Buttermere Sketches

Winter has belatedly (yay!) arrived in the Lake District this week.

There’s been snow on and off, and a covering down to low levels briefly. On Monday I managed to haul myself most of the way up Bowfell after injuring an ankle a couple of weeks ago but visibility was very poor. Just to be out in the hills being battered by bitter winds and trudging through deepening powder was, frankly, wonderful.

This weekend I headed to Buttermere with thoughts of hobbling across the High Crag, High Stile, Red Pike trio – one of my favourite walks, but one I haven’t actually done often enough to know sufficient minor rocky landmarks in whiteout conditions.

Saturday morning saw just that all along the top of the ridge, so rather than get lost with one and a half working ankles, I decided just to touch the top of High Crag and then double back down over Seat and up to Haystacks – diminutive enough to stay below the cloud layer all day.

Sunlight was in short supply but I love grey winter mountain days like this, the high fells stripped of colour and reduced to sketchy spidery lines of black and white under sullen skies.

Haystacks

Fleetwith Pike

Great Gable, Kirk Fell and the head of Ennerdale

Fleetwith Pike, Dale Head and Hindscarth

Seat and Haystacks, with Great Gable and Kirk Fell distant

Frozen Tarn and Pillar

Retreating from High Crag