Bleak hills, bleak weather - Selside Pike & Branstree

For this round of Wainwrights I'd decided to include the outlying tops of Nabs Moor & Howes with Branstree & Selside Pike and finally have a look at the MBA's Mosedale Cottage Bothy something I've been to planning to do for a while. I just needed the weather to play ball but I had spent the week watching
the weather turn out far better then forecast. So with another poor forecast I hoped they got it wrong again, they didn't!!

Skiddaw was clear in the early morning but by the time I set off the cloud was beginning to build up & as forecast it went downhill rapidally. The forecast weather was meant to be better in the east of the county, it probably wasn't, I think it was pretty miserable everywhere!

MWIS predicted and actually got it right a nil chance of cloud free summits.

Not looking promising up Swindale...

Carrock Beck Circuit - Avoiding the cloud

Despite a predicted 70% chance of clear summits most of the Northern Fells had their heads in the clouds. Fortunately both Carrock Fell & High Pike looked like they might clear, as a bonus it had been over a year since my last visit to these two hills. I parked in one of the many spaces near the ford and ascended Carrock Fell via Rake Trod and followed the usually wet crossing to Hare Stones before climbing High Pike. Descended back to the road over West Fell.

The path leaves the road above Stone Ends...