Some fairly windy moments through the night but the sheltered area did the trick. I kept hoping for a few patches of clear sky but all I could see was a dense surrounding of cloud. My choice of route for the day was fairly restricted, I didn't know if the Langdale bus ran on a weekday in the winter so decided I'd need to head for the Seatoller bus which I knew did. With a short day ahead I hung around and hoped the cloud might clear. About 8:45am a break in the cloud revealed Bow Fell and a red patch of cloud behind as the sun began to rise. I rushed for my camera only to find it misted up on the outside and inside. It took me ages to get it clear again.

Sunrise from my tent.

The trail across Great End.

By then the nice sunrise had gone so I headed out in the sunshine to the summit of Great End. There was still plenty of snow around and I had the whole place to myself to enjoy the views. I could see the paths below and even by midday there were still few people about. This was strange as the weather was much better than yesterday Just after midday I made a move; packed up camp and set off down. The snow was still very wet and hiding slippery boulders. The first part of the descent was steep and I took extra car. On the saddle the wind had blown the snow away and for a short way I could stroll on the flat trail with impunity. The steep steps down towards Esk Hause were covered in trampled snow making the worst kind of descent with a heavy pack. I took the virgin snow adjacent and picked my way to the bottom. The trail was then loose stones clear of snow and it was much easier to walk.

Sunshine near the tent.

Dramatic clouds.

A bank of cloud was forming over Great Gable and Sca Fell Pike but over towards High Street to the east the mountains were bathed in winter sunshine. I could see down Eskdale and a few shafts of sunshine highlighted the many rivulettes and boggy area that make it a very difficult area for the walker. At the shelter stone below Allen Crags I turned left and continued down the trail which was now clear of snow. Just below the imposing NE buttress of Great End a path branches to the right and heads down Grains Gill.

Looking towards Eskdale.

Tent above Stockley Bridge.