So the promise of late autumn sunshine lured us back to the Lakes for a walk I had seen and planned for over a few months. When on holiday in the Lakes in August we went to Haweswater for the first time and I was enchanted by it. No shops or cafes, just beautiful scenery and a lovely lake (albeit man-made at the expense of the village of Mardale).
Having secured a room at the Haweswater hotel on Friday we were at the car park at the end of Haweswater at 9:05 and got he last proper parking space!
We packed the bags, popped on the boots and set off towards Small Water.
The paths aims towards the right on this photo and is relatively gentle.
Small Water is a lovely spot if you fancied a small walk and lunch but we aimed right, following the path.
The dip you can see on the photo above is where you're aiming. This is the real hard work of the whole day. It's up and up!
At the top you get to a wind shelter which was definitely needed and then you turn right.
The route to Mardale Ill Bell.
Just around the corner you get the first sight of fell number 1 for the day.
And after an hour and 40 minutes we were there!
I look like a shepherd auditioning for one man and his dog!
And now we turned our sights to High Street - the 25th highest Wainwright.