High Raise and by-ways - no photos today

I've been re-reading Wainwright's "The Central Fells" recently and it reminded me about a couple of routes that I've been meaning to try. I parked the car in Grasmere and set off along Easedale Road towards Goody Bridge, turning left just after the bridge following the signpost towards Thorney How hostel.

The quiet tarmac road passes some interesting looking houses whilst overlooking the main Ambleside to Keswick road with Seat Sandal and the Fairfield in the background lit by the early morning sun. The tarmac ends at a gate with a National Trust signpost through the gate announcing Green Burn and a quick shower of rain reminding me not to get too optimistic about the weather.

The rain soon subsided although the path up the valley of Green Burn was muddy and extremely wet in places. This is an excellent little valley, obviously infrequently visited, with as rugged a burn as you can see anywhere especially with plenty of water rushing through the rocky sections.

Suddenly you come across Greenburn Bottom at the head of the valley, a quite extraordinary place that I suppose was once a fairly substantial tarn that has either drained away or silted up. The unusual landscape, the autumn colours of the surrounding bracken, the red reeds of the flat bottom of the valley and the drier green moraine heaps rising from it combined to give a unique feel to the place. If I'd have checked the settings on my camera the photos would have been good but they are all blurred.

The path rises up on the left of the "tarn" and is easy enough to follow and without too much effort took me to the main Helm Crag to Calf Crag path, I noted the two large cairns in case I ever need an easy way down. Following the path to the right but soon leave the path and climb over grass to the ridge and up to a small subsidiary summit with its own cairn. It is possible to avoid some of the wet ground that the main path crosses over but there's no avoiding the large muddy bog.

I tried to bypass it with the ground being especially soft but there was no way round so I went back to the main path. There are some stepping stones but some areas you have to get across without stones, once or twice the mud was up to the tops of my boots but I eventually got across without being swamped.

On the summit of Calf Crag it started to feel quite cold, as it should at this time of year, but the weather was quite clear with good views of the Helvellyn range and the dark crags of Tarn Crag on the other side of Far Easedale. I walked down to the remains of the fence at the head of Far Easedale and I followed the line of old fence posts, actually there is a path that is good enough to follow, far better than the soggy alternative route via Greenup Edge.

The path ends at a small peak near Codale Head, turn right on reaching the reedy plateau, pass a couple of tarns on the path towards Sergeant Man but turn off across the flat wilderness of High Raise. Firstly to Low White Stones for the view of the Dodds and a magnificent distant view of Skiddaw with a misty collar and Derwentwater in front, Bassenthwaite Lake behind, another good photo opportunity lost.

The short walk over to High White Stones, the summit of High Raise, provided a tremendous panorama of mountains, Great Gable, Pillar, Grisedale Pike and many others clearly identifiable, only the Southern Fells were hidden by thick mist. It is very unusual to visit High Raise in clear conditions but when it is clear you can see almost every fell in the Lake District because of its central position.

The summit of High Raise provided my first meeting of the day with other walkers, when I got to Sergeant Man there seemed to be coachloads of people arriving from the direction of Blea Rigg, there were at least 3 parties of 20 people. From the Man you can see the dark cliffs of Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark whose North Rake was clearly visible.

I set off against the flow of traffic coming in from Blea Rigg, the complex ridge provide good views down to Stickle Tarn and Near Easedale depending on which path you walk along. In spite of climbing every mini summit along the way I was unable to find the summit shelter of Blea Rigg, it was easy to find last year coming in the opposite direction.

I had intended going on to Silver How but I was losing daylight so I started to descend without visiting it. On the way down the setting sun put a brilliant crimson cast on the whole Helvellyn and Fairfield range, an excellent finale to the day.

Andy Wallace 16th November 2002