Beautiful sunshine around the lakes today with crisp white snow above 600m. The sort of day you dream about during the winter months!

 

 Date: 30th January 2012 Ascent (m/ft): 1142m (3747ft)
  Start Location: Buttermere Highest Point: Red Pike (755m/2477ft)
  Time Started: 11:30 Parking: National Trust at Buttermere
  Duration: 4 Hours 55 Minutes Weather: Mostly Sunny and clear
  Distance:

16.6km - 10.31 Miles

 Difficulty: Difficult
Buttermere - Old Burtness - Bleaberry Tarn - Red Pike - Starling Dodd (199) - Great Borne (200) - Steel Brow - Mosedale - Scale Force - Buttermere
 
 
Grasmoor (looking very white!) and Whiteless Pike from the path to the lakeshore.
Buttermere.
The Grasmoor/Crag Hill group of fells. The original plan for todays walk was to head onto High Stile and then High Crag, but seeing as it was such a nice day I changed my mind and opted for a longer walk to take in two new peaks.
Sail and Knott Rigg.
A panorama over Buttermere. Click to see larger version.
Bleaberry Tarn panorama - again, click to see larger version (1.1Mb).
Bleaberry Tarn - partly frozen on the left.
Dodd. Next time I'm up here I'll have to head over to see the view from there.
Crampons and Ice Axe needed for the steep climb up to Red Pike, and for a bit more of a challenge I went up this gully.
Red Pike summit cairn.
The legendary Pillar.
Scafell Pike and Sca Fell separated by Mickledore.
High Stile... now do I or don't I?... Not today.
Grasmoor and a distant Blencathra from Red Pike.
The Scafells, Piller, Scoat Fell and Haycock.
My route over to Starling Dodd.
Starling Dodd summit cairn with a distant view back to Red Pike and High Stile.
Pillar, with Pillar Rock very well defined just off centre left.
Green and Great Gable (the other option for todays walk).
A long view down Ennerdale to Great Gable, Pillar to the right.
The ridge of Long Crag up to Steeple.
A sunlit summit fo Starling Dodd.
Clough Head and the Pennines only just visible to the left.
The Loweswater Fells.
A view back over Starling Dodd to Red Pike and High Stile from Scaw Well.
Great Borne summit shelter and trig column.
Floutern Crag above Floutern Tarn.
Mosedale.
Whiteless Pike.
I was quite impressed by this. It doesn't look much, but behind mere are several mini craters in the fellside. This rock must have fallen and impacted here creating this mess.
And if that wasn't dramatic enough this huge landslip cut right across too.
Scale Force.
A Hercules aircraft which just flew over very low.