A Wild Hike on Fleetwith Pike
Last week on our hike around Buttermere, the narrow, craggy ridge leading up to the summit of Fleetwith Pike caught our attention as being a small but rugged mountain that looked fun to climb. With a single bright day sandwiched between several stormy ones we drove back to Buttermere on Saturday to see if we were right.
Here we go, heading up the nose of Fleetwith Pike
The day did not dawn as bright as we were expecting, and with ice on the roads on our journey in we knew we were in for a cold day but it felt good to be headed out on a small adventure for the first time in a while - snatching a window of opportunity and seeing what we could do with it.
Strong winds dragged low clouds across the tops of the surrounding peaks, yet the summit of Fleetwith Pike stayed cloud free as we made our way steadily up and around the bulging mass of Low Raven Crag. We passed by a white memorial cross that marks the spot where Fanny Mercer slipped and fell to her death in 1887 - an ominous reminder to not take risks in the mountains for granted.
This was one of those hills that goes straight up from the start and we gained height quickly. Sheltered from the wind behind a rocky outcrop, we watched a buzzard circling ever upwards whilst we ate snacks and warmed ourselves with coffee and hot chocolate. It was too cold to stop for long, so we shouldered our packs and continued to climb upwards - from here the route became rockier with a series of short but steep scrambles where hands and concentration were needed. These are my favourite bits, and Benji seems to like them too - a little bit of risk to keep things interesting, each section a small test of ability and nerve.
After a few false summits we made it to the top just before the weather started to move in - white, ghost-like sheets of sleety rain were rapidly approaching so we didn't linger long at the summit cairn and made our way over the back of the hill and off the ridge towards Warnscale Beck and our route down the steep and rugged valley between Fleetwith Pike and the near vertical walls of Haystacks which tower ominously above. Just before the rain hit, we ducked into Dubs hut - a bothy managed by the Mountain Bothies Association- to put on our waterproof layers. Grateful for the refuge and fully geared up, we braced the icy, wind driven rain and marched down the long but easy path towards the end of our hike, stopping every now and then to glance up at the steep walls of rock all around us and marvel at the mountain scenery. It had indeed been a fun hike, and one we’d like to do it again but hopefully in better weather…
