I was hoping to spend my birthday high on one of the Lakes biggest peaks; perhaps Helvellyn or even Scafell Pike, but it became clear fairly early in the week that the weather was going to make that a pointless exercise.

Instead I chose to walk a much lower level route, across some new ground for me. This worked well as it transpired. I could see many of the higher peaks
around me covered in cloud, but for the duration of my walk I had no such problems. I was also expecting a fair amount of rain, but although it tried once or twice, it didn’t seem to have the heart to rain on me properly.

I walked from the car park at White Moss; there are actually two car parks here, about 200 yards apart, I chose the one closer to Grasmere, simply because there was a ‘PC’ marked on the OS map. These toilets were actually closed when I arrived, but I’m sure they would be open by the time most people start walking.

Footbridge over the river linking Grasmere and Rydal Water

Ewe Crag

Loughrigg Terrace

Grasmere with Helm Crag behind

Loughrigg Terrace

Langdales from the path up to Loughrigg

On approach to Loughrigg summit

Chest high bracken on descent from Loughrigg

Silver How in the distance

On the path up to Silver How

Summit cairn on Silver How, Grasmere beyond

Lang How and smaller of the two tarns on Brigstone Moss

Brigstone Moss

Looking down onto Easedale Tarn

Summit of Blea Rigg (eastern highpoint)

Blea Crag

Although I’d seen a couple of walkers a long way ahead of me on the path to Blea
Rigg, I didn’t meet a soul on the fells until I got half way down the path to
Easedale Tarn, where I started to meet people walking up from Grasmere to
Easedale Tarn and some who then ventured further up the path towards Blea Rigg.

Tarn Crag above Easedale Tarn