The drive up was smooth (made a nice change, my usual experience of driving to the Lakes involves a lot of stand still traffic) and all 15 of us more or less arrived together. We were staying at the Climbers’ Club hut which usually has spare beds for members, but we’d booked all 13 (+2 campers). We arrived around midnight and after we’d been crashing about for a while a sleepy and bashful looking guy came downstairs and apologised for not having checked the roster so Dayne volunteered to sleep on the sofa, quickly defusing the situation.
Day 1 – Saturday 13th Jan
Peaks – Maiden Moor, High Spy, Dale Head, Hindscarth, Robinson
Companions – Kevin, Katrina, Rob, Alfonso, Monica
Distance – 9.6mi (15.5km)
Ascent – 3,736ft (1,140m)
Pubs – Swinside Inn and Scafell Hotel walkers bar
Most awoke early and got on with getting ready to head out (I was last up at 8:30) but I was extremely organised on Thursday night and had not only planned my food for the weekend but already made up my lunch so knew I could afford to be a bit lazy. Over breakfast plans were made; one group were off to find some ice to climb, another up to the top of England, a couple of individuals wanted to walk alone and the rest of us decided on the nearby Newlands Horseshoe (minus Catbells). We drove to Little Town and then headed up to the col between Catbells and Bull Crag. The ascent was initially very sheltered but the wind picked up a little once we were on the tops. The view across Derwent Water up towards Keswick was stunning, with just a small amount of low, thin cloud – much better than expected.
We continued up to Bull Crag, stopping briefly behind a crag for some refreshments. All was still and quiet until we peeled ourselves away and got out from behind the rocks where the head wind blasted us. It wasn’t overwhelming so we pushed on up to High Spy and down the other side towards Dalehead Tarn. Unfortunately it was here that Monica and Alfonso decided to take the escape route down from the tarn back towards Little Town. We’d see them back at the hut later. Six became four and we had to climb the staircase up to Dale Head. The views back to High Spy took us by surprise, from here it looked like a long dramatic ridge but whilst up there it felt reasonably short and rounded. We walked into cloud but it was relatively thin and there were breaks, and the wind picked up briefly but it was still manageable.
The rest of the ridge was straightforward and we decided to make the diversion up to Hindscarth and back, with a lunch stop en route with my new favourite hot toddy: lemon and ginger tea with whiskey. The last climb was up to Robinson and my legs were starting to feel a bit heavy. At the top we had a new set of views. All the way along this walk we had new views at every corner which made it even more enjoyable. Up here some pools of water had frozen absolutely solid and it was possible to walk on them, and glide around. Standing in a star shape with my back to the wind I got nudged across the ice by the wind!
Now for the decent, not a long valley decent but a short sharp – part scramble – down the nose. We happened to take the route back to the hut which took us past the Swinside Inn so we thought it would be rude not to stop by for a swift libation (soft for me as I’m doing dry-ish January; no beer or wine). Later on in the evening we returned to a regular haunt; the walkers bar at the Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite. It appears to have changed hands, the walls have been painted, the ‘look’ refreshed and the menu re-written. Unfortunately it’s changed for the worse, it appears that another traditional pub has bitten the dust and turned ‘gastro’. Sigh.
Day 2 – Sunday 14th Jan
Peaks – Grisedale Pike
Companions – Kevin, Alfonso, Monica
Distance – 7.2mi (11.6km)
Ascent – 2,897ft (885m)
Pubs – none ☹️
Car packed and goodbyes said (weekends go too quickly), Rob who had work to do, dropped us in Braithwaite on his way to a coffee shop in Keswick. We set off with the vague intention to bag Grisedale Pike, Hopegill Head and Sand Hill. It was a long and relentless ascent and I was certainly feeling slightly leaden booted after yesterday as we marched up the side of the hill. The further we went the colder it got, the windier, wetter, snowier and cloudier it got. Plus the terrain got a bit more challenging. It changed from a broad grassy track to a narrow, rock and slate path. Towards the very top the ground was also becoming frozen.
Once we reached the summit the wind was blasting the hail into our faces (when a fleck hit you right in the eye it did sting a touch), the visibility was poor and it was cold. Needless to say we didn’t hang about and continued on. Part way to the col we decided that the weather was taking the fun out of it so we cut across the lower slopes of Sand Hill to skip out the remaining two peaks. As soon as we started to descend the weather improved and we had great views down the valley.
It was an interesting route back to Braithwaite with waterfalls and a disused quarry. Rob’s timing was perfect so we all hopped straight in the car and hit the road back to London.
Total: 2 days, 16.8 miles, 6,633 feet of ascent and 2 pubs.
My Walks 
I’ve enjoyed reading this and can almost feel the sting of cold air in your photographs. Keep posting!
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