Whiteside, Hopegill Head and Grasmoor

Walking the Wainwrights - Whiteside, Hopegill Head and Grasmoor

Another exhilarating walk: a strenuous climb to start with, a marvellous ridge walk, finding a better way up Grasmoor, and a gentle descent in the afternoon sun.

Here are the pictures (you can click on any picture to get a larger version).

	Grasmoor looms up before us as we start from Lanthwaite Green. No, we're not going up that way...
Whin Ben in front of Whiteside. Our first objectives, and enough to shake the cobwebs off most people...
	You first need to cross Gasgale Gill at the little bridge, and strike up left.
These sacks of stone, delivered by helicopter, indicate that the path is going to be repaired some time in the future. The path was fairly eroded, but not half as bad as the top section of the path from Braithwaite to Grisedale Pike, which is visually horrible, not to mention potentially dangerous in parts. Why no progress there?
	Looking down from the top of Whin Ben across Crummock Water to the distinctive shape of Mellbreak.
The path up Whiteside.
	Looking from the top of Whiteside towards Loweswater
The ridge from Whiteside to Hopegill Head, often called "the best mile in the Lakes".
	Half way along the ridge. You can see Grisedale Pike behind Hopegill Head, on the left.
The view north from Hopegill Head to Ladyside Pike.
	On the right are Hobcarton Crags, just below the top of Hopegill Head, and in the distance is Grisedale Pike. The top few yards of the crags, below the ridge, are a great place to have lunch, as we discovered (also an excellent way to get out of the wind, which was strong at this point).
The path over Sand Hill, then down to Coledale Hause. Eel Crags are in the distance, with Grasmoor on the right
	This is Grasmoor from the Hopegill Head ridge. On the left you can see Dove Crags, and it is up the side of the crags that we climb from Coledale Hause, from left to right in this picture.
Here are the crags, close up. This certainly proves a more entertaining route up than the usual one, from the cross-roads at the top of Coledale Hause.
	Whiteside, from Dove Crags.
Looking south from the top of Grasmoor, little Rannerdale Knotts looks like Samba having a snooze in front of the fire...
	Crummock Water from the top of Grasmoor.
Looking north from Dove Crags. By now the wind had dropped and the sun was quite hot - and you could see for miles. Blencathra and Skiddaw are behind Grisedale Pike.
	From lower down, near Coledale Hause.
As seen from near the top of Whiteside, this is Gasgale Gill, down which we returned to Lanthwaite Green.
	As you can see from the previous picture, the valley is very narrow, but we found a grassy area just here to have a stop in the sun.
Grasmoor towering over Gasgale Gill.
	Gasgale reaching open countryside on its way to the Lorton Vale.
Grasmoor dominating to the end...

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