Saturday 2nd April, 2005

A Three Valley Adventure

Start Point: NY 483 057

End Point:  NY 455 041

Distance:  15.5 miles

Max Height: 2718 feet

Height Ascended:  4590 feet

Estimated Time:  7hours

Weather: A spring day with hazy conditions.  visibility   Warm temperatures.  10 C at 2000 feet.

General Description:  Starting from Sadgill, Longsleddale, an ascent of Branstree and Selside Pike via Gatescarth Pass.  From Selside a descent to Mardale Head and ascent to Blea Water.  High Street ascended via Blea Water Gill (ascent of the corrie back wall) which is a grade 3 scramble.  High Street and Thornethwaite Beacon traversed before descending Gavel Crag following the infant River Kent to Kentmere Church.

Goat Scar, Kentmere Pike from the zig-zag on Gatescarth Pass.

Packhorse bridge over the infant River Sprint.

An old boiler lies discarded in Wren Gill - the quarry here is really worth a careful exploration.

The tipper section of an old quarry railway truck

Wren Gill is dry in one section where the waters enter a pot hole

The jewel in the crown - a twenty foot waterfall drops into the upper section of Wren Gill before disappearing in a artificial pothole.

Having ascended Branstree and Selside Pike the views over Haweswater reveal themselves on the descent to Mardale.

'The Rigg' a view hailed by A.W. as the "grandest valley head in Lakeland".  He liked the isolation of Mardale Head and the symmetry of valley formation.

Just south of the 'corpse' road

Nearing Mardale Head

And if A.W. could see this view today!?  I suppose the advice is, "Park Early!"

Branstree with Gatescarth Pass on the right - the earlier objective.

At Blea Water my proposed route up High Street revealed itself.  Blea Water Gill is a Grade 3 scramble with an 800 feet ascent from Blea Water to a point about 500 metres south-south-east of High Street summit

In the lower reaches of Blea Water Gill

This was a great day with a route which criss-crossed some of Lakeland's busiest paths.  Despite the crowds on the main routes the described route marched off the beaten track and managed to avoid the hoards.  It just goes to show, that with planning you can avoid busy routes and maintain that feeling of remoteness even on the busiest day.  If you do enjoy scrambling, Blea Water Gill was a great route to ascend one of Lakeland's most famous mountains.  This was however, a long route and should be best reserved for summer months when days are long.

Peter M. Burgess, 2005

'fellrunning'