Coledale Horseshoe

With: Glynn Mitchell

Weather: Cold; low cloud clearing as the day progressed; patchy snow at high level

Where: Lake District

Grisedale Pike from Oughterside

Out with Glynn Mitchell today - what a great day we had around Coledale. It was somewhat in contrast to the day before: T-shirts were never an option as the earlier parts of the day were spent in low cloud and even when the sun did appear later in the day it remained bitingly cold.

We left Braithwaite village and headed up the Whinlatter road taking the footpath out of the first car park. Its a long steady pull up Grisedale Pike (I've not done this for years) we did the steepest section, on approach to the summit in low cloud, there were just a few isolated pockets of snow at this height.

Dropping off the summit we followed the edge around via Hobcarton Crags to Hopegill Head, which I don't think I've done before (need to check the lists). Since a "hardcore" day was in order we opted not to go round Sand Hill but rather go over it before stopping in Coledale Hause itself for lunch. As is often the case the wind howled through the Hause, however, just a few metres to the west side we were able to sit in complete calm. At this point the low cloud that shrouded us since the approach to Grisedale Pike began to slowly break & clear, a process which continued for the rest of the day.

From the Hause we continued along the pleasant hanging valley to the west of Eel Crag, at the head of the gill we turned sharply to the east & began to climb - our ascent towards the day's high point of Crag Hill (photo below)

Our next objective was Sail from where we descended along the relatively new handy work of the LDNP's path repair team. I have to say that the the old erosion scars in this area did appear far better on the eye than they did the last time I was here a couple of years ago.

We completed our descent by skirting around the Stoneycroft Gill side of Oughterside before cutting through at Stile End and enjoying a very gradual descent above Barrow Gill and back into Braithwaite. 

Approx Distance:

9 miles

Approx Height Gain:

4,250'


More of the days photos on Flickr