Wandope & Whiteless Pike - Lake District North Western Fells

It was February 2015 that we last wrote up a day out in the Lake District Fells on the blog! It feels like a very long time ago, similarly as a result of UK Lockdown 3.0 its over four months since we last ventured out together for a day in the mountains - so it was good to be back!

Details: 

Wandope & Whiteless Pike from Buttermere via Mill Beck

Marion, Charis & Me

Approx 5.75 miles

Bright sunshine; blue skies; keen northerly wind; no precipitation; great visibility

We set off quite early from the National Trust car park in Buttermere which was already moderately full before 09:00 am. The weather forecast for the day was a fine, dry and bright morning with the chance of snow and hail showers developing in the afternoon (they never materialised).

I'm not sure how well trod the Mill Beck valley is but unless the footpaths have recovered from last summers heavy footfall it has the look of a "path less travelled". We didn't see a soul until we reached the summit of Wandope. Anyway it was a pleasant steady ascent crossing Third Gill before starting a much steeper section at Addacomb Beck.

The ascent following the line of Addacomb Beck was a joy, the path fades in and out (its possibly much less apparent when the bracken is growing) and often has a bit of an off-piste feel about it, navigation is never a problem as firstly the beck and secondly the distinctive ridge feature that lead up to Wandope summit are easily followed handrails. We diverted into the magnificent Addacomb Hole - a beautiful high valley with a look of a place visited relatively infrequently. Its a fairly steep pull up the ridge to Wandope summit from which the views across the whole of the Lake District were superb, the summit itself though was not one of the more impressive in the area!

Our descent was via the main summit ridge, across Whiteless Edge (above Third Gill), with another sharp pull up on to Whiteless Pike for more outstanding views in all directions.

The way down from Whiteless Pike towards Buttermere is initially quite steep but levels out over Whiteless Breast and its a gentle finish back down into the village.

Mal