Return to
Whittle Wanderer|
Thirlmere, Steel End, Steel
Fell, Helmside, Grasmere, Cumbria. |
|
|
OS Grid ref:
NY 33772 08541 Lat/Long: 54.467903, -03.023341 Last Tue 16 Feb 2016 the Grasmere to Keswick shuttle bus started running as they have now surface the old section of A591 to pass the re-construction works after the Dec 15 flood damage. I wanted to try the shuttle bus so drove to Grasmere and parked the car in the long layby outside the village and walked in to the village to the bus stop. |
 555 Shuttle |
|
I caught the 8:50 a.m. shuttle to Keswick using a £5 day Explorer ticket. There were only three of us on the bus as we headed north over Dunmail Raise. Just over the summit there were barriers across the road and a man pulled them to one side to allow our bus and the following 555 bus through. |
 Crossing through the barrier |
 Northern convoy waiting for the southbound to pass |
|
| It appears that the barriers are only there too stop other vehicles entering and the man does nothing else through the day. We descended through the trees and took the minor road to the west of Thirlmere heading for Keswick in the clear morning sunshine. |
 The return journey is standing room only |
| Towards the north end of the reservoir we pulled into a lay-by and waited for several minutes to allow the southbound buses through. Even though these are small 28 seater buses there is no room to pass on the lane. We arrived in Keswick in lovely sunshine and I had to wait until 10:05 for the return bus. |
 Start of the walk |
 The old bridal path |
 Looking down on the A591 repairs |
 From Steel Fell looking north across Thirlmere |
|
| The supermarket of Sainsburys was flooded quite seriously in December 2015 and part of it is now open. As I returned to the bus stop to wait I noticed a large crowd of people all queuing for the Grasmere bus. It was fortunate that two buses were heading south as we wouldn't all have got on one bus. I rode the bus south and as it approached Withburn and the diversion Road I got off to walk back to Grasmere. |
 Someone had left this note on Steel Fell asking people to take a selfie and email to him! Said it was to fight cancer. I call it litter. |
| I walked back along the road to Steel End buildings then headed up the old bridleway which eventually goes over Dunmail Raise. I left it after a short way and headed straight up the steep north east side of Steel Fell. I kept away from the main route as I wanted to get a good view down into the valley to see the reconstruction road works. I eventually reached the main ridge heading up to Steel Fell and stopped several times to look back north across Thirlmere Reservoir and the hills behind. |
 Descending towards Grasmere |
| I reached the main summit Cairn and enjoyed magnificent views all around. It was still quite cold but felt nice in the clear sunshine. The various small tarns all had ice on them. I followed the main descent route to the southeast which follows a good path which is quite steep in three places. I reached the surfaced road at Helmside and followed the Lanes back to Mill Bridge then along the main A591 and back to my car. |
 Reaching the road |
 Last part of the walk through the lanes |
|
|
|
|