Name of walk	Haystacks & Fleetwith Pike
Date of walk	2023-05-25

A circular, 8 mile walk from Honister with Sue, taking the back route to Haystacks with views down into Ennerdale, a detour to Warnscale Bothy, then on to Dubs Hut and Fleetwith Pike. We parked at Honister NT car park, next to the slate mine. I had done this route by myself a couple of years ago in low cloud, and wanted to repeat it on a glorious day!

We stopped on the side of Derwent Water to photograph the reflections of Skiddaw etc.

Catbells.

The view down the Honister Pass from Honister Slate Mine.

A slate bird with a fish.

Our route.

The Drum House. This was a large structure with a wooden drum and cable system with a manual braking system. It controlled the ascent and descent of the trucks or drams that were used to transport the slate down to the processing sheds.

Here we turned left at the drum house and joined the old track known as Moses Trod. Moses was a miner and mule-driver who used this track to carry the finished slate to the coast via the Ennerdale Valley. Rumour has it he transported liquor for his work mates too.

Sue's photo of me taking the next photo of our route ahead.

Our route.

We follow the Moses Trod Path until we reach a small cairn, which is our turn off for the back of Haystacks. On the right is Dubs Hut and Quarry and Fleetwith Pike, on the left is Haystacks with High Crag, High Stile and Buttermere in the middle.

Sue's photo of me and the cairned turn off. This is the highest point on today's walk, about 2000ft.

Lots of small lambs about.

We descend down to Loft Beck, and cross it. We go through the gate and follow the fence line. Haystacks ahead.

View down Loft Beck into Ennerdale.

We make a small detour over the fence for the views down into Ennerdale. Below us is Black Sail Hut. Pillar on the left.

Black Sail Hut in close up.

Green Gable, Great Gable and Kirk Fell.

Sue photographing the view.

We continue following the fence line which eventually brings us out just behind Innominate Tarn.

Innominate Tarn and the path up to Haystack summit. We have a coffee break here, then continue around the tarn.

There are other smaller tarns too, this one had ducks and a sheep.

We continue around the Innominate Tarn.

Another tarn taken from the route up to the summit. Kirk Fell behind.

We detour briefly to get the view down both valleys. Ennerdale and Buttermere.

Another view down into Ennerdale.

The summit tarn. High Crag and High Stile beyond.

Wider angle to get both valleys in.

We do a circuit of the tarn taking in all the high points.

View to Buttermere and Crummock Water.

Sue's photo of me taking the previous photo.

Summit selfie.

Looking across to Fleetwith Pike.

On the left is the route that goes up beside Warnscale Beck and leading to Dubs Quarry, on the right is Innominate Tarn.

We descend back to Innominate Tarn and take the route towards Green Crag.

Blackbeck Tarn.

On the top is the perched rock that I visited on my last walk here.

I found a cartridge case now used for geocaching. I put it back.

We took a detour down to Warnscale Bothy. Another old building on our descent.

The bothy is well disguised.

The way in.

Sue snaps the view from the window.

There is a new door since my last visit.

View from the window.

View back over the bothy from the quarry.

View from outside the bothy.

We head for Dubs Quarry.

Crossing Warnscale Beck

Dubs Hut.

Sue's photo of the inside. A much bigger bothy than Warnscale.

We now head up to Fleetwith Pike.

Sue's summit photo.

The view.

The summit cairn.

Close-up.

Looking down to the Honister Pass.

One of the many tarns.

We descend to the quarry road.

We decide to return this way rather than head over to the path we came up this morning.

An excellent walk in superb weather! The 8.2 mile walk took us six hours and fifty minutes.

Jo.