Skiddaw at Christmas

With: Ian Wallace; Alan & Paul Rainford

Weather: Unseasonally mild (11 degC) in the valleys; very windy on summit ridge; occasional glimpses of sunshine

Where: Lake District Northern Fells - Ullock Pike; Longside Edge; Carl Side & Skiddaw

Approx 8miles & 3.200' ascent

Ian on Ridge up to Ullock Pike

 

Skiddaw is often referred to as a boring hill, however, in my view the approach over Ullock Pike & Longside Edge, then via Carl Side & its tarn is one of the top three routes in the North Lakes and is right up there with the best in this region. The summit plateau is anything but boring and has all the atmosphere of the other lakeland 3,000 'ers.

We set off in unseasonally mild weather from the Orthwaite Road and soon worked our way through the pastoral land to begin our steep climb out of Southerndale, followed  by the steady ascent up towards Ullock Pike.

Paul Rainford - a Snow Flecked Southerndale

Longside Edge was decorated with the blunt remains of cornices which must have recently tumbled into the valley below & we made good progress through patchy snow to arrive swiftly at Carl Side.

Dropping off Longside & Approaching Carl Side

The climb on to the Skiddaw summit plateau is quite strenuous, we were rewarded with magnificent fleeting glimpses of the ridge we had just traversed but I was never quick enough to grab a photo!

Ian in Ascent

The summit was wild, we headed off to the north & ultimately picked up the line of a fence just east of north which we followed off down Birkett Edge to Dash Falls & a long walk out to Peter House Farm.

Skiddaw Summit

Alan & Paul Descending Through Patchy Snowfields to North of Skiddaw

The Northern Fells