Dollywaggon Pike - Route One

 

Start - Patterdale NY 395 159 Distance - 4.2 miles Ascent - 2,495 feet Time - 2 hours : 50 minutes
 

 

 

The walk starts from Grisedale Bridge along the narrow lane leading into Grisedale.  There is a bus stop beside the bridge and a pay-and-display car park opposite the Patterdale Hotel located a third of a mile to the south of the bridge
The lane climbs quite steeply high above the tree shrouded Grisedale Beck.  Just under a third of a mile along from Grisedale Bridge a footpath joins the lane which starts from the rear of the Patterdale Hotel
Half a mile from Grisedale Bridge the lane reaches its highest point and begins to descend into Grisedale 
Looking back towards Place Fell
Nethermost Pike comes into view
Two thirds of a mile from Grisedale Bridge the public footpath to Helvellyn turns off to the right  
A few yards further on the public footpath from Patterdale joins the lane
The steep prow of The Tongue leading up to the summit of Dollywaggon Pike comes into view
Looking across to Braesteads Farm
Approaching the access road to Braesteads Farm
Looking back towards Place Fell
The metalled lane ends at the Braesteads Farm access road and and becomes an unsurfaced farm track which is also a bridleway leading to Elmhow
St. Sunday Crag from the track to Elmhow
Looking back to Place Fell from the Elmhow track
Elmhow
Dollywaggon Pike above the field barn beyond Elmhow
The bridleway passes to the left of the barn and rises slightly to a gate
St. Sunday Crag from the gate.  This is the start of the Elmhow zig-zag path which rises to the col between Birks and St. Sunday Crag.  Once a popular route to the summit of St. Sunday Crag, it is now difficult to trace on the ground
Dollywaggon Pike and Nethermost Pike from the gate; the bridleway continues on to pass above Crossing Plantation
Tarn Crag and Falcon Crag from Crossing Plantation
Eagle Crag and Nethermost Pike from Crossing Plantation
Dollywagon Pike from Crossing Plantation
Beyond Crossing Plantation the bridleway descends slightly before resuming its climb to Grisedale Tarn
Looking back to Crossing Plantation
Looking across to Eagle Crag with Nethermost Cove on the right
Falcon Crag and The Tongue with Ruthwaite Cove on the right
The bridleway descends to a footbridge over Grisedale Beck and rises towards Ruthwaite Lodge which can be seen slightly left of centre
The footbridge over Grisedale Beck
The bridleway joins the path which runs along the north side of the valley where it crosses a footbridge over Ruthwaite Beck
Cofa Pike and Fairfield from the footbridge over Ruthwaite Beck
Looking back along the valley from the footbridge over Ruthwaite Beck
The Tongue from the bridleway leading up to Ruthwaite Lodge
Ruthwaite Lodge
Above Ruthwaite Lodge a faint path climbs the open slopes to the left of Ruthwaite Beck.  It's worthwhile making a short diversion to visit the old Ruthwaite Lodge mine adits near the beck which AW noted on his diagram of this ascent
Ruthhwaite Beck cascades
Mine adit and cascades, Ruthwaite Beck
Dollywaggon Pike - page 11
Rejoining the path, looking up to Spout Crag with the lower buttress of The Tongue on the right.  The easiest way to gain The Tongue ridge is by a grass ramp which slants up between Spout Crag and the lower buttress
Looking back to Ruthwaite Lodge
The objective is to reach the narrow col between Spout Crag and the lower buttress
Spout Crag from the climb to the col
Looking back towards the east ridge of Nethermost Pike from the climb to the col
Looking down on Ruthwaite Lodge from the top of Spout Crag
Grisedale from the top of Spout Crag
Cofa Pike and Fairfield from the top of Spout Crag
High Crag and Nethermost Pike across Ruthwaite Cove from the top of Spout Crag
From the top of Spout Crag the route continues up a shallow gully between the broken crags of the lower buttress.  The boulders at the foot of the gully can be avoided on the left.  The gully steepens as it nears the top of the lower buttress  
The summit of Helvellyn and Striding Edge come into view over the east ridge of Nethermost Pike on the climb to the top of the lower buttress
Fairfield across Tarn Crag and Falcon Crag from the climb to the top of the lower buttress
From the top of the lower buttress the path trends left to reach a level shoulder below the upper ridge of The Tongue which overlooks Cock Cove
St. Sunday Crag from the level shoulder
Falcon Crag across Cock Cove from the level shoulder
Cofa Pike and Fairfield from the level shoulder
From the level shoulder the path initially keeps to the left of The Tongue's crest, threading its way between areas of scree
Looking back along the route of ascent
Looking over towards Striding Edge
The upper part of The Tongue ridge
Looking over towards Fairfield across Falcon Crag
The approach to the crest of the ridge
The crest of the ridge
Looking over towards High Crag across the head of Ruthwaite Cove
Esthwaite Water and the lower part of Windermere come into view above the escarpment of Cock Cove with Great Rigg and Heron Pike on the left
Fairfield across the top of Falcon Crag
The upper part of The Tongue ridge
Looking back along the route of ascent
Looking across Ruthwaite Cove, Hard Tarn can be seen on its rock shelf on the middle left.  The summit of Catstycam appears over Striding Edge
A group of the North-Western Fells including Grasmoor, Eel Crag, Hopegill Head and Grisedale Pike appear over the head of Ruthwaite Cove
Approaching the top of The Tongue
The summit cairn comes into view
A larger cairn lies thirty yards to the west of the summit
St. Sunday Crag from the summit of Dollywaggon Pike
Fairfield from the summit of Dollywaggon Pike, with High Street,Thornthwaite Crag, Froswick, Ill Crag and Yoke to the left
Windermere, Esthwaite Water and Coniston Water from the west cairn
The Coniston fells from the summit of Dollywaggon Pike
Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, Esk Pike, Scafell. Scafell Pike, Great End, Glaramara, Great Gable and Green Gable on the horizon from the west cairn
 Looking west-northwest from the west cairn, High Crag, High Stile, Red Pike, Dale Head, Hindscarth, Robinson, Whiteless Pike, Grasmoor, Eel Crag, Hopegill Head, Grisedale Pike, Whinlatter, and Lord's Seat appear on the skyline
Looking across Ruthwaite Cove from the summit of Dollywaggon Pike to High Crag, with the summit of Helvellyn appearing over Nethermost Pike
Catstycam and Striding Edge across the east ridge of Nethermost Pike from the summit of Dollywaggon Pike
Ullswater and Grisedale from the summit of Dollywaggon Pike

 

 

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