Nethermost Pike - Route One

 

Start - Patterdale NY 395 159 Distance - 4.8 miles Ascent - 2,880 feet Time - 3 hours : 15 minutes

 

 

The walk starts from the car park opposite the Patterdale Hotel.  Follow the footpath signs which direct you around the side of the hotel and a path through the small wooded enclosure of Mill Moss.   A handgate in the fence around Mill Moss gives access to the open fellside of Arnison Crag
The footpath crosses over the foot of Arnison Crag's north ridge, bound for Grisedale via Glemara Park
Looking back along the path, the gate in the Mill Moss enclosure can be seen on the lower left
Looking over to Place Fell
The entrance to the Glemara Park enclosure 
 The path  through Glemara Park descends and crosses Hag Beck then countours around the foot Thornhow End, the north ridge of Birks
Ullswater from Glemara Park
Looking up to Thornhow End
Birkhouse Moor on the left with Sheffield Pike above the summit of Keldas on the right from Glemara Park
On leaving the Glemara Park enclosure the east ridge of Nethermost Pike comes into view
The path passes through another handgate and descends to join the Grisedale valley road
Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike from the Grisedale valley road
St. Sunday Crag and Dollywaggon Pike from the Grisedale valley road
Looking back towards Place Fell
Dollywaggon Pike, High Crag and Nethermost Pike from the track to Elmhow Farm
Elmhow Farm
Dollywaggon Pike, High Crag and Nethermost Pike from Elmhow Farm
The track passes to the left of the old barn.  Beyond the gate is the start of the Elmhow zig-zag path.  Once a popular route to St. Sunday Crag it has now fallen from favour and its start is difficult to trace
Sunlight highlights Eagle Crag below the steep prow of Nethermost Pike's east ridge
Dollywaggon Pike from Crossing Plantation
Eagle Crag and the east ridge of Nethermost Pike from Crossing Plantation
Nethermost Cove from the western edge of Crossing Plantation.  The red line indicates the route taken to reach the lip of the cove overlooking Calf Hole
Beyond Crossing Plantation the track descends slightly before resuming its climb to Grisedale Tarn
Just before the track resumes its climb to Grisedale Tarn, a path turns off to cross a footbridge over Grisedale Beck
Dollywaggon Pike from the footbridge over Grisedale Beck
From the footbridge the path rises to join the main Patterdale~Grisedale Tarn path on the northern side of the valley
Cofa Pike on Fairfield to the left with Tarn Crag and Falcon Crag on Dollywaggon Pike to the right, viewed from the path to Grisedale Tarn
The route to Nethermost Cove turns back along the path for about 250 yards to the start of an old miners' path
The miners' path runs in a narrow groove rising to an old mine level above the lower waterfalls of Nethermostcove Beck.  The start, which can be difficult to locate when the bracken is high, is marked by a small cairn on a boulder 
Grisedale Hause from the miners' path
Eagle Crag from the intake wall which is crossed by a stile built into the wall
Above the wall the approach to the cove becomes much rougher as the path passes through a boulder field
Looking across to the old lead mines at the foot of Eagle Crag
Place Fell and the lower part of Grisedale
The top of Eagle Crag above Nethermostcove Beck
St. Sunday Crag across Eagle Crag
The miners' path fades as it approaches Nethermostcove Beck.  It is usually possible to cross the beck just below the upper falls where it flows in a narrow channel.  If it is in spate then it's safer to cross it at one of several points above the falls.  Once across, the route climbs the grassy slope on the left of the photo to reach the lip of Nethermost Cove.  There is hardly any trace of a path along this section until the east ridge is gained
Looking back to Place Fell from the crossing point of Nethermostcove Beck
Approaching the lip of Nethermost Cove
The full length of the east ridge appears over the lip of the cove
Helvellyn across Nethermost Cove
Nethermost Pike across Calf Hole
Climbing onto the east ridge
Looking along the east ridge of Nethermost Pike
Helvellyn and Striding Edge across Nethermost Cove from the east ridge
Fairfield from the east ridge
Dollywaggon Pike and High Crag from the path along the east ridge
St. Sunday Crag from the east ridge
Looking back towards Place Fell and Grisedale
Approaching the steep upper part of the ridge
Dollywaggon Pike across Ruthwaite Cove
Looking back along the lower part of the east ridge
Fairfield across Ruthwaite Cove
There is no difficulty in climbing the final part of the ridge other than its steepness, although the upper arete does require some mild scrambling
Looking across Nethermost Cove to Striding Edge
Looking across Ruthwaite Cove to Fairfield and Dollywaggon Pike from the climb up the upper part of the east ridge
Approaching the top of the ridge, the arete can be seen on the left skyline
Ullswater from the upper part of the east ridge
Looking down onto Hard Tarn in Ruthwaite Cove
The upper arete on the east ridge
Catstycam appears over Striding Edge
Approaching the top of the east ridge
Looking back along the route of ascent
Looking down to Ruthwaite Cove from the top of the east ridge.  Ruthwaite Lodge, a climbing hut, can be seen at its foot
Dollywaggon Pike and High Crag across Ruthwaite Cove from the top of the east ridge
Ullswater, Place Fell and Grisedale from the top of the east ridge
All that remains is a simple climb over a  gentle grass slope to reach the extensive summit plateau of Nethermost Pike
The summit cairn comes into view
Looking back to the top of the east ridge from the edge of the summit plateau
The summit cairn on Nethermost Pike
Helvellyn from the north-western cairn
Catstycam and Striding Edge from the north-western cairn
Grisedale and St. Sunday Crag from the edge of the summit plateau
Looking across to the east ridge from the edge of the summit plateau
The summits of Caudale Moor, Froswick, Ill Bell, Yoke, Red Screes, Fairfield, Great Rigg and Dollywaggon Pike across the summit plateau
High Crag on the left with the Coniston fells in the centre
Esk Pike, Scafell, Scafell Pike, Great End, Lingmell, Glaramara, Great Gable, Kirk Fell, Red Pike (Wasdale), Scoat Fell, Pillar, High Crag, High Stile and Red Pike (Buttermere) form the skyline
Grasmoor and Grisedale Pike are prominent in the north western fells on the horizon

 

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