Rossett Man - Photo Gallery

If you have broadband there is a video clip here of the snow being blown along on Bowfell

There is usually one day a year when the weather makes the roads too awkward to get to the Lake District and I thought this was one of those. Two inches of snow is more than I have seen in fifteen years of living in St Helens, it was still snowing and there was a snow plough clearing two lanes of the M58 motorway. However once I got onto the M6 and a little bit further north the roads were clear and it was clear all the way to the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel in Great Langdale. There was a covering of snow, the sky was clear blue and it was very cold, perfect walking conditions and there were plenty of walkers already setting off for the hills.

I don't really know where everybody else went but I was by myself on the walk up Mickleden, the valley looked fantastic with snow covering everything except Pike o'Stickle and Gimmer Crag up on the right. It was definitely chilly when I set off and the ground was frozen hard so I made good progress up the valley until I reached the footbridge across Mickleden Beck. I had intended walking up Stake Gill and approaching Rossett Pike from “behind” but on the walk up the valley I decided I could see a better route.

I started to walk up by the side of Stake Gill while I was looking for my better route. There is a zigzag on the path that takes you away from the gill and where the zig becomes a zig back towards the gill I carried on across the rough fell in the direction of Little Gill. The ground was fairly steep but there was enough grass to be able to avoid having to walk over rocks and there wasn't any exposure. I had to gain some ground to get above the deeper part of the dry gully called Little Gill before crossing the looser stones of the gully to sloping grassy ledges that seemed to offer a natural way upwards.

The steeper grassy rake also had a covering of snow which was starting to melt in the warm sun, I was also starting to melt and my gloves and hat came off for a while. There was no exposure as such but I was aware that I was above a ledge as I was climbing carefully around the greasy boulders. Eventually the way straight upwards seemed to be a bit too rough and rugged for comfort so I moved back across to Little Gill. The gully wasn't quite as stony at that height and there were occasional puddles of water but never a gill as such. I walked up the grass on either side of the stones and it wasn't until I reached the top of the slope that I came across any proper snow.

The views now were spectacular, snow covered hills under a bright blue sky and I was the first and only person on the ridge making the only booted footprints in the soft snow. There were other footprints; a couple of foxes had walked side by side, a small set of rabbit-hop style prints and a large bird had walked this way too. It was a wonderful day and I had it all to myself until I got to the summit of Rossett Pike where the maker of the only other footprints on the hill was just disappearing behind the summit oh his way down. Bowfell is a very imposing object towering above but it's a bit too close to recognise it from here.

It's an easy descent from the summit of Rossett Pike back to one of the busy tourist routes, crossing over the outflow from an ice covered Angle Tarn the stepping stones were just about justified given the trickle of water. The walk through the snow up to Esk Hause was just a nice stroll in the sun, the usually wet walk up to Ore Gap looked shiningly icy. As I reached the crest of the path near the cross shaped shelter the wind was scouring the snow from the ground leaving some of the walked-on parts in an icy state. The alternative route up to Esk Hause was where the wind had dropped the soft snow by the side of the icy path, there is always a childish delight in walking through snow.

Esk Hause felt like the centre of the universe, you could see for miles and there were lots of people there. It was also the coldest part of the day, that wind was just cutting through me so there was no hanging round to admire the view. For once Esk Pike was visible and the path more obvious than usual, just follow the ankle deep footsteps in the snow. It's strange that none of this felt like hard work when without the snow some of this would have been a bit of a slog. It seemed like no time at all until I was on the summit plateau with just the final rough climb to the summit to do.

The summit cairn of Esk Pike is made with the most colourful rocks matching the colours of Pike o'Stickle. The views all around went on for miles and the sky was still very blue. The snow was good to walk on and if anything it made the descent to Ore Gap a bit easier that the usual stony path. My hands had got cold at Esk Hause but on this side of Esk Pike it was lovely and warm, my hands came back to life and it just felt good to stand in the sun at Ore Gap. The path to Bowfell was again obvious, or at least the approximate alternative snowy footstep route was easy to follow.

This climb again seemed easier than usual and accompanied by the view of Mickledore and the impressive buttress of Scafell. At the small col just before the final climb above Bowfell Buttress you have a view of the Great Slab and down into Langdale. The wind was also blowing here too, the spindrift starting to form a cornice as it lost its energy once it dropped over the edge. The spindrift caught me on the steep snowy slope for a minute before I reached Bowfell's summit plateau with just the final boulders to climb to the summit. It is an impressive summit to stand on and the views were still good but the light was beginning to fade a bit.

The steep descent to Three Tarns is always interesting and the snow adds to the interest although there are a couple of icy spots that suggest that the rest of the descent might not be straightforward. At Three Tarns towards the path to The Band became completely iced over and I couldn't make out where it was without walking over sheets of ice. The footprints in the snow showed I wasn't the first to miss the downwards path but I found my way over to the path as the others had before me. Not that the path was a great deal better, it was necessary to walk by the side of it to avoid the ice.

Eventually as the gradient eased the path seemed less icy and I was making good progress until I found an icy spot on which I slipped, my ice axe couldn't prevent me from hitting the ground at full length. No real harm was done and not too many people noticed but I exercised a bit more caution after that, although for a while the path was obviously icy enough to take extra care anyway. In fact the path was awkward almost all the way down to Stool End farm and in concentrating on getting down it I didn't notice the snow coming down the valley until it overtook me. Fortunately it was just a heavy shower and it had stopped by the time I got back to the car.

As I was sitting in the car with my legs on the floor outside a Robin came to stand at my feet and got a share of my Mars Bar for its patience while I took its photograph.

Andy Wallace 4th March 2006