High Street Ridge
DAY 3 14
NY401081 From Kirkstone Pass Inn, slant leftwards up a field with wind turbines to a stile at its top corner. The path runs up quite steeply onto St Raven’s Edge. The path turns left, running to right of a wall. At the ridge end bend right, through a shallow col, and head to right of the wall up the gentle slope onto Stony Cove Pike (also known as Caudale Moor).
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NY418100 From the large summit cairn the path continues north-east, then turns east down a grassy spur. This steepens, and becomes slightly rocky, to the major col of Threshthwaite Mouth. A steep eroded path zigzags up out of col, the last serious climb of the whole route. The path slants away to the right along the slope top to a tall cairn at a wall end, Thornthwaite Beacon. Admire views south to Windermere and the sea.
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NY431100 A wide path runs down to a flat saddle just below, then bends left, north-east, to join a broken wall. Follow the wall to High Street’s trig point, and north down a narrowing ridgeline, the Straits of Riggindale. (Wainwright-baggers could shoot off left then right here, to knock down the Knott and Kidsty Pike.) As the ground rises, fork right along the top of drops into Riggindale, and as the path levels, turn up left to the small cairn of Rampsgill Head.
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NY442127 Keep east of north, with steep drops on your left, for the slight rise to High Raise with its cairn. Keep the compass just east of north and follow the wide grassy or peaty path along the rounded ridgeline. After 1km a gate has bridleway marker but follow the fence right for 100m to a stile, and continue to left of wall. There’s firm grassy going over Raven Howe. Follow the path and the bearing, up to left of the wall for a while, then through a waymarked gate before the very slight climb to Wether Hill. The cairn is at the far end of the wide, soggy summit area.
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NY455167 The path runs down north, somewhat to left of the boggy saddle point, before climbing to the ruined Lowther House on the high flank of Loadpot Hill. The chimney that stood here has fallen, only foundations and a bit of a gable remain. A path leads up north to the trig point of Loadpot Hill.
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NY456181 The wide main path carries on down north. After 1km, as the gentle descent becomes even easier, you could consider forking off left to grab in Bonscale Pike. But you’re too tired for that. So stay on the main path, keeping to right of the boggy dip of Swarth Beck. After a very slight rise the path runs down north for 1km, to arrive on another slight rise with some emerging rock points: Arthur’s Pike.
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NY461205 The main path continues down northeast. But head left to the summit cairn, 200m away, and down beyond, to find two cairns poised at the brink of the Ullswater drop. From the lower cairn, a delightful small path contours north-east, along the top of the steep slope then down to a stony track above Barton Park. Turn right, signed as Ullswater Way, to the Cockpit Stone Circle.
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NY482222 Here the main track bends left across moorland to a wide, stony-surfaced track. Turn down left to the top of a lane at Roehead, and follow it down into Pooley Bridge.