ULLSCARF 4 September 2005
A very warm day was clearly in prospect, and we were glad to be able to park our car in the shade of the trees at Armboth car park by the shore of Thirlmere.
Raven Crag looked over the lake as we set out.
Our first target was High Tove, and as we climbed up the path alongside Fisher Gill, we got good views across Thirlmere to the Dodds.
"Marshy ground is everywhere above 1250 feet" says Wainwright, and after we had passed this conspicuous boulder this still proved to be the case nearly 50 years after he had written his guidebook.
High Tove (1665') lies on the central spine of Lakeland, and a fence runs along much of its length. Here by the top of High Tove the fence leads north to High Seat.
A tarn or a large bog? Whilst it makes a pleasing foreground for this picture, it was also a harbinger of the miry bits to come!
The summit cairn of High Tove with Helvellyn behind.
A feature of the first part of the long tramp to Ullscarf was the blooming heather.
Whoever called this walk "dreary"? Colourful rocks, grasses, and heather with views to match (here to High Spy and the fells above Newlands).
A feature of this walk was to be the interesting and colourful images created in the golden late summer light alongside the fence.
A dramatic corner in the fence.
The posts look like the remains of an ancient stockade.
A striking foreground for this view of Helvellyn across the valley in which lies Thirlmere.
Eventually before the route starts the rise up to Ullscarf we pass one of the several Blea Tarns in the Lake District.
High cloud over Helvellyn.
Looking the other way the gate leads the eye to the north western fells.
Nearing the top of Ullscarf now, and another fence points north to Bassenthwaite Lake and the Skiddaw massif.
The skyscape above the Helvellyn ridge and Fairfield (just a pile of stones) is constantly changing.
The summit of Ullscarf at 2370'. This always seems the most remote of the central fells, the more so on such a hot day as today.
A rock outcrop near the summit provides the foreground for the view of the highest ground in England, the Scafells and Great Gable.
We start back down retracing our route of ascent for the first mile or so. This sheep looks puzzled as to why we are up here in this heat!
That fence again!
The weather beaten fence posts reflect the afternoon sun.
This time the posts are the foreground for Raise and White Side.
Below Standing Crag there is this lovely pool.
Even the fencing can't detract from this picture. Shortly after this we started to traverse the heathery marsh that leads to Armboth Fell.
Eventually some rocks break out of the morass and as we approached them this peacock butterfly settled on the ground just ahead of me. I actually managed to get the close-up focus right before it closed its wings!
The top (summit doesn't seem to be the right word!) of Armboth Fell (1570') is on this whale of rock.
We then followed Bill Birkett's suggestion and struggled through more marsh to reach the top of Fisher Crag to see the views of Thirlmere.
Hazy, but very muggy, now. We found a route down to the car which is in neither Wainwright nor Birkett but follows a forest road all the way.