The Wainwright fells of the English Lake District, a collection of photographs taken while hiking and wild camping on these beautiful fell tops while completing the 214 Wainwrights.
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February 2023 - Beda Head (at long last!) and Branstree - February 2023 (where did 2022 go?! It went over far too quickly!) - made a spur of the moment trip over to the Lakes to take advantage of the Penrith Go Outdoors refurbishment sale and squeezed in a stay at YHA Ambleside and took in a couple of fells while I was there, climbing Branstree from Haweswater on the Saturday and Beda Head from Patterdale on the Sunday. The conditions were fantastic for walking, with barely a breeze, a slight nip in the air and not too boggy! But the light was as flat as a pancake so mostly I just enjoyed the walking - it was pretty lovely not even thinking about photography for a couple of days.
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Summer 2022 - The Nab, Harter Fell and Rossett Pike - enjoyed some leisurely low level walks in the Lakes in summer 2022, along The Cumbria Way and The Coast to Coast path, taking in some climbs and Wainwrights on these routes. First climb was Rossett Pike in June, from Langdale - a fantastic hike in the company of fighter jets and herdy sheep - what a contrast! Later in the summer I headed back to Patterdale to climb the Nab via Satura Crags and Rest Dodd again.
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April 2022 - Angletarn Pikes, Brock Crags and Rest Dodd
It's Easter 2022 and a catch up with a friend, who's hiking the Munros, inspired me to book a couple of nights stay over in the Lakes to crack on with exploring Wainwright's Lake District fells, basing myself in pretty Patterdale. As I'd not done much hill walking for a while I did a nice and easy going little round from Patterdale up to Angletarn Pikes, Brock Crags and Rest Dodd and back. Conditions were hazy so I didn't take many photos, but the walking was excellent as there was just a slight breeze and it stayed dry with just a slight nip in the air in the morning. While taking a break in the shelter of some crags I spotted a herd of red deer grazing just down from Angletarn Pikes, the second time I've seen red deer while out climbing the fells in this part of the Lakes. The haze lifted a little on the way back down and some mood set it, with moments of fleeting light as I hiked back over Satura Crags, so I stopped to take a couple of big camera photos of the tarns (which were brimming with frogspawn!), crags and distant mountains, before pressing on back down to Patterdale in time to buy an ice-cream before the shops closed. That was a really lovely walk - and one I shall do again in order to visit The Nab, which I didn't have the legs for this time. 95 Wainwrights left to go, shall hopefully get a few more in this year!
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May 2021 - Steel Fell, Calf Crag and Gibson Knott
It's May 2021, restrictions have lifted and we're allowed to travel and stay over in other counties again, so, for me, that means getting back over to the Lakes to catch up with friends and to crack on with hiking the Wainwrights. I stayed at Derwentwater Independent Hostel to do some photography for old friends ready for the hostels reopening, including taking lots of photos of their fabulous new camping pods, a couple of photos of which are below - they are 4 berth, dog friendly, with heating and USB and power points, and with stunning views across Derwent Water over to Catbells and Maiden Moor. Before doing the hostel photography, though, I took a day off for a leg stretch and headed over to Grasmere to do a small round from there, to take in 3 of the Central fells - Steel Fell, Calf Crag and Gibson Knott. It was so good to be up on the fells again and, as it was mid-week, there were only a few other walkers around. I've just 3 Wainwrights left to do in the Central fells now, including Helm Crag, which I'm thinking of making my final Wainwright. That's a fair way off yet as I've got 98 left to do, having now completed 116 of the 214 Wainwrights. Can't wait to get back over again for more! Here are some photos of Derwentwater Hostel's new pods, and from the Steel Fell round.
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2011 to February 2020 - the first half of my Wainwrights adventures
My Wainwrights journey started in 2011, although I don't think I really knew much about Wainwright back then, but I certainly fell in love with the Lake District fells on that day and have never looked back. A friend and I headed over to Wastwater for a couple of days camping at the National Trust camp site - what a location, sleeping under the looming peaks of Great Gable, Scafell and Scafell Pike, with a fantastic Lakes pub just down the road, the Wasdale Head Inn. After a big dinner at the pub and a good night's sleep we hiked our first fell - handsome Great Gable - a superb climb to start us off, the climb up was fantastic. Gable characteristically had his head in the clouds so we had no views, but the quiet stillness of his rocky plateau summit made a lasting impression, an unforgettable day.
With our appetites well and truly whetted by Gable, we headed back a few weeks later to climb England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike. We headed up via the Mickledore route and what a route that was, for only the second time I'd been up a fell to say I was blown away would be an understatement! We had views most of the way to the top, it was a stunning day to be in the Lakes, only the last 100 metres or so were in the cloud but again that felt amazing - we'd climbed England's highest mountain and into the cloud! As we dropped down the summit towards Broad Crag and Great End the views opened up again and they were outstanding. Then we dropped down to Styhead Tarn and down the path along Gable's flank back down to the Wasdale Head Inn for one of their huge portion dinners, school dinner-style puddings and a pint or two - absolutely epic day and still one of the best days I've ever had in the Lakes!