With my extra day in Buttermere, I hired a guide, Graham
Niven, to take to me the best places in this part of the Lake District. “Niv,” as he is called, is an affable Scot,
who (among other things) has worked in Antarctica as a guide for the British
Antarctica Survey. Although we weren’t hiking to Antarctica today, we shared
common interests in polar exploration history.
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| Guide Graham Niven |
While I could have chatted over coffee the entire day about
Shackleton and Scott, Niv really wanted to show me Buttermere Fell, so I duly
followed along. Our route took us up a steep trail to High Stile (one of the
Wainwrights), over High Crag (another one), and across Hay Stacks (my third
Wainwright today!!). Actually we may not have quite reached the top of High Stile
because the summit was off-route and I didn’t think it important at the time,
but we were within 50 lateral feet and 2 vertical feet, so I’m counting it now
that I’ve become a peak bagger.
Hay Stacks was Wainwright’s favorite place, and his ashes
were scattered at the summit near a small tarn. My attaining the three peaks
today involved so much climbing and scrambling, that I was beginning to think
that Niv may have to scatter my ashes there as well. But he’s a good guide and
safely brought me down.
I’m going to go back to my maps and see how many Wainwrights
Ian and Lee guided me to last week, as well as any others I may have unknowingly
bagged on my own. Who knows, perhaps I can finish the rest of them before I
leave. Then maybe I can become a guide.
While I’m looking at my maps, you can look at my pictures.
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| Tarn near Hay Stacks summit |
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Hay Stacks (distant) and HIgh Crag (near) viewed from High Stile
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High Crag and Buttermere (lake) viewed from Hay Stacks
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High Crag viewed from Hay Stacks
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