The Lakes, April 2016. Day 3 The Greenburn Round

Today was an earlier start as we planned a Wainwright Day – the Greenburn Round.  Both the BBC and the mountain weather forecasts predicted cloudy, but dry conditions with 60% chance of cloud free summits.  This, in the end proved, to be correct, but initially we thought they had got it wrong as the cloud swept in and we were walking in mist.  Parking just outside Grasmere on the Dunmail Raise Road, we soon reached the beginning of the path up Steel Fell.  Straight forward, but not quite as gentle as the guide book would have us believe.  It didn’t seem long however before we were sitting by the summit cairn enjoying coffee and kitkat.  At this point the cloud cleared and we could see the whole of our route spread out before us: the boggy ridge round the head of the valley to Calf Crag and then the narrower ridge over Gibson Knott to Helm Crag with the ‘Lion and the Lamb’ on its summit.  Views were excellent all round from the Coniston and Langdale fells round the Thirlmere and the Helvellyn Ridge and finally Fairfield and down into Grasmere.  Meadow pipits were abundant up here and it was good to see my first wheatear if the summer.  I always enjoy listening to the joyous deep cronking of ravens as they wheel up above the fells and crags.  The walk around our horseshoe was fabulous providing changing views all the while.  The final summit of Helm Crag gave excellent views into Easedale where we had walked in March and also down into Grasmere.  Helm Crag is the only peak that Wainwright did not ‘summit’ on as it involves a few rock climbing moves up the summit rocks.  Not having my brown trousers with me, I decided that what was good for Wainwright was good enough for me.  No doubt my son will scoff.
We were soon back down at the car having covered 8.5miles and 2500 feet of climbing.  Beer o’clock and food called.

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