This is the first of 4 walks on this visit to the Lake District this summer. The boys wanted to beat their previous highest mark (which was the Old Man of Coniston at 803m). We were staying in Braithwaite and the mountain of Skiddaw overlooks this village, it seemed an obvious choice. So 4 children and 3 adults set out from beside the A591 to climb to the Ullock Pike ridge. The route up to Skiddaw along Longside Edge is a classic trail and has the bonus of adding 3 more Wainwrights to the total on top of that of Skiddaw. Now I have climbed Skiddaw this way once before, back when I was seventeen. Myself and my brother made a rather poorly equipped summit of this mountain. On that day the weather was also dry but as we made our way up the finally slate climb the cloud dropped. Surely that couldn’t happen again, could it.
| Start – Alongside the A591 |
| Route – Dodd Wood – Ullock Pike – Longside Edge – Longside – Carlside Tarn – Skiddaw – Carlside Tarn – Carlside – White Stones – Long Doors – Dodd Wood – Sawmill Tearoom – Alongside the A591 |
| Distance – 7.5 miles Start time – 10am Time taken – 6hrs 15 mins (including tearoom brew) Highest Point – Skiddaw 931metres |
| Weather – Cloudy, including the cloud being down on Skiddaw summit |
© Crown copyright 2017 Ordnance Survey FL 2017 SF
Starting out along the path that runs parallel to the A591
And now climbing up to join the ridge to Ullock Pike
Quickly the views open up to Lake Bassenthwaite (the only named lake in the Lake District, the rest being meres, tarns or waters)
We’ve come up through the trees below and are looking back to the fells on the other side of Bassenthwaite, including Lords Seat
The group are just joining the ridge path
Ahead lies the Longside Edge, Ullock Pike is the pointy fell nearest to us and our first target
Looking back down, you gain height quickly here. Binsey is the fell to the north
The group. My two boys (in yellow and with his arm up), two of my brothers boys, my brother, Ian (in blue) and my brother in law, Neil
Lake Bassenthwaite, Sale Fell over the water
All smiles on the first summit of Ullock Pike, at 690metres its a fair way up
The view behind the group is glorious. Dodd is the dark fell in the foreground. Derwent Water to the left and the edge of Bass Lake right. Derwent Water is a theme of the photos along this ridge
Skiddaw is now in cloud, with Longside Edge running to the right
Bass Lake from Ullock Pike
About 15 minutes later we made Longside summit, Skiddaw is clear behind, maybe our luck is in
Keswick to the left of Derwent Water and many layers of fells all around
Carlside is dead ahead, however we wouldn’t head there yet, we branched left to head for the tarn first. Skiddaw Lower Man is the dark fell at the back
Southerndale lies below Longside Edge, the slopes of Skiddaw to the right with Binsey in the distance
The wind got up at Carlside tarn and it turned pretty cold
Looking back to the Longside Edge ridge as we start our way up Skiddaw, we decided against the normal sloped slate path with the kids instead we took the zigzag path up the end of Skiddaw
Even so this path was steep!!
A rain shower passed to the south however for us that meant lowering cloud, surely not again
Carlside and its tarn slowly disappearing
The long summit ridge, now in cloud. Second time I have walked here with the summit mainly clear only for it to cloud over as I summit. Still spirits are high
Many layers were put on as its was cold on the top. But this was a proud dad moment to get a 10 and 8 year old up to 931metres
We managed a few photos at the top but with all the wind shelters taken it wasn’t a place to hang around. As we dropped we came below the cloud to the view of the Edge again
Derwent Water emerges also
Layers of fells behind the Newlands Valley
Skiddaw and the two paths. To the left is the slanting slate path. Heading to the right, with a group of people on it is the more direct zigzag path
We were heading down to Long Doors so this meant an easy summit of Carlside was also reached
Fantastic view as we head down the path to Long Doors
Heather in bloom and the long ridge back left is the Helvellyn group
A patchwork of fields and plenty of fells
As we round the corner at White Stones, Dodd comes back into view
Zoomed in on Derwent Water, Keswick to the left
Long Doors ahead
All that is left is the easy path down to the tearooms
Tea and ice cream!!! It was another 5 minutes to the car from here, but that ended a fantastic walk with 7 very happy people
treksandtors 
Nice post. Your view from Skiddaw looked like mine ie nothing! The ridge looks a good walk.
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Its a fantastic way up Skiddaw, The section from Watches to Longside is especially good
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Well done to all the kids for sumitting a Lakeland 3000’er. Skiddaw was one of my first Lakeland peaks back in University days in the 80’s but amazingly I’ve never done it since. Always wanted to do the Ullock Pike route but never got around to it
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Its very strange, it was my first ever proper walk when I was 17, back in 1992. This was my first time up it since then!! I still need to go up Skiddaw Little Man so I have another chance to get a cloud free summit!!!
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What? You’ve kept that quite. Next time you’re up?
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I’m up in the Lakes at the end of Oct, Not planned any Wainwrights yet but this is an option as well as Lonscale Fell as I haven’t done that either
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Unlike Andy, I managed to climb Skiddaw lots of times when I was at Uni. Which is a bit odd since we were usually on the same trips. I’ve only done the Ullock Pike ridge a couple of times though and those were both a very long time ago. I also have a few obscure Birketts to bag out to the north, so I must get that way some time soon. Skiddaw is often maligned, but no less and authority than Hamish Brown speaks highly of it, so who am I to quibble?
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Ice cream is always a good end to a walk! We were fogged in on Skiddaw as well, but it’s a nice walk anyway.
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