Skiddaw via Barkbethdale

Distance: 14.0km (8.69 Miles)
Ascent: 970m (3182ft)
Duration: 4 Hours 52 Minutes

The weather was set to be fantastic today so with overnight snowfall it was a grand day out up Skiddaw for today!

A view up Barkbethdale which is my chosen route of ascent today.

Sale Fell in the sunshine with a little bit of Bassenthwaite Lake visible.

Binsey in the sunshine too. As my chosen route of ascent was from the North I was in the shade for a good while before getting some sunshine!

One of the rare moments I was in the sun before heading back into the shade.

The end of Southerndale looking to Binsey.

Barkbethdale.

A view down Barkbethdale to the Cumbrian Coast. The wind turbines in the top right are the same ones as in the next photo.

A view way past the turbines to Criffel in Scotland.

And snowy mountains way beyond Criffel. These are about 60-80miles away I think...

A view west over Barkbethdale. Bassenthwaite Lake looks nice and calm today.

Reflections in Bass Lake. The fell is called Sale Fell.

A view over frozen heather to the Solway Firth.

Frozen heather along my path.

More frozen heather.

A view over Broom Fell to the Isle of Man.

Frozen slopes of Skiddaw.

Crisp ice.

A frozen cairn on the way up Skiddaw.

The northern most top of Skiddaw looking to the main peak.

Here looking in the opposite direction to Scotland.

Bowscale Fell in the foreground and Cross Fell in the Pennines and the observatory on the right.

Almost at the main summit.

The trig column on Skiddaw looking north east.

Bassenthwaite Lake from the peak.

And lastly Blencathra past the trig.

Layers of fells starting at Catbells at the very bottom leading up Scafell Pike.

The Helvellyn Range past Skiddaw Little Man.

Helvellyn.

The gentle northern slopes of Blencathra.

The Northern Fells with the main top being Knott.

Skiddaw Forest and Blencathra.

Jet flying over.

Bit of cloud makes things look magical.

Frozen fence along the slopes of Skiddaw.

Just amazing to see these ice formations.

Just beautiful.

At the very back in the centre is High Street. Thats Great Dodd to the right and the pointed peak in the middle is Lonscale Pike.

Bakestall summit with Great Calva behind.

The lower cairn and the better view.

And this last photo marks the summit of Cockup (as you might have guessed I'm trying to do all the Birketts now too)