Branstree, Selside Pike and beyond
DATE 08.05.2023 | DISTANCE approx 16KM | HIGHEST POINT 713M
Posted by Matt | Filed under lake district
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This was one of those hikes where we tried to tick off as many Wainwright's as we could. It's also one of those areas where it's best to venture onto during a dry spell. That being said, there are areas here consisting of year-round bog. It's fun dodging bog, it's not fun losing the entire leg in it.
Leaving the car park at the end of haweswater reservoir. Looking up at Harter Fell and cutting to the left up gatescarth pass.
The sun rising as we make our way up through gatescarth pass
Once up the top of gatesscarth pass we turned left and slogged up to the top of branstree, our highest peak today. Quite a slog indeed.
From branstree heading for selside pike
some smart cairns at artle crag
selside pike as that one at the back left with the direct track clear to see.
selside pike
turning back, returning the way we came but we chose to put left just before the summit of branstree. The clouding coming in at this point .
dropping below the cloud as we descend the selside brow.
After some success and failure dodging bog, we made it to tarn crag.
and after much more bog we got to grey crag on sleddale fell.
grey crag summit
ok, backtrack now and back into the bog. a couple of large stones here helped us. we could have done with a few more.
a moment of dry followed by extra deep bog at the bottom of this slope.
we made our way down brownhowe bottom and onto a welcoming dry path. I cant imagine what this route would have been like in the winter.
heading back up gatescarth pass, we looked over to the fence on the right. This was our ascent of Branstree from this morning. Too tired at the time to take photos on there.
top of gatescarth pass
descending back down. not far from the car park now.
this path felt a lot shorter when we went up it. Strange that i feel that way often on my walks.
back down to haweswater and the end of a rather tiring walk with 4 new wainwrights bagged.