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Date: 01/06/2014
From: Honister
Parking: Honister Slate Mine
Start Point: Honister Slate Mine
Region: Western Fells
Route length: 5 miles (8km)
Time taken: 02:27
Average speed: 2.0mph
Ascent: 598m
Descent: 601m
Wainwrights on this walk:
Dale Head (753m), Hindscarth (727m)
Additional summits: None
Other points of interest: Honister Crag
As a fan of all things mountainous (in the Lake District at least), what better place to have a stag do than the aforementioned National Park? Yes, that's right, at the time of writing this I am now a very happily married man.
As part of a classic stag do-type weekend away, in the tradition that is to complete a manly task one day followed by copious amounts of drinking and something less taxing the next, we found ourselves based in a rustic camping barn in Borrowdale, ideally located for a trip to the slate mine at Honister followed up by a quick glimpse at the fells that guard the Honister Pass.
Some of you may be aware that Honister is home to the UK's only via ferrata route (excluding a small one that can be found at How Stean Gorge in the Yorkshire Dales). For those of you who aren't aware, a via ferrata (Italian for "iron road") is a protected climbing route - generally found in the Alps. The essence of a via ferrata route is a steel cable that is periodically bolted to the mountainside, in addition to other climbing aids such as metal rungs, pegs and bridges. This allows even the most inexperienced (like us) to experience something resembling rock climbing, without the risk of falling or the actual requirement to be able to do it.
Via ferratas are strongly associated with the First World War when several were built in the Dolomite mountain region of Italy to aid the movement of troops. Thankfully, Honister's is purely for tourism rather than the rapid deployment of Italian soldiers.
The via ferrata at Honister |
The route follows an old mine track, you can see the cargo net just above the centre of the picture |
The starting point |
One of a number of ladders we had to climb |
Entering Bull Gill |
Bull Gill from my point of view |
On the Burma Bridge |
The gang and Bull Gill |
The Burma Bridge crossing Bull Gill |
Atop Honister Crag |
Success! |
Heading up from Honister |
Clouds build over Scafell Pike |
The final stretch to the summit |
A glimpse through the Black Sail Pass |
The large summit cairn on Dale Head |
The fabulous Newlands Valley |
Newlands and Skiddaw |
Fleetwith Pike and Gatesgarth |
The Burma Bridge over Bull Gill on Fleetwith Pike |
Hindscarth from Dale Head |
The path descending from Dale Head along Hindscarth Edge |
Hindscarth's jumbled summit |
Large shelter cairn at Scope End |
Red Knott, Scope End and Newlands |
Returning off Hindscarth |
Hindscarth Edge |
Newlands |
Off back to Honister |
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