Route: The High Stile Range
Area: Western Lake District
Date of walk: 30th July 2015
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 8.5 miles
Ascent: 2,800 feet
Weather: Extensive cloud cover but plenty of bright patches
The High Stile Range is one of the classic lakeland walks, visiting the 3 high fells which tower over the western shore of Buttermere – Red Pike, High Stile and High Crag in order of appearance
I parked in the National Trust car park outside Buttermere village and walked past the foot of the lake, leaving the lakeshore path to start the climb up to Red Pike. A rocky staircase took me much of the way but after reaching Bleaberry Tarn the going got tougher and the final pull to the summit of Red Pike was quite hard – very steep and loose underfoot. Having said that it’s better going up than coming down, which is why I did the walk anti-clockwise
The views from Red Pike were fantastic and after admiring them for a while I started the walk along the ridge, visiting the highest point High Stile at 2,644 feet and then High Crag
Next came the very steep descent down Gamlin End, tortuous on the knees and seemingly never ending. Eventually I arrived back down on the shore of Buttermere and from there it was a pleasant stroll back to the start of what had been a fantastic walk
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Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
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The evening before the walk, a red squirrel in the garden
Next morning, I walk past Crag Houses and look up to today’s objective - High Stile, the highest of the three fells in the High Stile Range
I pass by the Fish Inn as I leave Buttermere village to walk to the shore of the lake
Approaching Buttermere
Fleetwith Pike at the head of the lake
I cross Buttermere Dubs and leave the lakeshore path to head right uphill…
I climb the rocky staircase up through Burtness Wood
Out of the woods and onto open fellside
Looking back to Buttermere, Grasmoor is beyond with its head in the clouds
Fleetwith Pike
Rannerdale Knotts jutting out into Crummock Water
Sourmilk Gill tumbling down into Buttermere
Red Pike comes into view
Bleaberry Tarn and the gentle (at first) path leading up to Red Pike
Chapel Crags towering above the tarn
Looking along the path to High Stile
From the summit of Red Pike - Crummock Water, Loweswater, and the Solway Firth and Scotland in the distance
High Stile, The Scafells and Pillar
Walking along the ridge from Red Pike to High Stile
Bleaberry Tarn
Looking back to aptly named Red Pike - syenite in the rocks and subsoil causes the colouration
Zooming in on Gatesgarthdale Beck and the foot of Fleetwith Pike
Summit of High Stile, with Skiddaw and Blencathra in the background
From High Stile I carry on along the ridge leading to the final fell on the round - High Crag
Buttermere on one side of the ridge…
…and Ennerdale and Pillar on the other
Ennerdale, Ennerdale Water, and the sea
Amazing views on both sides of the ridge - this is looking back to Buttermere and Crummock Water, with Scotland in the distance
Great Gable
Pillar again
Start of the very steep descent down Gamlin End towards Seat
Seat and Great Gable
At the foot of Gamlin End, I descend to the Scarth Gap path leading down from Haystacks
Buttermere
I follow the lakeshore path
The bothy
From the path back into Buttermere village, looking back to Fleetwith Pike
At the end of the walk I look up to High Stile and reflect on what a fantastic walk it had been
