Walk : Grey Knotts (2,287ft), Brandret
(2,344ft) & Green Gable (2,603ft) from Honister
Slate Mine
Date : 6th August 2016
Weather : All four seasons in one day
Distance : @ 5 miles round trip
Difficulty : 1 to 2 – fairly easy walking after initial height is
gained
(1=easy 5=hard)
Which
area of Lakeland is this walk situated?
Terrain
Overview
Walk
Overview
If
I have learned anything from my Fell Walking journeys to date is be prepared
for any kind of weather. When we set
off
from home this morning it was baking hot sun, when we arrived at Honister Slate Mine the same and crowds had
gathered
to watch the Borrowdale Fell race. On reaching Green Gable we had to turn back
to escape the 40 odd mile
per
hour wind, thick mist and torrential rain!!!
The
walk starts at the Honister Slate Mine car park,
which due to the Fell race was full to bursting. Here you can see
the
Fell runners who have come down off Brandreth and heading up to Dale Head
Passing
through the spectator area at the front of the shop
From
the back of the shop area in front of the Slate workshops a stoned path follows
the line of an old fence that in
fact
leads directly to the summit of Grey Knotts
By
and large the stone track is an excellent way to gain height with no major
navigational difficulties. Whilst the ground
can
be a bit boggy in places just stick to the line of the fence
The
path steers through a rock cutting
Looking
right, across to the southern face of Fleetwith Pike
Looking
behind towards Blencathra over the Dale Head / Scawdell range
A
quick pit-stop en-route to the summit of Grey Knotts
As
we continue onwards more runners heading down to Honister
Sue
and Ste on the summit of Grey Knotts
A
360-degree view from the summit of Grey Knotts
Looking
over to Buttermere and Crummock Water from the summit
Looking
South West to the next summit of the day … Brandreth. Towering in the
background is Great Gable
Seeping
in slowly, the thick blanket of mist. At this point and out of nowhere the
breeze that we started in at Honister
suddenly
turned in to a 40 mile an hour plus gale
To
the North West a stunning view of Haystacks (front) and the High Stile range
with Mellbreak in the far distance
Looking
over to Ennerdale Water
Approaching
the series of summit cairns dotted across the top of Brandreth
The
summit of Brandreth
A
360-degree view from the summit of Brandreth
Heading
south now on to Green Gable
The
path is very easy to follow and extremely well cairned in its latter stages
Sue
and Ste on the summit of Green Gable, and in the back ground what was soon to
be the last view we had of
Great
Gable before the mist came in. At this point it was difficult to stand up straight
OMG !! – The mist coming in rapidly, the wind howling
and this guy is climbing up the sheer North face of Great Gable
A
bunch of walkers descending Great Gable down to Windy Gap
Then,
all of a sudden Great Gable vanishes
We
were very thankful of the numerous cairns on the path back down
Just
peeping through the mist – Buttermere and Crummock
Water
Looking
down through the Ennerdale Valley, and it this point
the heavens opened
Looking
back to Green Gable before it too was shrouded in mist
Back
down at the shop at Honister, thankfully no one
around to see three drowned rats creating a whole heap of
laundry
for when we get home
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