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The Fellwalker by Peter John Farnworth
WALK 35 MONDAY AUGUST 22nd 1988This walk today will take us up to Haystacks, which has the advantage of being at the head of Honister Pass where there is a good car park at the side of the YHA Hostel. This, by the way, is where we stayed for two nights when we climbed the summits in this area.
You leave the car park and walk up the road for about twenty yards to where you see the path next to the Westmoreland Green Slate Co. Follow this path, which is now covered with loose slate. Before it was covered, this was the old tram way from Dubs Quarry (now disused.) As you pass this point it's open fell with easy walking ,then you come to a place which is so peaceful. Now this is a place where you can really put the world to right – Innominate Tarn. This leads me nicely into how it all begin for me, all those years ago, for the man who inspired me to walk these mountains was, in my opinion, one of the best writers of the Lakeland Fells books you could ever read. His name, Mr A W Wainwright. I would also think he inspired many of the authors who write today’s Fell books. Unfortunately he passed away on January 20th 1993, three days after his eighty-fourth birthday. I am led to believe that his ashes were placed at Innominate Tarn, but I could stand to be corrected. Wainwright had a dream to see and climb the high fells, just as I did, and I would very much like to think that in some small way I have contributed, and that someone will benefit from what I have written. I found that when standing on Haystacks (this overlooks the Tarn) it seemed to put you in touch with all the great mountains in the area. If you stood there awhile with pen and paper, I would think that you could see and note all the principal summits within the area and beyond (it's that sort of place.) I found the walk up from Scarth Gap very hard work indeed. It rises by 1,000ft to the summit of High Crag, but it is well worth the effort as you stand here with outstanding views down to Ennerdale valley and across to Pillar. Also, at the head of this valley, is Great Gable. When you stand at the lower fells like this one, you get a better picture of the high fells in their glory. When we arrived at High Stile we could see the beauty of Buttermere (Lake} below and, over on the other side to Grasmoor, the group of mountains where we were the other day. With easier walking we arrived at Red Pike with fine views of Loweswater, Crummock Water, and Ennerdale Water. This was a very fine ridge walk, and also one of the better walks we have undertaken. Mountains walked that day: Haystacks 135 High Crag 64 High Stile 30 Red Pike 61 [[]] Diagram & Stats
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