Route: High Stile Range
Area: Western Lake District
Date of walk: 16th October 2013
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 8.6 miles
Ascent: 3,700 feet
I parked in the National Trust car park outside Buttermere and walked along the head of the lake to join a pitched path which leads steeply uphill. It’s all easy going (though relentlessly steep) until the last short section to the summit which is quite eroded and requires a determined effort to surmount
Once at the top of the first summit, Red Pike, the hard work is over and there follows a wonderful ridge walk to the high point of the range, High Stile
I then followed the ridge line to the final summit, High Crag. The weather had been poor all along – overcast, dull and very windy with gusts of 40mph – but on the way down it got worse when torrential rain arrived. I had to put the camera away, and it was a fairly miserable trudge down the very steep path on Gamlin End. I arrived back at the shore of Buttermere and from here it was an easy stroll back to the start
The adverse weather did its best to spoil this classic walk, but it’s the magnificent mountain scenery which I will remember, and not the weather
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
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)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The High Stile Range dominates Buttermere - this is the view from the car park
Walking into Buttermere village, my objective still in the background
Leaping salmon for the third time in four days!
Approaching the head of the lake
Crossing the bridge over Buttermere Dubs
Fleetwith Pike at the far end of Buttermere
The start of the climb up through Burtness Wood
Above the tree line now and looking back over Buttermere village. Crummock Water on the left
A view along Buttermere to Fleetwith Pike
...and looking the other way, along Crummock Water
Bleaberry Tarn in a magnificent setting, with the ridge to High Stile in the background
The way up to the first summit - Red Pike
Syenite in the rocks produces this colouring and gives Red Pike its name
Crummock Water from the very gusty summit of Red Pike
Looking forward to the next fell, High Stile, the high point of the walk
From the ridge to High Stile, looking back down to Bleaberry Tarn and Buttermere
Crummock Water, with a glimpse of Loweswater to the left
The ridge continues to the final summit of High Crag
Buttermere
On the other side lies Ennerdale, with Pillar towering over it
Summit of High Crag
Descending Gamlin End in the direction of Haystacks. The rain came in at this point and the camera had to be put away
Burtness Wood, along the shore of Buttermere
Back in Buttermere, some Herdies sheltering from the rain
