Three Walks from Buttermere Day Three: Fleetwith Pike, Dale Head and Robinson. . .

The last day of the long weekend dawned bright and sunny and I may just have eaten an extra sausage at breakfast to give me some additional energy for the three mountains I was going to climb.

Here's the approach to Fleetwith Pike, the first climb of the day.  It's often pictured in walking magazines, one of the iconic views of the Lake District, so it was exciting to have the opportunity to finally ascend it.

It is quite a deceptive mountain, with many, many, many false tops.  Just when you think you're near the end, you look up and see this:

The views are definitely worth it though. Here I am on the top looking down the valley at Buttermere and Crummock Water . . .



. . . and the many other surrounding peaks.

After a brief break to soak in the views, it was off down the other side.

We headed for the Honister Slate Mine, remnants of which are fairly visible along the route.  You can stop and have a coffee or a cold drink from their cafe.

Taking the Honister Pass is also a dramatic way to travel by car to Buttermere from Keswick, but it's a bit of a steep and precarious drive. I wouldn't want to attempt it in bad weather.

Crossing the road, you can immediately start climbing Dale Head, a rather nondescript hill that also has a few false tops (don't they all?), but is grassy and relatively easy to climb.  What I didn't know until I got to the top was that it leads to the middle of the Newlands Horseshoe and this magnificent view! This is the mid-point of one my favourite all-time walks in the Lakes.  In the distance is Skiddaw and Blencathra and if it weren't so hazy, you'd be able to see Keswick and Derwent Water. This moment made all the sweating worth it.

We then headed back, towards the left and there was still Robinson to climb, which I didn't get a shot of as I was tiring.

But on the way, you get a lovely view of the side of Fleetwith Pike and you can see the multiple "tops".

On the top of Robinson and on the way back to the hostel, with one final view of Crummock Water.
It was a fabulous weekend and how lucky were we with the weather?  Who says it always rains in the Lake District?