Ullock Pike to Skiddaw • Walking the Cumbrian Mountains

Name of walk	Ullock Pike to Skiddaw
Date of walk	2009-01-03
Distance walked (miles)	7
Duration of walk	5 hours 0 minutes
Weather	overcast
Peaks on walk	Ullock Pike, Long Side Edge, Skiddaw and Carl Side
Walked with	Ged and blind Kas
Parking	Dodd Wood.

Today Ged and I decided to do four northern Fells, Ullock Pike (2230ft), Long Side Edge (2405ft), Skiddaw (3053ft) and Carl Side (2420ft). A walk of about 7 miles. We started from the car park at the Sawmill Tearoom (which was shut until February!) at Dodd Wood and followed the route of the map below.

The weather was clear but it was very overcast and dull. Ged lent me his spare camera to use as mine is still not working properly. My new `supadooper` replacement camera had arrived by the time I got home…..oh joy!

Ged and Kas taking a breather before the long trek up to the ridge. Bassenthwaite Lake was very still today and all the hills were covered in hoar frost

Looking up the ridge to Ullock Pike.

Looking back down the ridge. The colours were very washed out making for poor photos, meaning I`ll have to repeat the walk in better weather

Bassenthwaite Lake. With the naked eye we could see across the Solway Firth to the Scottish Mountains, but the camera never picked any of this detail up.

From the summit of Ullock Pike looking along Long Side Edge to Carl Side col, leading off left is Skiddaw.

Derwent Water to the left, Dodd at the bottom.

Looking down on Dodd and over to Derwent Water

Not much of a summit cairn!

Long Side summit looking over at the scree path up Skiddaw.

Looking back down Long Side Edge.

The path up to Skiddaw, the last bit turned out to be hellish steep! Incredibly slippery, hard work but good for the lungs! The wind blowing up the valley was bitterly cold.

From the top of the path you could look down into Mungrisdale.

Looking at Skiddaw Little Man.

The summit is ahead.

Looking back from the summit, a lovely red sky in the west..

Skiddaw summit cairn.

A couple keeping out of the wind! We didn`t hang around and made our way back to the path.

Care was needed on the way down as it was even more slippery in this direction. A good view of our route over Long Side Edge though!

Are we nearly there yet? Heading down to Carl Side Tarn with Carl Side beyond.

The path down Carl Side was steep too!

Our route was to go right at Whitestones.

This gave us a good view of Dodd.

We got back to the car park at a quarter to four, just before sunset. It had taken us under 5 hours. A good walk, but not one to be done in snow and ice! Maybe I`ll repeat it in the summer.

Jo.