Up them mountains!!!

[nick crisp]

Haven't done Skiddaw yet. It overlooked the Keswick campsite, along with Blencathra for most of my trip. And, yep, not done Blencathra either! So many routes in the Lakes region to do. I didn't do Helvellyn or any of that high ridge for example. Lots of exploring to do in the Derwent Fells too. A lifetime of walking to be had up there. Towards the end of my trip, I was starting to get a good sense of the areas I did do, and could guess where most of the paths would take me.

Tops I reached:

Scafell
Bow Fell
Harrison Stickle (Langdale Pikes).
Catbells
Maiden Moor
Eel Crags
Grasmoor
Whiteless Pike
Haystacks
Red Pike
Robinson
High Raise
Ullscarf

and a few more minor hills and ridges along the way.

Red Pike was a bugger. Near the top, ascending from the Buttermere side, there's a bit where it goes steep on small, loose scree, and for every step up, you slide about 3 back again. It felt like if you weren't careful, you'd start sliding, then tumbling all the way to the bottom  :eek Then when I got to the top, I took a peek over an edge and could only see a grey-out, but got a sense it wouldn't be wise to step out that way  :lol

Grasmoor was my best day I think. Started from Buttermere, up Whiteless Pike:



And up there is where I'm headed:



View from the top:



Conditions were brilliant. Warm but breezy. A little hazy, but I think that added atmosphere to the pics. Could see almost all the way to the west coast, and could make out all the major hills of virtually the entire Lakes region. Met about 2 people along the whole way (some of the popular routes can literally have queues on them in summer).