I started Saturday 5th October 2019 with the lofty intentions of reaching the Grasmoor plateau from Braithwaite before descending down to Buttermere for a toasted teacake. With 98 Wainwright summits in the bag, the five new summits on the route would see me smash through the 100 barrier, with my 100th peak itself being a good one - Crag Hill. Best laid plans and all...
It all went to plan until I hopped off the bus at Braithwaite. There were no demons in the sky, with high clouds and not much risk of rain (bad) or fog (worse). I'm no novice, but solo hiking when the clouds close in is nonetheless an extremely unnerving experience.
Unfortunately, there were some demons in my left leg. Only a tiny twinge, but enough to remember that it is an awfully long way down from Grasmoor with a gammy leg. Time for plan B - a short hop on the bus to Scawgill Bridge for the short, sharp, steep ascent to Graystones, the highest point on Kirk Fell.
I'd climbed the remaining fells in what I will unimaginatively dub the "Whinlatter group" (Lord's Seat, Whinlatter, Broom Fell, and Barf) with family in summer 2018, but Graystones (ironically the lowest of the five summits) was a few steps too far for our route that day, and was left all alone unchecked on my list. Time to put it back into better company.
Wainwright described the clamber from the Spout Force car park up to Graystones as "hardly worth the effort". He preferred the longer, north-west route from the Vale of Lorton, or the ridge from Broom Fell. Without a car, neither of these were an option, so off I went to see whether it was fair to say that the route "lacks excitement", as Wainwright did.
And so, to the results from the Lindley jury: Wainwright was being more than a little harsh. It is brutishly steep in parts, but never nasty (a good and easy to follow path all the way up) and mercifully short. With the gradient, make sure to budget a little longer time-wise than you might otherwise do for an ascent that barely covers three-quarters of a mile.
As reward for your efforts, you get a lovely view behind you of the western reaches of Whinlatter Forest and the rise up to Grasmoor and Grisedale Pike. From the summit (putting aside the feeble cairn) the view opens up to the north and west, with the Scottish lowlands well seen on a clear day.
I didn't hang around too long, as I wanted to detour to Spout Force before hopping back on the bus. Alas, this really was hardly worth the effort. It's a sweet little woodland walk which finishes abruptly at a viewing platform, but Spout Force is barely seen through all the foliage. Perhaps in the depths of winter you might get a better view; it's definitely not worth a special trip.
Having walked a much shorter distance than originally planned, I took the bus the long way around, hoping to get that toasted teacake after all at Croft House Farm Café in Buttermere. Alas, it was shut that week for refurbishment. It's open again now though, and comes highly recommended. So no teacake, and no 100th Wainwright that day - but a lovely little walk nonetheless.
Date of walk: 5th October 2019
Summits gained: Graystones
Landmarks: Spout Force
Total distance: 3.4km (including the detour to Spout Force)
Total ascent: 424m
Getting there
The circular Stagecoach Cumbria 77 and 77A services run clockwise and counter-clockwise from Keswick to Buttermere, but only from March to October. Check out their website for the route and timetables. By car, take the B5292 from Braithwaite over the Whinlatter pass; there’s a car park at Scawgill Bridge.
Top tip
On the descent you’ll be really tempted to carry on straight down the wall - especially if you are trying to cut the corner to Spout Force. Don’t do it - it’s too steep, too slippery, and not safe.