Cartmel 2013 03 11

Cartmel 2013 03 11, a set on Flickr.

A walk around the Cartmel peninsular in the South Lakes district of Cumbria. A polar north-easterly airstream made for sub-zero temperatures and marked contrasts between sunny, sheltered south-west slopes and wintry north-eastern ones. There was also a geological contrast between the dark Silurian rocks of Bigland Scar on the west side of the peninsular, and the lighter, younger Carboniferous limestone of Hampsfell on the approach to Grange-over-Sands. The day finished with a spectacular snow shower sweeping southwestwards over Morecambe Bay.

Grasmere to Windermere 2-day trek via Kirkstone Pass Inn

Grasmere to Windermere 2-day trek via Kirkstone Pass Inn, a set on Flickr.

I reached Grasmere by train and 555 bus from Lancaster. Climbing alongside Tongue Gill I reached Grisedale Hause and put my crampons on - not the microspikes, as I anticipated steeper, Alpine type conditions. I then traversed on snow rightwards above Grisedale Tarn until just to right of the prominent black gash here http://leaney.org/lake_district_walk_photo.php?walk_id=237&photo=20041219v&thumb=Y" rel="nofollow">leaney.org/lake_district_walk_photo.php?walk_id=237&p...
From here I climbed directly up Fairfield's north west face. As the hard, icy snow steepened I increasingly used the front points of my crampons and the pick of my ice-axe. I reached the summit plateau without encountering a cornice. From the plateau I descended to Cofa Pike to view Fairfield's wintry north face, and returned to the summit. Then I followed the main ridge over Hart Crag and Dove Crag to Red Pike, which I reached just after sunset. That meant careful negotiation in the twilight, with microspikes to guard against a slip on the occasional ice, of the steep and craggy slope to the Kirkstone Pass Inn, which I reached at 6.40pm.
After a very comfortable and peaceful evening and night, I walked before breakfast up St Raven's Edge to see the dawn and sunrise over the mountains. I had a second ascent of this fell after breakfast, continuing to John Bell's Banner, the Atkinson memorial cairn on Caudale Moor and Stoney Cove Pike. Microspikes again came into their own for the patchy ice on the descent to Threshwaite Mouth and climb to Thornthwaite Beacon. Racing to catch the 5 pm train from Windermere station, I located the Roman road that gives its name to High Street, and used it to make a rapid  descent of Troutbeck valley to Windermere station. I'd enjoyed two days of perfect Alpine sun and snow.