The weather was grim indeed, and our plans for an exciting ramble on the high ground above Honister Hause were thoroughly quashed. The original plan had been to climb Grey Knotts and Brandreth, head toward Great Round How and Blackbeck Tarn, skirt the south face of Fleetwith Pike via Warnscale Beck and Warnscale Bottom to Gatesgarth Cottage for lunch, and then ascend Fleetwith Pike from the west via Low Raven Crag and Fleetwith Edge before returning to Honister Hause.
Despite torrential rain and zero visibility beyond 20 metres, we pressed on in the hope of improving weather, following the track south from Honister Hause toward Grey Knotts. The ascent was steady, and because we followed a continuous line of fence posts straight up, we couldn't get lost. We soon reached the summit of Grey Knotts. According to Wainwright, the view from here is spectacular—a skyline of giants to the south and superlative beauty over the Buttermere district to the north-west. Alas, we saw nothing but grey murk!
We pressed on to Brandreth with virtually no intervening descent. Here we could at least take comfort in Wainwright's dismal description: "a bare and cheerless place, a desert of stones with nothing of interest." Despite the gloom, we had reached our high point and paused for food, during which a glimmer of hope appeared as the rain began to ease.
Dave and I were soaked through, but at least we could look forward to drier walking. While we abandoned our longer loop over Fleetwith Pike during our food break, we took a bearing at the path junction (Grid Ref: NY213123) and set a direct line toward Hopper Quarry. Halfway there, we dropped below the cloud base and could finally see ahead!
Relieved, we investigated the disused quarry before following old tracks and the mountain ridge westward to the summit cairn of Fleetwith Pike. Completing our mission despite the elements, we leisurely walked back via Black Scar and Bell Crags, exploring old cuttings and slate workings. Dave even sculpted shapes from discarded slate pieces for other walkers to find. Afterward, we retired to the Honister Hause cafe for a warm drink, having successfully conquered three Wainwrights despite the weather!
