With an instantly recognisable profile from the east, St Sunday Crag is an excellent orientation-marker in views. It also shows surprisingly well from the west, despite being on the “wrong” side of the Fairfield-Helvellyn watershed, due to its lofty height and the conveniently-placed window of Grisedale Hause. But it’s the shape from Ullswater that most commands attention, with that precipitous cat-slide northern slope from the summit to Grisedale, losing five hundred metres vertically in eight-hundred along. And it's not just pretty to look at but makes an excellent ascent into the bargain. This route throws in the bonus subsidiary summits of Birks and Arnison Crag, both of which offer superb views down to the lake.
I think there are better routes to do here... The obvious one is up Birks, countour to Pinnacle Ridge and use that to access the summit. It's then great to take in Fairfield, with nice ridge walking. From there you can descend to Patterdale to the west via Grisedale Tarn, Dollywagon, Helvellyn and Striding Edge or to the east via Hart Crag. Otherwise, it's enjoyable to descend south to Ambleside, making a satisfying line across the fells.
Pinnacle Ridge is a beauty, but it's short and takes a long traverse to reach the base. Plus I wanted to include the descent from Birks with That View ahead as the finale.
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News Plea From Estate After Trees Felled at Cairngorm Bothies
Rangers at the National Trust for Scotland's Mar Lodge Estate have issued a plea for responsible behaviour after it was reported that live trees have been felled for fuel by bothy users at both Bob Scot's and the Hutchison Hut in two...