Date of Walk Sunday 16th October 2005.
Start / Finish Time Start:- 10:30am / Finish:- 4:30pm (including stops).
Walk Patterdale–Arnison Crag–Birks–Gavel Pike–St. Sunday Crag–Grisedale Tarn–Glenridding
Distance 9.0 miles (approx).
Ramblers Group  Group “B”    Group Leader:- Pearl Knight (stood in for Graham Pitcher)
Weather Warm, Sunny, Slight Haze, Windy on Summits,  Good visibility, 13C (approx).

Walk Notes

This was my first Ramblers walk for a month due to family commitments. After the coach ride to Patterdale we alighted the coach and took to the ascent of Arnison Crag, a modest height at 1421 feet but rather a steep and strenuous climb following a dry-stone wall. I found the views of Ullswater exquisite. Once on the summit we enjoyed the views for a brief time and then walked on to Birks (2041 feet), which again was a very steep climb. Once on the summit we had lunch and admired the grand views of the Helvellyn Range opposite. While there I thought of the earlier walk on 14th August with fond memories of Striding Edge!.

After lunch we made a quick visit to Gavel Pike (which wasn’t mentioned in the Wainwright Guidebooks, but by Bill Birkett). We then marched on to Saint Sunday Crag (2759 feet) by using the more easier ascent to the left of the crags. We arrived at the summit and admired the views before the descent. After 30-45 minutes of descent we arrived at the lovely Grisedale Tarn, I found it rather a coincidence that it was exactly 10 years to the day that I last saw this tarn (the first time being in 1995 when I first walked upon Helvellyn, descending by way of Dollywaggon Pike…….sadly, without visiting that mountains’ summit!). From Grisedale Tarn (after a quick break at Ruthwaite Lodge) we walked towards Glenridding and made a quick visit to the picturesque “Lanty’s Tarn”. We then descended the last section and arrived back at the coach in Glenridding. I found this walk very enjoyable!