Gamlin Legs - no photos today
Start today at Buttermere, follow the lake shore path towards Gatesgarth, just past the car park is the start of the path up to Fleetwith Pike.
I made a small detour to look at the white cross memorial to Fanny Mercer, does anybody know who she was, how she was accidentally killed or the significance of the collection box embedded in the rock below the cross? A good zigzag path goes around Low Raven Crag where a post with a waymark should help prevent anybody else from killing themselves accidentally descending the crag.
The fell begins to impose itself at this point, as you arrive at each false summit the next one appears to be much higher. The are several rocky scrambles which are not really strenuous or dangerous but if you do lose your hold it‘s a long way straight down. The views are increasingly impressive as you gain height, and especially so from the summit, from the top of Honister Crag a little further along the ridge the views downward give you a real feeling of being on top.
Then over to Haystacks via what’s left of the Drum House and Dubs Hut. The views of Haystacks on the approach to it and when descending from it are impressive, but I don’t find the top of it particularly interesting – there are much better tops.
The easy climb over Seat provides a good look at Gamlin End, the day’s most demanding climb up to High Crag. The path is very different to Wainwright’s description of it, the grassy lower path being replaced by a constructed path and the upper scree slope marshalled into something quite reasonable, but this path will still test your calf muscles.
Onto the ridge, excellent walking and excellent viewing with no problems with route finding and with no further significant climbing, in mist you should remember to turn left at the summit of High Stile and follow the fence all the way to Red Pike.
The descent from Red Pike down to Bleaberry Tarn is down a loose, steep (and very red) path but where the path forks take the left-hand branch for the least discomfort. Once you reach the tarn, Buttermere is still a long way down and another constructed footpath provides an hour’s foot slog made worse because it has started to rain and some of the rocks are slippery with being wet. The final part of the descent through the wooded lower slope is even trickier with the normally slippery moss covered rocks being further lubricated by the rain.
Then again, it wouldn’t be the same if it was easy would it?
Andy Wallace 18th August 2001