The Western Fells form the southern wall of the Buttermere valley and the northern fence of Wasdale. Between the two lies Ennerdale so that in effect the group is the shape of a single horseshoe, each branch about 10 miles in length. At the head of Ennerdale stands Great Gable. The southern arc of the group travels due west from Great Gable, the main ridge consisting of Kirk Fell, Pillar, Scoat Fell, Haycock and Caw Fell.
With further gales forecast for higher peaks, I opted for a lower circuit of Haystacks, a mountain I have heard stories about from family members but never actually summitted myself, until today. After the dramatic adventure of the previous day in the wet wilds of the Easedale valley, we gifted ourselves a lie in and allowed the worst of the weather to pass over. This resulted in a dry afternoon with occasional glimpses of blue sky appearing through the thinning cloud cover. With wind speeds of 40mph still forecast, we progressed with caution along Warnscale Bottom, unsure of whether the wind would be funnelled up the valley making the ridge line precarious. Fortunately, the planning paid off, and the shelter of Great Gable and Kirk Fell provided adequate protection from the worst of the squally conditions. As we climbed beside the waterfall, we noticed the chimney on a slate-build building glinting in the afternoon sunlight, and couldn't resist an explore. We discovered this was the widely known Dubs Quarry bothy and had occupants already settling for the night. Not prepared for an overnight stop ourselves, we continued around Little Round How, and onto the Haystacks summit ridge. This gifted a spectacular view across the plateau around Blackbeck Tarn, and beyond towards the striking north face of Great Gable. I picked our way along the ridge, past Innominate Tarn, and onwards to the summit cairn of Haystacks its self. As the sun set, dramatic shadows fell across the central fells, and we dug out head torches once again for a safe descent and return the the vehicle in the dark.
