ACROSS LAKELAND - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 24

before swinging high across the flanks of Brandreth and Grey Knotts to the top of Hon-
ister Pass.
For walkers this is the first moment of real challenge, the first opportunity to come
to grips with the mountain uplands of Lakeland, and not a place to linger if the weath-
er is turning for the worse.
On leaving Black Sail Youth Hostel, do not be misled by the rather more
prominent path heading for a footbridge across the Liza and Black Sail
Pass. Instead, take a narrow path, becoming clearer, to arrive at the foot
of Loft Beck, the location of which is not in doubt, and occurs just a short
distance above its confluence with Tongue Beck.
Cross Loft Beck and begin the steep pull to the shoulder of fells above.
On a warm day the beck is something of a heat trap, but the retrospective
views are adequate justification for taking the climb easy.
At the top of Loft Beck a line of cairns directs the path to easier ground,
with the summits of Brandreth and Grey Knotts ahead. If you intend stay-
ing at Honister, or even Seatoller, you may want to consider 'bagging' this
pair of fairly easy summits - then again, you may not. Gradually the path
veers away from these outliers of the Gables as a more prominent path
looms ahead. This is Moses' Trod, a long-established trail from Honister to
Wasdale and beyond. Away to the left, a delightful view of the Buttermere
valley opens up, framed between the heights of the High Stile range and
Fleetwith Pike.
MOSES' TROD