Launchy Tarn

Car to lake: 1.9 miles, 1.5 hours from Honister slate mine car park via Dalehead Tarn.

Round the lake:  0.1 miles, 3 minutes (including detour to avoid wet feet)

Time taken - whole walk (including Dalehead Tarn - see previous post): 2.5 hours

Height: 610ft net from car park to tarn (maximum height gain 1000ft)

I have to admit, until I drew up my list of Lakes and Tarns around which I determined to walk, I'd never heard of Launchy Tarn. It looked like nothing more than an accidental dab of blue ink on my ordnance survey map, clearly not one of the world's great stores of fresh water.

Like Dalehead Tarn, it can be reached either from the Little Town area of the Newlands Valley or from Honister and it was from there that I combined it with a trip to Dalehead Tarn (see previous post). My first sight of Launchy Tarn came at the same time as that of Dalehead Tarn and it really looked too small to be considered worthy of a name sitting high on a hill above its larger neighbour.

Launchy Tarn, perched on a hill above Borrowdale and looking like a wet spot rather than a tarn.

Leaving Dalehead Tarn behind, I set out along the path towards High Spie but quickly turned to my right and headed across the fell towards a fence which I'd earlier seen led straight to the tarn itself. Climbing steadily I reached the fence after ten minutes or so and then walked along it, still climbing until the sparkling waters came into view.

My earlier impression that the fence ran right alongside Launchy Tarn was confirmed; indeed, it could be said that the fence ran over the tarn at one particular point.

How small can a piece of water be and still be considered a Tarn?

I looked into the water and found it to be clear and sparkling and the bottom of the tarn to be stony - I had expected it to be peaty or maybe full of weeds. Perhaps it was this quality which entitled it to a degree of respect and a title?

The ground around the water's edge was wet and squidgy and, performing my anti clockwise circuit, I was obliged to make a detour to maintain dry feet. Nevertheless, including this detour, taking a picture or two, and having to climb the fence twice to complete my circumnavigation, it took a little over three minutes to arrive back at my starting point from where the above picture was taken.

Two views of the great Launchy Tarn from its rather soggy southern end

Having completed my task, I now set off towards Honister slate mines and my waiting car. The straight route back can be found by setting your eye on the summit of Great Gable and heading slightly to the right of it.

The ground here, however is very wet and unless great care is taken at least one foot will get a soaking before you reach the dry path down the fellside back to the summit of Honister pass. I managed however, by following my golden rule always to step on a clump of grass or heather and never on the spaces in between.

Two more stretches of water were found on the way home - not much smaller than Launchy Tarn but obviously not large enough to deserve a name or a splash of blue on the map. 

The trek back took no more than half an hour, despite the sometimes difficult terrain, and it seemed no time at all until I was looking down on the mine buildings and car park below.

Overall, the walk had been a good one and despite its unimpressive nature, I was pleased that I'd decided to make the trip to Launchy Tarn. The elevated position meant that long distance views were the norm and that, to me, always makes for an enjoyable hike. Not sure I'll bother going back, mind you, unless as part of a longer hike someday. 

The final, steep drop down to Honister Slate Mine

Dalehead Tarn

Car to lake: 1.5 miles, 1 hour, from Honister slate mine car park.

Round the lake:  0.2 miles, 6 minutes 

Time taken - whole walk (including Launchy Tarn - see next post): 2.5 hours

Height: 460ft net from car park to tarn (maximum height gain 1000ft)

My walk to Dalehead Tarn started from the Honister slate Mine car park at the top of Honister Pass. Not only is this a good place to park (at a cost of £3.50) and a good place to buy Kendal Mint Cake for sustenance but, most importantly, it is already at 1,200 feet above sea level meaning that impressive views opened up within minutes of leaving the car.

