Haweswater and High street

Hi all,

During my holidays in the Lake District in august I would like to activate Haweswater for the WFF programme and go to High Street after that, leaving from Haweswater.

Does anyone has any experience with this summit but departing from Haweswater?

Thank you!

73

Peter

In reply to ON3WAB:

Hi, Peter. There is a good road to the west end of Haweswater and a car park, popular with bird-watchers. The lake finishes in bogs there, but there is a rough track around the bogs and back eastward on the far side. Follow this until by a wood a track heads back left up the ridge, follow this ridge up westward, its a scenic and direct but not too difficult route to the summit of High Street. If you are feeling energetic you can then descend the southeast ridge around Blea Water, cross the summit of Mardale Ill Bell and continue in the same line to activate LD-016, Harter Fell.

73

Brian G8ADD

Hi Brian,

Thank you for the info. I would go all the way till the end to the carpark. I looked at it on google maps.

In my Philips road atlas though I saw the Harter Fell, but it doesn’t seem to be in the summits list on the Sotawatch. The only Harter Fell I find is in Eskdale (LD-028).

Peter

That Harter Fell used to be a SOTA summit reference G/LD-016, but it has long been deleted, since resurveying found it to fall short of Marilyn status.

Jimmy and I enjoyed that approach onto High Street G/LD-011 very much, but took a much longer circuit back to the car afterwards!

http://tomread.co.uk/high_street_ld-011.htm

Tom M1EYP

Hi Peter

A good circuit if you have the time and the energy is a 9 mile/3200ft ascent full day walk taking in High Street and 5 Wainwright summits, 3 of which are very close together. Go south to Harter Fell via the Gatesgarth Pass first. Then go north west to cross the Nan Bield Pass and climb to Mardale Ill Bell. High Street follows and then you have WOTA summits of The Knott, Rampsgill Head and Kidsty Pike (one of the most popular Lakeland summits) to finish off. Then it is back down to the Haweswater car park on the Coast to Coast path. Most people operate 2m FM from the Wainwright summits then you can cover several of them in a day. From those summits you would reach into Wales and into Lancashire with a simple vertical and 5 watts and probably make between 5 and 15 QSOs from each one. More info on the WOTA website run by G4ILO.

To shorten the route you could forget Harter Fell and Mardale Ill Bell and do the rest, going up to High Street via Riggindale Crag (almost 8 mile and still 2700 ft ascent.

Enjoy your holiday in the LD!

73 Phil

Isn’t Thornthwaite Beacon another WOTA that could be included?

Tom M1EYP

You beat me to my following question, Phil.

I have to take in consideration the health of my wife. Last year we did Old man of Coniston. Can High Street and Old Man be compared? I see both are 8 points summits.

Peter

Hi Peter (& Tom)

Yes, Thornthwaite Beacon LDW-043 could be included and so could High Raise LDW-031 - they aren’t that far out but you have to draw the line somewhere with Wainwrights and it all depends on what you are capable of in the day.

I went up Coniston Old Man last week on a circuit of Wainwrights. I went up via Dow Crag, a longer and less steeper way up than the miners track. It depends which way you went last year. If you went up from the car park at SD 289970 then the ascent would be less than 2000 feet to the top of Old Man, so that would make it an easier walk than High Street. If you went up from Coniston Village then the walk would be more comparable with a walk up High Street in terms of the effort needed to complete it.

73 Phil

Good morning Peter (& Phil)

I say this purely from anecdotal memory, rather than reference to map data like distance and height gain. But I’m sure I found the ascent of High Street G/LD-011 from Haweswater easier than that of Coniston Old Man G/LD-013 from the high car park. ISTR the former is nicely graded up a ridge, whereas the latter is more steep and relentless.

Perhaps Jimmy will add a comment or correct me if I am wrong. I trust his memory more than mine!

Tom M1EYP

Forgot to add, we started from Coniston village, via the miners track.

Hi Peter and (Dad),

I also think that ascent up High Street G/LD-011 via the ridge from Hawswater is easier than the ascent up The Old Man of Coniston G/LD-013 from Coniston village.

Jimmy M3EYP

Thank you Jimmy.

73

Peter

In reply to ON3WAB:

Sorry I included Harter Fell, it is still marked on my maps and I forgot that it was no longer valid, I must cross it off!

The route up through the old quarry workings on the Coniston Old Man are an unrelenting slog relieved by some interesting industrial archaeology - if you like that sort of thing! After the lake (Low Water) it is more fun. The east ridge to High Street is a lot more fun, not as steep, more natural, and very scenic.

73

Brian G8ADD

PS I firmly believe that the very best route up the Old Man starts by climbing Wetherlam…but I guess most SOTA activators would give that one a miss!