Height: 2920 feet
Bible Position: The Grisedale Fells
Conditions:Sunny and warm with snow higher up
Viewranger Stats:
Position: Third highest in Eastern Fells
Other Wainwrights on this walk: Birkhouse Moor
First walk of 2018 although we have been keeping busy over the winter, walking around the Cleveland hills. Catstycam was the only top left outside of Wasdale so this was next on the list. It was my turn to drive and I picked Peter up just after 6.30 am. There has been some heavy snow over the past few weeks but the forecast today was good. We arrived in Glenridding just after 8 am but decided to drive a little further to Patterdale to park just outside the Scout Hut on the main road. We had plenty of layers for cold weather although even at this early hour it was looking like we wouldn’t need them.
Through the gate and straight over the field was our direction
Start of the walk
The start of the walk was quite easy, gradually climbing out of Patterdale. Our first destination of the day was in view to our left, the Hole in the Wall. The path was clear and gently rising to that point.
Our first destination “The hole in the wall”
For a late March morning and considering the snow line ahead of us, it was already very warm and we were both down to one or two layers very quickly.
Gently sloping path to the Hole in the Wall
Looking across the valley to St Sunday Crag
It was around this point that my Viewranger app linked to my Apple watch paused and I lost some of the walk stats (apologies that the stats below are not complete) and I didn’t realise until we were at Red Tarn up ahead.
Looking back to the start of the walk with Place Fell behind
We were now approaching the Hole in the Wall and we had already seen quite a few people on this walk. Now that Helvellyn has been voted Britains favourite walk it was clearly even more busy than usual.
First glimpse of Catstycam as we approach the Hole in the Wall
As we climbed the stile at the Hole in the Wall, the full panorama of Striding Edge, Hellvellyn, Swirral Edge and Catstycam opened up to us. There was plenty snow around but no heavy amounts in the direction we were heading.
Left to right Striding Edge, Hellvellyn, Swirral Edge (the deeper snow in the middle) and Catstycam
From this point the path was clear to the summit, towards Red Tarn and take the path to the right towards Swirral Edge, then turn right to the summit.
The stream coming off Red Tarn is under here somewhere and the path towards Swirral Edge can be seen ahead
Red Tarn looking like White Tarn today with Striding Edge behind
The final ascent to the summit
Catstycam Summit
We reached the summit just before noon and it was the calmest, warmest summit we had been to for some time, even though we were surrounded by snow.
Catstycam summit with Hellvellyn behind
Ullswater from the summit
Catstycam summit with Ullswater behind
Looking north towards the Buttermere Fells and Skiddaw with Hellvellyn Lower Man and Raise in the foreground
Looking East towards Ullswater
Swirral Edge in deep snow
The Descent
We sat at the summit for about half an hour as it was so warm and such great views today. We decided to descend the same way we had come up as it was fairly steady. It was actually a really easy descent to Red Tarn as the ground was so soft, it was like a shock absorber.
Red Tarn was absolutely heaving now with what seemed like bus loads of people. Rather than descend the same way we kept to the left of the Hole in the Wall and followed the wall down with it on our right all the way down.
Looking back up the descent from Birkhouse Moor
This did seem like a steeper descent and as we got closer to the car it was taking it’s toll on the knees.
The car is just ahead
We were heading for Lanty’s tarn which is in the trees just left of centre on the photo above. Just time for one last bait stop and finish off our final drinks. From Lanty’s tarn it was only about half an hour back to the car and we arrived back at the car just before 3.15.
Only 22,000 steps but some great views today and really good walk. Just time for a drink at the Brackenrigg Inn.
See you on the next one.
Apologies for having to break the Viewranger stats in two!
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