Two days in Wasdale - 17th / 18th May, 2014. Day 2.

Sheep pushes tree over!

The long plod up through Hollow Stones.

Scafell Pike's north facing crags.

Scafell and Broad Stand from the Mountain Rescue Box.

Lord's Rake from the stretcher box.

Great Gable seen from Scafell Pike.

Back at Stockley Bridge and Seathwaite. 

Two days in Wasdale - 17th / 18th May, 2014. Day 1.

Myself and Jon spent 2 days in Wasdale. Day one was from Seathwaite, up to Styhead Tarn, via Taylor Force Gill. 

From the stretcher box at the tarn, we took the path for the Climbers Traverse, crossing the Hell Gate gullies and the climbers crags.

Spot the climbers on Trophet Wall.

We didn't "Thread the Needle", as we were carrying large packs, so went below,
watching the climbing action as we did so.

Home for the night - Wasdale Head.

Scafells from Great Gable. 

Final look at the Napes Ridges as we descended the scree for the main path to Wasdale. 

Back on solid ground!

A welcome sight.

Great Gable from the campsite at the Wasdale Head Inn.

Threading the Needle, 11th March 2012.

With the prospect of little in the way of winter climbing (at our level !), myself and Ian decided on some easy-ish scrambling in the Lakes. The forecast was also a bit better further south and so we headed for Seathwaite with The Climbers Traverse, a "threading of the needle" and Sphinx Ridge. The walk via the alternative path alongside Taylorforth Gill was pleasant but sweaty in the unusually warm weather, and the Climbers Traverse was equally enjoyable. The low cloud came and went as we approached Napes Needle and we finally got a view of our route between the needle and the crag behind. The way up between the Needle and the main crag needs some squirming and grunting to get up before a brief rest on some blocks before the tricky (in the wet) downclimb.    

As it turned out, it was damp in the shaded side of the needle and together with the very polished rocks we didn't fancy trusting our boots on the greasy rock. We had put harnesses on in case of this so all we had to do was get out the 30m roped, place it round one of the blocks and abseil down.  

Ian abbing down through the gloom on the other side of the needle. We then made our way around the face of the crag to the Dress Circle for a well earned cuppa!  

Sadly there were no views of the Scafell's to be had through the cloud and there was only just a view of Napes Needle itself.

  Somehow I managed to draw blood, either on the way up through the needle or on the abseil down! 

 Sphinx Rock through the cloud and Sphinx Ridge behind it. There are various descriptions for getting onto the ridge, but in the past, in good weather I have tackled it direct from behind the Sphinx. Most guides have it as a grade 2 scramble, however today it proved really awkward and needed a bit of a cheat by pulling on some gear as we climbed up to the right of the slab into a notch in the first tower!? I can only guess I went left up the more exposed slab to the left the last time I did it? Obviously the more direct route is harder ,maybe Diff or V-Diff? 

 We did see a (very small!) brocken spectre further up the ridge though.

After the enjoyable scramble up Westmorland Crags, we were rewarded with a cloud inversion over Styhead and Wasdale, with the Scafell's in the distance.

Looking over to Langdale with Harrison Stickle and Pike of Stickle and Windermere behind.

Some of the locals down in Seathwaite.

Scafell Pike via Great End, Esk Pike and Bowfell, 22nd June 2010.

After a day lazing in the sun and doing nothing it was time to get out and get some miles in!  We headed for Hollow Stones via the path that leads straight from the campsite and cut across to the Corridor Route and the head of Piers Gill.

Looking up to Hollow Stones from the campsite. The small notch in the middle would be our eventual return route later.

After joining the Corridor Route and passing the head of Piers Gill, we descended on the path to a point where the path levels, about 200m above a natural rock gateway. This is the start point for the grade II scramble up Great End. Although there was still some early morning mist which spoilt the views briefly.

   

Nice grade II scrambling came in several tiers of crags, and as we got higher the views down to Styhead Tarn improved although we never quite saw the top of Great Gable.

After a cuppa on the summit of Great End, we crossed over to the main path to climb Esk Pike with views over to Langdale and the "Pikes".

From Esk Pike it was on to Bowfell with the "crinkles" beyond.

Bowfell's summit has great views right over the Great Slab and into Langdale. From here we retraced out steps back to Great End, but stayed on the main route for Scafell Pike via Broad Crag.

The summit of Scafell Pike comes into view as we cross over Broad Crag.

We finally get a glimpse of Great Gable and the head of Piers Gill from above.

Looking across to Scafell from Scafell Pike. Sadly we didn't have time to the grade III Broad Stand route to it's summit, seen centre left of the picture. Lord's Rake can also be seen in the centre.

We still had to descend to Hollow Stones anyway, so we got a closer look at the famous Broad Stand route and it's notorious sloping terraces. A rope is usually advised , even on this grade III route due to the potential of it going pear shaped!

   

We also got a good view into Lord's Rake with it's jammed, fallen block at the top.

A careful descent from the col down a steep scambly and loose path brought us back into the Hollow Stones area and back on the path to the campsite with views of Wastwater all the way!