Branstree and Selside Pike

An early start meant I easily got a parking space at Mardale Head. No messing about on this walk as it's straight up from the car park heading for Gatesgarth Pass. It's worth it though for the stunning views of Little Harter Fell and Adam Seat to the right. Upon reaching Gatescarth pass I followed the indistinct path up to Branstree rather than following the fence. The flat summit of Branstree is rather underwhelming to be honest so I quickly headed for the first of the cairns to the North East where I stopped for coffee. A word on Branstree: is the trig point the Wainwright top or is it off to the North West slightly?

The impressive Little Harter Fell / Adam Seat

Looking back towards High Street

A glimpse of Haweswater

Gatescarth Pass

Little Harter Fell - another case of why is this not a Wainwright?

Branstree Summit

An enjoyable walk over to Selside Pike now. Not much to report here except for the ford crossing, which I made a bit of a meal of to be honest, hurling my pole and pack over before bravely leaping the 1 metre muddy gap. The summit of Selside Pike wasn't much to write home about however a short way down the descent did offer a nice view down Swindale.

Perilous ford crossing

Swindale

An enjoyable steady descent before the steep zig zags back down to the lake. I stopped for lunch wuth gorgeous views of the abandoned buildings and the lake.

Lunch spot

The descent wasn't as bad as it looked on paper and I was soon down to the road where I nipped across to follow the lakeside path. Expecting a nice flat walk along the lake back to the car I was slightly disappointed to find this a bit fiddly, with various ups and downs, however the beck crossing on the old bridge was fun and there was some flora and fauna to enjoy as well as the lake itself.

Beck crossing

Lakeside views

Lakeside path

Despite the somewhat underwhelming tops I enjoyed this one, a lovely half day walk.