Another very calm night. It was very clear at midnight but by morning there was almost full cloud cover. The sunrise just after 7am was not visible but I saw a nice red glow reflected in the tarn. Because the earliest train I’ve got a ticket for isn’t till 17:29 there was no rush to get going. I spent the morning wandering around and reading. I packed up camp at midday and it was very nice to have a dry tent for a change.

Sunrise from Grey Knotts

Great Gable from Grey Knotts

I had a brief look at the summit of Grey Knotts then started the steep descent to Honister. It wasn’t a good path and was steep and loose in places. Fortunately it follows the fence line and I was able to use the fence in places to hang on to while negotiating difficult bits. I had plenty of time so stopped frequently to take in the view.

I could see the entire layout on Honister Quarries and there seemed to be an awful lot of shiny land rovers driving around the site for no particular reason. The owner’s helicopter was parked there as usual. I was in plenty of time for the bus. I was catching the 14:48 no 77 bus to Keswick via Buttermere. It arrived 5mins late and was almost full. At Buttermere some got off but a lot more got on meaning that several had to stand all the way to Keswick. Then I caught the X5 to Penrith railway station to catch the 17:29 train to Manchester Airport which took me directly to Chorley.

Honister Quarry

The 77 bus arrives at Honister.

The train arrives in Penrith.