High Pike Haw - Lake District Walk
Monday 22nd September 2014
It has been exactly one year, one week and one day since I last completed a new Birkett. Today's route allowed me to finally increase the tally by one, whilst John added another three to his total.
Start: Coniston Old Station car park (SD 2997 9748)
Route: Old Station car park - Walna Scar Road - Walna Scar - White Pike (Seathwaite) - White Maiden - Dropping Crag - High Pike Haw (379) - Torver High Common - Walna Scar Road
Distance: 7.5 miles Ascent: 659 metres Time Taken: 6 hours
Terrain: Mainly on clear paths. Pathless descent from Dropping Crag.
Weather: Warm but windy on the summits.
Pub Visited: None Ale Drunk: None
The sun shines on Wetherlam as we start along the Walna Scar Road.
Brown Pike from Cove Bridge.
Looking across The Cove to Goat's Hawse.
Buck Pike and Dow Crag from the same spot.
I couldn't pass by without taking a shot of the shelter just below the summit.
Walna Scar's summit cairn. It was very windy here and it was time to add an extra layer.
Sunshine on the ridge from Buck Pike to Dow Crag.
We would pass below White Maiden and follow the path to White Pike.
White Pike's large summit cairn.
Harter Fell seen here across the Duddon Valley.
From White Pike we headed back to White Maiden.
White Maiden's summit cairn.
From the summit we could now see the Old Man of Coniston.
We also had an excellent view across towards the Scafells.
We followed the wall down to the top of Dropping Crag.
As we descended Coniston Water came into view.
We very carefully picked our way through the crags on Dropping Crag. It took an hour but at least my knee coped and we got down safely.
Those white rocks in the foreground are my 379th Birkett, a number I have spent the last year never expecting to reach. If I wasn't so shattered I would have danced with joy, instead I sat down and contemplated the route back.
The route back was across Torver Common and back down the Walna Scar Road. When we reached the Walna Scar Road John went on ahead and brought the car up to the car park at the top of the Walna Scar Road, saving my knee a mile and the steep road descent back to our starting point. I always knew there was a reason I married him, other than the fact he's mad enough to follow me up 541 Birketts.
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