Date: Wednesday 27th December 2017
Company: Myself and Ann-Marie
Distance: 9.7km, Ascent: 575m
Time: 3Hrs 50Mins
On Wednesday morning I drove from Keswick to Ambleside with a view to ascending Lingmoor Fell. However, on arriving at Elterwater the parking charges were somewhat off-putting as was the thought of undertaking such a short walk on what was turning out to be a stunning day. I next drove along Great Langdale, a road I had not travelled previously, looking for hills to potentially climb. The car parking charges were however even more expensive and I had no change. I therefore returned to Ambleside and made my way up Kirkstone Pass then towards Patterdale with a view to ascending some Eastern Lake District fells. I really don't mind paying a few pounds to park, if the money is used to repair tracks, etc. but £8 or £9 to park is extracting the urine!
I eventually parked at Bridgend with a view to ascending Angletarn Pikes and Brock Crags.
Click here to see a map of the route undertaken
After getting suited and booted, we followed a right of way through a field to reach the start of the track leading to Boredale Hause.
Bridgend:
The track leading to Boredale Hause was very good as were the increasingly good views as height was gained.
Ascent towards Boredale Hause:
The view towards Patterdale and across to Helvellyn was simply stunning. It reminded me of my ascent of neighbouring Place Fell undertaken a few years previous.
Great views towards Patterdale:
Despite ascending Helvellyn twice previously, I have yet to ascend via Striding Edge or Swirral Edge. I therefore definitely need a third ascent to sample these Grade 1 ridges.
Looking across to Striding Edge, Helvellyn:
Before long we reached Boredale Hause, a junction of several tracks.
At Boredale Hause:
A short distance beyond Boredale Hause, I took an iPhone panorama shot of the stunning views.
Panorama taken during ascent of Angletarn Pikes:
We continued to follow the track which eventually skirted just below Angletarn Pikes. We left the track to ascend steeply to the rocky summit.
At the summit of Angletarn Pikes:
At the summit of Angletarn Pikes:
After taking a few photos at the summit, we carefully made our way down to below the crags and returned to the track.
Looking back to Angletarn Pikes summit crag:
However, instead of following the track which skirts Angle Tarn to the east, we opted to make our way directly towards Brock Crags.
Descent from Angletarn Pikes heading for Brock Crags:
To get to Brock Crags we had to ascend a rocky knoll which would appear to be called Cat Crag.
Looking back:
Angle Tarn:
The ascent of Brock Crags was straight-forward. As the day progressed the Helvellyn range were increasingly capped in cloud.
View during ascent of Brock Crags:
We reached the summit of Brock Crags more quickly than I expected. I am really looking forward to undertaking a traverse of the higher fells which lie behind Angletarn Pikes and Brock Crags - a walk along the High Street.
Approaching the summit of Brock Crags:
We didn't spend long at the summit before returning back roughly the same way as far as Angletarn Pikes. From below Angletarn Pikes we took a lower track leading back towards Boredale Hause.
At the summit of Brock Crags:
Looking back towards Angle Tarn and Brock Crags:
On reaching Boredale Hause, we returning to the car via our inbound route. The weather doesn't get much better than this, with the possible exception of the following day - report to follow
.