Grasmere - Easedale Tarn - Grasmere 12th May 2010

A walk of Easy to Moderate terrain of about 6 miles and it took about 4 hours...

We started by going up the Easedale Road, which was accessed from nearby the Northbound No.555 bus stop.

Shortly after heading up this road and past the Quaker Meeting House on the left, and shortly after this we should have turned left or gone straight on to Easedale Tarn. But no! just after crossing the "Goody Bridge" we turned right. And ended up after about 30 minutes at the Hamlet of "Helmside", with the mighty "Helm Crag" to our left, overshadowing the adjoining "Gibson Knott". Just before reaching the hamlet there was a Whitethroat calling at a "hundred to the dozen". Also there was a Nuthatch calling from nearby....

While we were debating whether to turn back or could we find a shorter route between the Helm Crag, a very spritely young fellow was heading towards us, and we got chatting. He was called Gerry and came from Coppull, Nr. Wigan, in his earlier days he had been a Coal Miner. I could not believe he was 71 years old and had been climbing all the fells and mountains throughout the Lakes and elsewhere in the UK since the age of 40. He just was fit and he had just decended down from Helm Crag only minutes earlier, and yesterday he had completed Helvellyn (which I believe he had done several times before that). Anyway he advised us to return to "Goody Bridge" and then take the straightforward route to Easedale. He said the climb over Helm Crag, would be very hardy going from this side. We took his advice and walk on with him to Goody Bridge where we bid him farewell..

Soon we came upon "Easedale Beck" which was a beautiful little place with Slate slab stones making bridges across the beck, the area was surrounded with mature trees and there where lots of Wood Anemone carpetting the woodland floor.

A little further on and we stopped for lunch at the New Bridge which was recently built to cross over the Easedale Beck, the bridge would also be suitable for farm vehicles etc..

Soon we headed North West up the main footpath which had now become self explanatory, with lots of paving stones having been placed in sections making a footpath to save erosion etc. Before long on the right hand side was a superb waterfall, which I would guess that in spate would be a remarkable sight. The water was crystal clear as it always is around here.. This area does have a extroadinary name of "Sour Milk Ghyll". It was not long before we reached the Tarn, but by now the wind had got up strong, which was to die down again within several minutes and also the mist started to move in with rain coming from the Rydal Fell area, but again this soon died out and it became clear again...

This area was pretty wild and the only wildlife we saw was a few Meadow Pipits..

Soon we made our retreat and did the circular by crossing over the stepping stones at the base of the Tarn and coming down the other side of the vale past Cockly Crag, Stenners Crag to Stythewaite Steps where we crossed the beck and followed the footpath skirting the base of Helm Crag back to Grasmere....

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