Haweswater : You can see why
Small Water + Haweswater
The weather didn't look promising desite the weather man on Radio 4 this morning suggesting dry and sunny day with a little showery weather in the North West. Remember this is the Lake District and the Victorians built the resevoirs here for a good reason, it's normally pissing down and today was no exception.
High Street, 2700 odd feet and it's far easterly aspect I thought would keep most of the cloud and rain off, wrong. It was raining moderately when I arrived at the car park at the southerly end of Haweswater, which despite the weather, was already crowded.
The route taken was the one from Haweswater or rather Mardale Head, around the resevoir 'The Rigg' and up the steep, craggy and almost dead straight ridge directly to the summit of High Street. The two main features along the route are Rough Crag and Long Stile are bounded on the north by steep crags that fall into Riggindale and on the south side by Blea Tarn. Beautiful views on a sunny day no doubt but from my perspective today were just notional landmarks 'over there somewhere' hidden in the mist and cloud.
At the cairn at the top of Long Stile, a brief stop for some munchies, more clothing because it was by now very windy and cold, a chat to some folk doing the same thing a study of the map and then off at a run to the summit itself. The run and the additional layer helps to warm me up but I still can't see anything and decide that common sense means get down and to the pub as quickly as I can!
The route is easy now there's a very well defined path to Mardale Ill Bell and beyond to Nan Bield Pass where the path drops down to Small Water then directly back to the car park.
Labels: Haweswater, High Street, Lake District, weather
