Our week in the Lakes arrived and with it the possibility of some changeable weather. To be honest we did pretty well, looking at the forecast the first 3 days would be good, so out we went for 3 walks. Then a day of rain followed by a mixed bag, where we got one more walk in. This was our first walk which started at around 11.45am from the bottom of the Kirkstone pass in a layby not far from the Brotherswater Inn. The day for us however had started at 3.30am, as I got up to drive us north for around 400 miles or so. We were on the road by 4am and got to junction 36 of the M6 by 10.30am via a couple of stops for coffee and breakfast. We hit lots of traffic on the dual carriageway into Windermere, which was for some folk festival at Staveley I think. Meaning we didn’t get over the Kirkstone pass until half eleven. Boots on and we were off, just a short walk but two fells, which was good. The Caiston Beck route up is a very good one, and as the weather was warm it was good for cooling off. We should have gone to the western side of the beck on one of the bridges lower down as the eastern path is very soggy and peters out lots of times. Still we made the summit quickly and enjoyed some fantastic views to Dove Crag as we descended to High Hartsop Dodd. Heading off the front of this one we headed down through the bracken to hit a path lower down, thus cutting the corner. But too be honest you are better not bothering and stay on the path down the nose and join the path which reverses back into Caiston valley at the bottom. Its just a quick as two people who we spoke to lots on the walk proved. A grand start to the week, now to head and find our house in Grasmere which was our base for the week.
| Start – Layby A592 near the Brotherswater Inn |
| Route – Caiston Beck – Scandale Pass – Little Hart Crag – High Hartsop Dodd – Caiston Beck – A592 |
| Distance – 4 miles Start time – 11.50am Time taken – 3hrs 15mins Highest Point – Little Hart Crag 637metres |
| Weather – Sunny, pretty warm and humid. Some cloud |
© Crown copyright 2019 Ordnance Survey FL 2019 SF
And we are off. A long drive to get here with the legs feeling a bit stiff to start with. But before too long, the boys were scampering up Caiston Beck in the valley ahead. That’s Middle Dodd on the left
The first bridge as we head across the fields to the beck, there’s another bridge over there by the trees which we should have used to go up the western side of the beck on a better path than that on the eastern side. Next time maybe.
Gaining height and the views to Brothers Water open up. Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes in view as well
Caiston Beck, needed to cool off!
At the top of Scandale Pass and its just a short walk to the summit of Little Hart Crag. The boys are making light work of the gradient as I plod up behind them.
The other side of the Sacndale Pass descends into Scandale itself. Low Pike is the pointy fell
Same view from higher up as Scandale Tarn is in view now. A small piece of Windermere in view in the distance
The top of Little Hart Crag and some fine craggy scenery behind including St Sunday Crag and Dove Crag
Lovely mountain scenery
After a nice stop at the summit we started down the short descent to High Hartsop Dodd
The views west along this path need to be seen. Dove Crag looks great from here and the ridges of St Sunday, Striding Edge and Hartsop above How all overlap each other. Great stuff.
High Hartsop Dodd with Brothers Water behind. The high bulky looking fell is Place Fell
Looking back up the ridge to Little Hart Crag with Red Screes to the left
That view to the west
As you drop off the front of High Hartsop Dodd the view down to Brothers Water gets better. Brock Crags is over there on the right and the Kirkstone Pass road below that
The ever improving view and the boys making haste down the front of the fell
At this fence we hung a right and followed it to a lower path. Don’t bother in summer as the bracken is a pain. Keep heading onwards to the foot of the fell and then turn right on the same path
At the end of the bracken here with Caiston Beck below and Middle Dodd opposite
Looking out from the valley towards Angletarn Pikes
Back at the start now with Middle Dodd left and the Caiston Beck valley, our route up, to the right. A fine walk to start with and perfect after a long drive.
treksandtors 
Nice walk by the look of it. I haven’t done your 2nd hill yet.
Urgh re the drive though – I’d be in no state to walk after that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did think long and hard about a walk. But as it was only midday it seemed like a decent thing to do. Only 4 miles as well. Not sure I’d fancy High Hartsop Dodd up the nose to the summit. Its pretty steep although not too long
LikeLike
That was goodgoing after such an early start and a long drive! But I can certainly understand you’d want to get up on the fells as soon as possible after you’ve arrived.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a case of needing to stretch the legs a bit after being in the car for so long and also we had 4 hours to kill waiting to get the keys for our accommodation. This walk worked perfectly
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can understand that after such a long drive. I feel the need to do the same after less than a couple of hours in the car.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s commitment! My kind of thinking as well, make the most of decent weather in the mountains while you can. A great little route, so many valleys and ridges in this corner of the Lakes
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are at least 5 or 6 valleys that you can explore from the top of the Kirkstone to Patterdale, on either side of the main road. This one perhaps isn’t as grand as Dovedale or Deepdale but it was a good one. Looking at the Wainwright book for Little Hart Crag there’s another path that heads up Dovedale and then follows a beck up to Black Brow which would have been another good route up to this one
LikeLiked by 1 person