Fairfield Horseshoe 5th May 2014

I was going to do this on the Sunday but the weather forecast for Monday looked far more favourable. It may have been but unfortunately the first half of the walk (once I got onto high ground) was in mist.

I parked at Ambleside (NY 376047)  and  headed out on the Rydal Road (for about 1/3 mile)  before taking the public footpath to Rydal Hall. The path runs parallel to the stream before reaching the grounds of Rydal Hall. Turn right at the sign post for Nab Scar. Go left through the Rydal Hall buildings and over the bridge following the Grasmere/Rydal Mount signs.  There is another right hand sign to Nab scar and then start climbing up away from the grounds and Nab scar comes into sites. The path to the summit is a good one - steep in places . As I climbed higher I could see Rydal water to my left.



Just after leaving the Rydal Road



Nab Scar looms into view

Rydal Water from Nab Scar

From the summit of Nab Scar the path leads onto Heron Pike. At this point my way was still clear but as I started the climb to Heron Pike the mist closed in to about 30 m visibility , so the I was denied the great views I had hoped for up to fairfield and across to the descent ridge. So from this point my walk was a steady uphill climb across the summit of Heron Pike, Great Rigg and then Fairfield. I was surprised that the climb from Great Rigg to Fairfield was very gradual. Everything I had read said avoid Fairfield summit in the mist, and that advice was correct. Pretty soon (despite marking the entry onto the summit on my garmin) I became dis-oriented and could not find the path off towards Hart Crag. In good visibility this would be no problem. Eventually (when I thought I heading off towards Great Rigg) I met a fellow walker who had just come up from Hart Crag......so by mistake I was on the right track,

Heron Pike - Wainwright #50 !!

Looking back to Dove Crag



The Ascent Ridge

I followed the cairns through the mist and made sure once I had reached the summit of Hart crag that I left on the correct (not easy to find) right hand path. The obvious path leads to Hartsop above How.
The cairns leading to the summit of Dove Crag were essential as the path is none existent in places.

Thankfully, as I started to drop off Dove Crag the mist started lifting and I could see the amazing dry stone wall that leads all the way down to Ambleside. This took me past the peaks of High pike and Low Pike.


8 Wainwrights in 1 day feel like quite an achievement.
I have got to do this walk again in clearer weather. About 10.5 miles OS maps OL5 and OL 7







Follow the wall