High Street Eagles

Our first walk in the Lake District this year, and what better place to start than the magnificent Riggindale Crag route up High Street. It's quite tough going for the first walk of the year, but the reward is simply spectacular views in all directions. The summit of High Street at 828m was speckled with snow and bitterly cold, but the air was so fresh and the views so sharp that it was all worthwhile. And to think that just two weeks ago we were lying on a beach in Portugal having just seen Black-bellied Sandgrouse near Mertola!

High Street is immersed in history, with a Roman road across the summit which gives the mountain it's name and horse racing and festivals used to take place just below the summit. One of the most fascinating mountains in Lakeland.

Of course Riggindale is also a great place to go birding, which was partly the reason for choosing it in this season. Flying between Riggindale Crag and Kirdsty Pike was Englands only resident Golden Eagle, it was seen well and occasionally displaying, though sadly there is no female.

Also around the crag, Peregrine, Buzzards and a few Ravens, whilst perhaps most surprisingly, there were about 20 Whooper Swans on Haweswater. Haweswater itself is quite a fascinating place, being a man made reservoir where in low water years the flooded village of Mardale can be seen.


Looking towards the summit of High Street. You can almost feel the presence of the Roman legionnaires marching across the summit on their way to Hadrians wall.


Two views of Riggindale Crag from Haweswater, rising from the pine trees on the left, up towards the summit of High Street. I think that Mardale is almost in front of us from this point. The photo on the left was taken as we arrived in the morning, the one on the right as we left in the evening.

Haweswater, with distant Whooper Swans in the righthand photo.