Leaving the car park, and crossing the road, I started out up a well worn and immediately quite steep track up the fell. The disadvantage of having a steep climb at the beginning of a walk soon became apparent as legs ached and lungs strained to supply them with oxygen! I've noticed before that this doesn't happen nearly as much if there's been a half mile or so of level walking before hitting a steep climb. The path follows a fence to the right before, after a little while, a stile was climbed allowing me to continue with the fence on my left.

The view ahead, some ten or fifteen minutes into the walk. Around this point, I ought to have veered of the path to the right, keeping the hilltop on my left.

While the view ahead is a little bland at this point, over to the left, with only a slight detour, I got a good view down into the valley up which I'd driven to get here, and to Buttermere and Crummock Water beyond.

The winding Honister pass road linking Buttermere and Borrowdale. The fell on the left must be like a swiss cheese having had Buttermere slate removed from its innards for over a century.

I ploughed on up the hill, reaching a number of false summits before becoming aware that the path was gradually veering left and, therefore, away from where my target Tarn was believed to be. I didn't, of course, have a map, or a compass or even serviceable batteries to put in my Garmin device and was relying on my memory of what I'd seen on "google earth" just after breakfast more than an hour before. After a brief chat with a man from the northeast about his new boots, and another with two ladies who were as unsure of their location as I was, I left the path and veered off to the right in the hope of that Dalehead Tarn would be visible just around the next corner. Two or three next corners later and all became clear.

Dalehead Tarn, now way below me, with my next target, Launchy Tarn, high on the hill behind it.

I had, quite obviously stayed too long on that convenient path and had, as a result done several hundred feet of climbing more than was strictly necessary to reach my destination. My reward however, was a pleasing overview of where Dalehead Tarn lay and a look over into Borrowdale ahead of me and, out of sight in the photo, down towards Little Town to the left.

After taking on board the view, and a few squares of Kendal Mint Cake, I started to zig zag my way down the steep and rather rocky fellside towards the tarn. In no more than a few minutes I joined a path which had come down from my right and led me, and a few other hikers, to the shore of the Tarn.

Dalehead Tarn is a relatively attractive one with some plant life growing at the margins and towards one end. To the left of the picture are the stone remains of what looks like some sheep pens from an earlier age and, from halfway along one side, flows a stream which quickly turns left behind a rocky outcrop before heading off towards the Newlands valley. It had taken a little more than an hour to get here, even via my indirect route and, in a way, I was glad I'd got slightly off track.

I settled down among the ruins on one of the few dry bits of ground to enjoy a sip of water and some more Kendal Mint Cake; the pack of Mars bars I'd brought were little use as they remained in the glove compartment of my car back at Honister.

It was a sunny interval sort of day, sometimes cool in the fresh breeze, sometimes very warm in the mid-summer sun but always pleasant with just jeans, a polo-shirt and a rucksack for protection. Why, I wondered, had I met so many people wearing jackets? One couple were sporting expensive looking windproof clothing which included hoods tied tightly over their heads. With their "earnest hiker" expressions they looked like demented members of some way-out religious cult!

The view from half way round

Refreshed by my sit in the sun, it was now time to perform the ritual of "walking around the lake" and I set off the stop watch on my i-phone and trudged off in a clockwise direction. Six minutes,and a few photographs, later I was back where I'd started from - it could have been less had I not stopped for photos and to admire the view.

Perhaps a better way to have reached Dalehead Tarn would have been from Little Town in the Newlands Valley or as part of a horeshoe hike including Hindscarth, Dalehead and High Spy. The other walkers I met near the tarn, seemed to be doing that except for the two ladies I mentioned earlier. They reappeared just as I was leaving Dale Head Tarn and headed off in the general direction of Borrowdale having lost their way exactly as I had done.

My walk had been very enjoyable however and, had there not been the lure of Launchy Tarn nearby, I'd have happily headed straight back to the car, probably no more than 45 minutes away.

Launchy Tarn beckoned however, and I veered off the path leading towards High Spy and struck out across open fell...................... see my next post on the blog!