Name of walk	Artlecrag Pike, Branstree and Selside Pike
Date of walk	2022-09-13

On Tuesday Sue and I went to Haweswater to climb the north ridge of Artlecrag Pike and then on to Branstree and Selside Pike. Sue is newly retired, so when the new school year restarted and there was a nice day, she was able to join me on a fellwalk. Sue volunteered to drive, so I was at her house for 7.30 am for the hour and a half drive to Haweswater. The north ridge was a new route up, but the rest is all easy strolling over grass. The weather was going to be a perfect, windless, warm September day.

Looking over the wall from the road. We parked in the spaces opposite The Rigg, just before the gate to the Old Corpse Road, our return route.

We walked a short distance towards Mardale Head for the gate next to Hopegill Beck's outflow. Good views of The Rigg and Wood Howe, a slightly bigger island than usual because of the drought. The Riggindale ridge and valley behind.

The Rigg. It is quite chilly this morning in the shade, but the steep ascent will soon warm us up.

View towards Harter Fell and Mardale Ill Bell. The water level is very low.

Wood Howe and Kidsty Pike.

We go through the gate.

Hopegill Beck. Immediately we turn right and make our way up a steep slope through bracken.

Sue, on the left, making her way through the head high bracken.

Despite the bracken and the steepness, the views were good.

A view down into the gill.

Selside Pike on the left.

We pass the ruins of two shepherd/peat huts.

The concentric rings on Wood Howe

A great view of the Riggindale ridge up to High Street.

We are now beyond the bracken on the grassy trod towards Artlecrag Pike. Harter Fell and Mardale Ill Bell to the right.

View back the way we have come.

Mardale Head. We now head straight up the fellside. It was very warm work!

Sue almost at Artlecrag Pike summit. There were no disernable paths up to the summit for the final pull up.

The two cairns.

Sue takes this one of me next to one of the cairns on Artlecrag Pike. We head south in the direction of Branstree.

There were dragonflies here.

A circular, concrete OS disc marks Branstree summit. We head to the edge for the views and some lunch.

View down Haweswater from our lunch spot, a large flat rock with a view. The same lunch spot I have also shared with Ged and Fr. John.

A panorama taken sat on the rock. Left click to enlarge, click again to return. We could see Small Water and Blea Water from here.

Sue takes this photo.

We now head back to Artlecrag Pike. Selside Pike in the distance.

The two cairns ahead.

The other cairn and our route to Selside Pike on the left. The survey post can be seen right of centre.

Selside Pike summit shelter, we stop for a drink.

As we head for the Old Corpse Road we have a look down into the valley of Swindale.

The view from our route down to the Old Corpse Road.

We turn left and pick up the Old Corpse Road, as we continue down and around we pass two more ruins of shepherd/peat huts. I always think that these would make great bothies, they just need a roof.

Sue adds a sense of scale.

The other one has two rooms.

Another great view as we head down.

Hopegill Beck and the steep track through the bracken we went up this morning, on the right.

The gate at the bottom is on the otherside of the road and leads down to the shore.

But first we go back to the car and get rid of our ruck sacks. The walk was five and a half miles and took five and a half hours.

Once through the gate we descend beside the beck through more bracken.

The old walls of Mardale Green Village which was submerged to make the reservoir in the late 1930's.

There was a row of about six tree stumps that must have lined an avenue.

Some of the walls are still in good condition.

Another tree stump beside a wall.

We recross the stone bridge and head back up to the car for a tea/coffee. Sue had put a flask of hot water in the car for the end of the walk. This little detour had taken us about 35 minutes.

We stopped at Haweswater dam on the way back.

An excellent walk! Although I don’t think I’ll do the north ridge again, especially in bracken season! It made a nice change from going up the Old Corpse Road and coming back via the Gatescarth Pass.