KYQ4: Whinlatter Fells

Saturday 8 July 2023

Whinlatter Fells

On Whinlatter

Wednesday, 5 July 2023

Ascent: 375 metres

Distance: 8 kilometres

Time: 2 hours 7 minutes

Whinlatter 517m 37mins

Broom Fell 507m 1hr 23mins

Graystones 450m 1hr 46mins

The weather was not kind and the forecast for the day was lots of showers. Gregor had three Wainwrights to climb from the Whinlatter Pass. He then had Whiteside to climb, a relentless exercise in purgatory when I climbed it on a winter's day in the 1970s from Lorton Vale. Unlike most Lakeland fells that I have repeated many times, I have never revisited Whiteside and there was no intention today from Lorton Vale. I will save it for a longer walk along with Grisedale Pike and Hopesgill Head and avoid the masochistic ascent from Lorton.

In the circumstances, we decided to go in the morning and get it over with. We parked at the Whinlatter visitor centre, which is the main mountain bike attraction in the Lakes with many cycle trails. Although Grgeor would have happily charged off on his own, we decided this wouldn't take long so we walked together. We found a good track through the forestry plantations and then a path by a fence took us up to the ridge. We walked the length of Whinlatter taking in both tops. Wainwright had assigned the lesser one as the summit in that contrary way that he had, although to be fair he had questioned the Ordnance Survey on whether they had got their survey right.

We descended steeply from the summit to a fence enclosing a forested area. Rather than finessing our way around it we went through it. A good adventure added ten minutes as we battled through the undergrowth and felled trees. We crossed a stream and found a narrow path by the side of a fence that took us to the top of Broom Fell. It had not been the easiest route to join up the two hills. Amy and Gregor were talking to a couple we had met yesterday in Little Langdale, we hollered after them "See you tomorrow" as they set off for Lord's Seat. We headed the other way for Graystones. We lost height and then gained some on good grassy paths to the undistinguished summit.

Gregor decided to run down and then run 4 kilometres up the pass to collect the car so we could drive round to Whiteside. We had a more leisurely descent although it was jarringly steep all the way down. Surprisingly, the predicted rain hadn't appeared and it was quite warm as we waited for Gregor to to arrive with the car.

We drove round to Lorton Vale and stopped to let Gregor out at Brackenthwaite from where a path on the map looked to give direct ascent. It was brutal and Gregor spent more time than usual negotiating the scree and heather on a 30° slope. He was not at all happy. Meanwhile, I drove to Buttermere for a coffee and a short walk to Buttermere Lake, remembering the time we camped here in a field of cattle in 1986. Gregor texted when he was on his way down and we met him at a car park at Lanthwaite that would have provided a far easier route to the summit. Next time. Gregor now had just three hills to finish the Wainwrights, all less than four miles of Lanthwaite. We could have done them there and then but Emily was coming up later so we drove back over Newlands Hause. Tomorrow, I had arranged to walk the Fairfield horseshoe with Mark. We would be back at Buttermere on Friday.