My
original intention was to include Ullscarf in a circular walk from
Stonethwaite via Eagle
Crag and Sergeant's Crag, but we
were frustrated by bad visibility and never made it onto Greenup Edge
and Ullscarf. But that was a blessing in disguise, since the
ascent from Watendlath via Great Crag is far superior, mainly because
of the views you get coming back down to Watendlath.
Here are the pictures (you can click on any picture to get a larger version).
Here are the pictures (you can click on any picture to get a larger version).
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Starting
from Watendlath has lots of advantages: it's a lot higher than
Borrowdale, so you don't climb so far (!), you can have a cup of tea on
your return, and you can also see this farmhouse, which was
where Hugh Walpole located Judith Paris and her ne'er-do-well husband
in his Herries Chronicles novel. |
| The
path up to Great Crag, our first objective, leads around the
tarn. We haven't gone 200 yards and the dogs are already
coming back to chivvy me along... |
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Great
Crag appearing... |
| This
is the only section of the path which is at all steep. You
can see Watendlath Tarn beneath us. |
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Looking
south from near the top of Great Crag. The nearest fell is
Eagle Crag, then Bessyboot, then Base Brown, then Great Gable in the
distance. I think... |
| Watendlath
from one of the cairns on Great Crag |
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The
same view south as before, but this time you can see some of Borrowdale. |
| The
dogs posing again, so this must be the real top of Great Crag... |
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From
Great Crag you can see across Dock Tarn up to Ullscarf. |
| The
tarn itself. Always very quiet and isolated, but with quite a
lot more vegetation than I remember from last time. |
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Closer
up... |
| It's
more than a two-mile climb from Dock Tarn up to Ullscarf, but I decided
to keep all the pictures for the descent. This is the
unimpressive top of Ullscarf but, since we are smack in the middle of
the Lakes and quite high (2370'), you can see for miles. This
is the view west, the sharp-looking fell in the middle being Fleetwith
Pike, so you can work out the others... |
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Dropping
down from Ullscarf to the north, you see at least two lakes (wait for
it!) and lots of high fells in the distance. |
| High
fells to the west as well: Fleetwith Pike again, in front of
the Buttermere ridge. |
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And
the Helvellyn ridge to the east. |
| This
is Blea Tarn from Low Saddle. Can you see John Paterson's
cottage in the valley? |
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Looking
down into Borrowdale from Low Saddle. |
| Here
you get a good impression of the wide open grasslands between
Watendlath and Ullscarf |
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Where can you see three lakes in a row? Not just Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater - but Watendlath, Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite! And Skiddaw as well... |
| It gets better... |  |
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It isn't all
grass! in fact, the whole place abounds in mosses of all
kinds. |
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| Ain't she
sweet? Watendlath Tarn... |
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End of
journey... |
If
you would like to
sponsor me and the dogs in our quest to walk all the Wainwrights for
the Great North Air Ambulance Service, please click here
- and thank you for your
generosity!