Lake District
MOUNTAIN HORSESHOE
1 NY469107 Start at the lane end at Mardale Head, then head briefly up the Gatescarth pass. Turn right with the wall-line onto a narrower path heading across the valley bottom above the lake. Cross a couple of bridges over the Gatescarth and Mardale Becks just above their inflow to the Haweswater Reservoir.
2 NY467108 Just after the Mardale Beck bridge, head right along a pitched path heading back to the far lake shore. As you rise up to the left of a stand of pine trees look for a faint path left onto the end of Riggindale running about 15m below a wall-line. Keep the wall and ridgeline to your right as you rise, gaining the ridgeline proper at about the 450m contour.
3 NY466111 Keep rising up along this moderately narrow but arrow-straight ridgeline. Go through a gate at about the 500m contour, the wall-line fades then you pass over a few rugged bits on the appropriately named Rough Crag before a short descent to pass right of a small tarn at Caspel Gate. Now rise up a final stiff pull over Long Stile to join the edge of the High Street Plateau.
4 NY442112 At a large cairn you have a choice – you can detour briefly ahead then left by the wall-line to pick up the summit trig point of High Street, then follow the wall-line north to rejoin the main route. But it’s just as valid a route to head right along the plateau edge with the huge grassy expanse of Racecourse Hill to your left. You’ll get some good views over Riggindale not seen from the summitbaggers path as you head down to a tumbledown wall-line. Follow the wall-line across the Straits of Riggindale. Under snow, watch out for cornices.
5 NY439121 Rise gently from the narrowing, then fork right at a large cairn to follow the sheer craggy edge around the Head of Riggindale Beck onto the steepening grassy pyramidal outcrop of Kidsty Pike. Again, you may wish to detour briefly to pick up the summit of Rampsgill Head, before continuing eastwards to Kidsty Pike, but the views into Riggindale are better from the edge path!
6 NY447125 Enjoy the view from the slightly rocky top.
This summit is one that can be both almost imperceptible in dull conditions, yet with good sunset light can offer an apparently imposing craggy presence over Riggindale and the Pennines to the east. Now continue down the easy-going east ridge to Kidsty Howes.
7 NY461125 Bend sharply right across the ridge, descending through a short rockier section, then very steeply down a grassy side-slope. You’re maintaining your rough direction to cross Bowderthwaite bridge over the Riggindale Beck. (NB Some folks suggest avoiding the steep section from Kidsty Howes by heading off-path northwards towards Randale Beck to pick up a path near the beck that curves round to rejoin near Bowderthwaite Bridge, but note the start of this avoiding path may well be imperceptible from the main path.)
8 NY467117 Ahead is a small peninsula whose tip is mostly covered with conifers. The path rises uphill to cut across this, aiming towards the conifers. Pass through the upper gate of two (roughly 40m apart in a wall-line) then cross over an old wall-line.
9 NY472115 Bend right and through another wall-line in front of the conifers, you will soon pass the path you took up Riggindale at the start. Follow your outward path back to the car park.