summit whilst taking in the views of Seatallan and Hayock.

Seatallan, Low Tarn and Haycock.

I was soon on my way with my next stop being Scoat Fell. I'd passed it on a previous trip (on route to Pillar) but visibility wasn't that great back then.

Looking back at Red Pike (Wasdale).

Steeple.

As I'd decided against climbing Steeple the last time I was here, I didn't want to pass it up again.
I left my pack behind a boulder and made my way across the rocky and exposed ground. It wasn't too bad but I soon headed back to safety after a couple of shots from the summit.
I plodded on towards Haycock and began to feel the wrath of the sea breeze! After finishing a quick afternoon snack I changed into trousers, hat and gloves! I aborted my plan of Caw Fell and started descending towards the flatter southern slopes of Haycock.

Low Tarn with the Scafells behind.

I soon warmed up once out of the wind and my next job was to find tonights campsite, I spied a decent looking site but decided against it once I'd checked it out properly. I left to search for somewhere better.

After some careful bog-trotting I found a nice level bit of ground amongst the rocks and went on a macro mission while it was still light.

Although I was on the wrong side of Haycock to see the sun setting, the evening light on surrounding fells was magical so I was not disappointed in the least.

Seatallan in evening light.

Unfortunately when I woke up the next morning, a slight eye irritation had got to the point where I could barely see out of it. Dejected, I headed to Lingmell House a day earlier than planned and the following morning an extremely kind fellow guest drove me to Whitehaven accident and emergency. I'd like to say a heartfelt thanks as I also managed to go ahead with my other two night backpacking trip a day later, albeit with some difficulty! :)

Lake District Wild Camp 30-31/8/14

Route: Wasdale-Haycock-Scoat Fell-Pillar-Haystacks-Wasdale.
Map of route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_3909155.html

After a later than planned wake up and the torturous drive to Wasdale, I eventually parked up around 3pm.
I packed away a couple of treats bought on route, saddled up and set off towards Wastwater.

The first stretch of the route took me back up the road I'd driven down, not my ideal way to start an adventure but there was no other way round it as no overnight parking is allowed.
The surrounding peaks looked very impressive, especially the Great Gable which looked quite menacing!

A few kilometres later and I veered off right picking up a path that would take me beside Nether Beck.

It was one of the gentlest ascents I'd tackled and made for very pleasant walking, I passed just one person (who I managed to startle with my afternoon greeting as he was so engrossed in his map!)

Osprey Aether 70 by Nether Beck.

As I got within 1.5 kilometres of Haycock, the gradient increased and the ground became awfully boggy, I did my best to avoid the worst of it.

That made two of us taking in the scenery!

As I made my push towards the summit, visibility was down to nothing and I plodded on into the abyss!

The summit view was (disappointingly) much the same and I began searching for water and a place to pitch.
I quickly realised I'd find neither, so descended back down the way I'd came, this time crossing over the wall towards Ennerdale Water.

I was greeted with a magnificent view and I set about collecting water and finding a decent spot, it was easier than it looked as the few flat areas were waterlogged and the rest were too steep for a decent camping spot.
Eventually I put up with a slight gradient and had the Ion 2 pitched in no time.

Fantastic camp overlooking Ennerdale Water.

As the sun set I grabbed a few photo's of my spectacular surroundings and retired indoors for hot chocolate and snacks while I checked tomorrows route.

I woke up to broken cloud and the sun trying its best to break through, after a quick breakfast I packed away and set off back towards the dip between Haycock and Scoat Fell.
As I turned Northeast and started my ascent of Scoat Fell, the cloud started to thicken again.

As I left the summit heading towards Pillar the views opened up again offering breathtaking views of the many impressive crags.

Steeple as I headed to Pillar.

Looking down towards Wasdale.

The closer I got to Pillar the more exposed it began to look, luckily a 'hands on' scramble made me concentrate on the task ahead instead of looking at the drops around me.

