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Gatesgarth, Warnscale Bothy, Dubs Hut, Fleetwith Pike, Cumbria.
 [7.7 km]  Wed 12 Dec 2018
Lat/Long: 54.522770, -03.236577
OS Grid ref: NY 20059 14868
 My original plan was to drive to Buttermere via the Whinlatter route. As I approached the pass it appears to be closed for maintenance. I then decided to drive via Derwentwater and Honister Pass and then down to Gatesgarth. I left my car in a wide grass parking area by the road and walked back towards Gatesgarth Farm. Before reaching it I took the left track off the road that heads due south into 1 scale bottom. The main path continues up towards Fleetwith but I left it to cross the wooden Footbridge across the river to follow the minor path along the south side and up towards the old quarries at Warnscale Head.

Leaving Gatesgarth.

Buttermere and Mellbreak

Warnscale Bothy
It was a steady climb and a little rough in places. My first objective was to visit Warnscale Bothy which can be seen up to the right but I have never been there before. It was quite dull when I set off but I could see a head-torch high on the mountain where the bothy is. I climbed up to see a woman with her dog and her husband just coming out of the hut having spent the night there.
Warnscale Bothy interior

Warnscale Bothy interior
Warnscale Bothy
They said it had been very noisy due to the wind. They left to continue up the mountain and over Haystacks, meanwhile I stayed to photograph the interior and outside of the hut. Instead of following the main path I climbed straight up the steep spoil heap to some stone structures I could see higher up. They were part of the original quarry buildings and I managed to find shelter in one to eat my sandwiches.
A short climb up and I was on the main path but I soon turned left to descend to the river and cross over to visit Dubs Hut below Fleetwith Pike. There was a couple inside who had stayed the night and it turned out that yesterday they had called at Warnscale Bothy but as it was occupied they had moved across to Dubs Hut. I took some photos and left them there while I continued my ascent up Fleetwith Pike.
Dubs Hut Bothy interior

Dubs Hut Bothy
The first part was along some old quarry tracks and soon I was on a footpath through the heather and rocks. The weather was quite variable with low cloud with occasional breaks. I reached the summit cairn which I hadn't visited since 2004 when I was with Eric Bell and we climbed up the main west ridge from the road near Buttermere. I started my descents down Fleetwith Edge to the northwest and took it very steady as some sections were quite steep and rocky. I stopped occasionally to admire the view through the occasional breaks in the cloud.
Fleetwith Pike summit

Great Gable and Kirk Fell from Fleetwith Edge
Near Raven Crag I stopped on some flat grass to look back to Great Gable and Kirk fell. Below I made a short detour to the white cross by a steep rock that marks the spot near where Fanny Mercer died in 1887. Apparently she was descending the ridge with friends and accidentally fell and was severely injured. She died later from her injuries. There was then a short easy descent down the grass and back to the road where I turned right to walk to my car. But I know the wind had increased so it appears I got the best of the day.
Fanny Mercer memorial
Report from the National Trust website:
Fanny was a young servant girl who worked for Mr. Bowden Smith, a school teacher from Rugby, and accompanied his family on their summer vacation in the Lakes.
One fateful day in September 1887 the party were walking to the top of the crag above Honister Quarries and were descending down the steep ridge of Fleetwith Pike. Fanny was not an accomplished walker and during this part of the journey she jumped down from a ledge and lost her balance. She fell a distance of around twenty feet amongst rocks and rubble until she reached the bottom of the fell side. By the time the others had reached her, she was badly injured and taken to the nearby Gatesgarth Farm, but sadly died before medical assistance could arrive. Her body was returned to Rugby where she was buried and the white cross erected in her memory in Buttermere. To this day the symbol stands as a warning to walkers that the mountains of the Lake District can be perilous unless you are alert and mindful of the dangers.
Fanny Mercer memorial.
Accidently killed 1887