Wandhope – the Daftest Route I Could Find!

Mon 10 June 2019
As I’ve done all the Wainwrights several times each (some probably hundreds of times), I’ve started looking for new, interesting routes. Wainwright’s guides are a good starting point – this is in his North-Western Fells book. I have to say he doesn’t really recommend it and, after doing it, I most definitely don’t – but it was interesting…

All photos my Zenith manual SLR film camera

The route in question I’ll call the Third Gill route – I’m assuming that’s the name of the gill it follows although it doesn’t say so on the map and it’s actually only the second gill from Buttermere but one of the summits is called Thirdgill Head Man. It was another red-hot day and I parked (for free) on the start of the Newlands Pass – again late afternoon.

I dropped back down to the village and followed a lovely cool path up through the shady woodland on the left-hand side of the beck leaving the bridge. This took me up to join the Sail Beck path where paths take off uphill for either Rannerdale Knotts or Whiteless Pike.

Ignoring those, my path continued fairly levelly above the beck until it wound around into the first gill re-entrant. Here there was a higher track so I took that and it rose gently as it continued towards the second gill. I got a brief glimpse of the top of my ridge but it didn’t tell me much – I’d have to wait until I turned the corner into the second gill to see.

When I rounded the corner into the second gill (but called Third Gill!) my ridge-end looked steep but okay. Wainwright had said all crags could be avoided – there were quite a few small crags on the ridge – more outcrops really. It didn’t look too bad…

As I reached the point where the path crossed the gill, I went straight uphill after the crossing. My route followed a slight reedy watercourse and I kept going until I reached the top of the bracken line (my route was clear of bracken due to the watercourse). This was steep but went okay and I soon gained a lot of height. From the top of the bracken line, I contoured the fellside to the ridge – aiming to hit it just above the first rocky outcrop.

“Third Gill” (even though it’s the second one!) – my ridge is on the right

Apart from it being irritating having my feet on sideways across the steeply sloping hillside, it was an easy enough walk to the ill-defined ridgeline. When I reached the outcrop, I took to the ridge proper – it was wide but very steep.

From here, my day turned pretty bad. The ridge was pathless, thick heather, exceedingly steep and getting steeper (luckily the sun went in for my ascent) – there was no danger though and the craggy sections did seem to be avoidable. When I kept left on the ridge, I could see down into the gill – easy slopes and it looked very interesting.

above the first outcrop

I’m not a great walker when I don’t have a path as I tire very easily – pretty soon I was completely knackered and still had a long way to go. I kept stopping for a break to take photos back down the ridge and ‘admire’ the steepness I’d come up – it doesn’t look particularly steep on the photos though – it’s very hard to capture steep on a photo…

At one point, I saw there was a really interesting-looking level path went out of the gill and onto Whiteless Edge opposite. I’d love to have an explore of that and the gill another time.

I slogged on upwards, soon finding a small crag which couldn’t easily be circumvented – it had a handy gully going up the middle of it and was easily angled so not dangerous. I crawled up it feeling on my last legs and hoping there wasn’t much more. From here the angle eased slightly but the heather was still thick and it didn’t feel any easier!

When I eventually reached grass and the angle eased further I was truly exhausted and virtually staggering up the hillside. I thought it wouldn’t be far to Wandhope Summit but the ridge went on… and on… and on. A path had transpired now – presumably people who’d accidentally taken this ridge for descent. As there were no paths further down, presumably most realised their mistake and turned back up again. Wainwright says the ridge doesn’t really get used and I’d agree with him – I could see why!

I could see people on the normal route on the opposite ridge – they were probably watching the staggering, slow figure slogging on upwards and thinking I’d got lost. Eventually, I reached the summit cairn. I didn’t stop for a rest here but continued down the edge of Addacombe Hole to the col for the scenery and photos.

Crag Hill across Addacombe

It was quite a cold wind across the coombe so I headed off for the other summit and the path which heads down the superb Whiteless Edge for Whiteless Pike.

My ascent ridge is the dark one on the left

Whiteless Pike from ‘the Edge’

It was lovely to descend and the slight rise up to Whiteless Pike was hardly noticeable, even in my exhausted state. I took some photos of my ascent ridge from here…

My steep ascent ridge on the right

My ridge does look steep from the side!

It was lovely, sunny and warm on the summit so I sat for a rest. At this time, I had a really bad back which hadn’t bothered me at all on the walk (walking helps bad backs) but, when I tried to rise from my seat on the fellside, I found I couldn’t get up! There were some girls sunbathing a few yards lower down the fell – I hoped I wouldn’t have to shout them to help me up. Eventually, I staggered to my feet.

Ascent & descent ridges again from summit – I do quite fancy that gill!

I passed the girls with a quick hello and set off down the Pike. I hadn’t been on this route for years either and it was as loose and rocky as I remembered. I went slowly but enjoyed it. I kept looking back for more photos of my awful ascent ridge!

As I descended, I was looking at how level Rannerdale Knotts looked below me and wondered whether I had enough energy left to go for that as well. I decided I would as it was only around 1830 so a lot of the sunny day left…

Adding Rannerdale Knotts in was probably a mistake as I was knackered the whole way along, struggling up every little rise. It’s a very scenic fell though and I took lots of photos. I had a break at the summit and felt a bit better coming back along the ridge and soon reached the steep descent back to Buttermere.

Lad Hows Ridge & Cinderdale Beck

Whiteless catches the last sun

I was dreading the short walk up the start of the pass from Buttermere village to my car but it went okay and I was soon back at the car. I’d been toying with the idea of driving over the pass – all the routes I could take back home were equally long but, of course, the pass is rougher for my old Sunny. Also, the car would be cold and I wasn’t sure I should set off up a steep hill with a cold engine.

As it happened, the pass doesn’t really go very steeply up at all, especially in the early stages, and I enjoyed the drive over it. The Newlands valley had more or less emptied of cars and so was a pleasant drive back to Braithwaite and the main road home. A bonus was that the car still had some suspension left too as I’d managed to avoid most of the rough bits!

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