As I summited my third Wainwright of the trip, cloud had yet again ruined any decent views from the top!
after a quick slurp of water I set off Southeast in the direction of Kirk Fell.

Cloudy summit of Pillar.

I had a nice steady amble as I made my way towards the Black Sail Pass, being very cautious near the edges!

As I passed the first person I'd seen all morning I decided some food was needed.
I sat down moments before lunchtime and fired up the trusty Jetboil for a meal of BBQ pork with rice.

Lunch break with fine views of Yewbarrow.

I made a couple of photographic stops along the way as the still tarns were just too tempting to pass up.

Pillar and its reflection in a nameless tarn.

As I came to the crossroads at Kirk Fell I followed the Black Sail Pass heading in the direction of the YHA hostel at the bottom, mid way down I stopped for photographs and my map tumbled into Sail Beck (luckily It's an 'active map' so It's waterproof!).

Kirk Fell Crags

I treated myself to a little rest near the bottom of the pass, only to have a red ant crawl up my arm and prompt a hasty exit! As I moved from my spot I noticed a tiny caterpillar in the heather (how I didn't crush it I'll never know!)

Pug Ling Moth Caterpillar.

I passed by the newly renovated Black Sail Hut and headed up the steps for Scarth Gap.

As I hit yet more crossroads I headed Northeast for the summit of Hay Stacks, I was surprised at the amount of effort needed for such a small fell, the rocky scramble seemed endless and I must have counted thirty people all with the same idea.

High Crag from Hay stacks.

Soon after reaching the summit I began looking for a suitable spot, it was only 3pm but I fancied a rest and some lunch long before I thought about pitching the tent.
I found a cracking little pitch beside Innominate Tarn and sat back in the sun for a few hours watching the world go by, noting a lot of Australian and American accents as they made there way along the path.

Innominate Tarn with Pillar in the background.

All of the tourists were long gone by 6pm and I started pitching the tent when the sun disappeared, needing some pegs in place before I tensioned the flysheet as the wind had started to get up.

Force 10 Ion 2 blends in quite well.

Despite a dreamy evening on Hay Stacks, as night begin to fall the wind was ever increasing and I turned in about 9pm and snuggled down in my sleeping bag, there's no way I was getting any sleep though as the wind started to batter the tent, shortly after a deluge of rain began to hit the tent and worst case scenario's were flying around in my head, sometime after 1am I finally got to sleep.
The following morning was a complete contrast, everywhere was unbelievably still and blanketed in murk.

The morning after a nasty storm on Hay Stacks.

I wandered about grabbing a few shots before it started to rain again, once inside the tent I began to pack up leaving the flysheet on till last, donned my waterproofs and took the path to Blackbeck Tarn.

Blackbeck towards Buttermere and Crummock Water.

As I reached Blackbeck Tarn I got rid of the waterproofs as the rain had subsided, I skirted around the Tarn and headed Southeast as I planned to pick up the path beside Loft beck.

Blackbeck Tarn.

After some top quality navigation the stile appeared out of the mist and I began the slippery stepped descent beside Loft Beck while Kirk Fell was trying to fend off low cloud opposite.

Within no time at all I was back on the valley floor and ready to start my ascent of Black Sail Pass.

As with most of my ascents on this trip I struggled to get going, making time for a quick 'selfie' with Hay Stacks in the background.

Despite a few boggy encounters I eventually reached the top, safe in the knowledge I only had a relaxing downhill stroll to go.

Yewbarrow and Red Pike.

Dor beetle on the Black Sail Pass.

I took time out by a stream for a spot of lunch as a couple of walkers strolled on by, there was no rush to get back to the car.

Yewbarrow from the Black Sail Pass.

As I got moving again I heard the distant sound of a jet, I quickly zoomed my camera and waited before it thundered overhead, banked right over Pillar and came round again while performing a barrel roll, a nice end to a couple of action packed days of adventure!

BAe Hawk enjoying the Fells.

Unfortunately this might be my last Lakes trip for a couple of months, but when I venture back it will be well into the Winter season :)