Wild Camping on Haystacks and Innominate Tarn

Ten years ago, I stood on the opposite side of this valley in very different conditions. The weather was foul, cloud clung so low that the fells disappeared into it, the rain lashed sideways, and the path was little more than a stream. I remember trudging along, soaked through, trying to imagine the views I couldn’t see. At the time, I thought: people must be mad if they climb these fells for fun.

Fast forward a decade, and here I was again, this time heading up Haystacks with Buddy and Teddy. The difference could not have been greater. Instead of grey mist and misery, we had sunshine, clear skies, and the promise of a night high up in the hills.

The Bothys – Dubs Hut and Warnscale

Setting out from Honister Mines, the climb soon brought us to the first of two bothys, Dubs Hut. Small, sturdy, and wonderfully simple, it’s the kind of place you half expect to find a kettle already boiling. Buddy and Teddy trotted around, tails wagging, investigating every corner as if they were the new caretakers.

From there, we carried on to Warnscale Bothy. Now this one really does have something special,  the famous window looking out across the valley. Buttermere sparkled in the distance, framed by the rugged hills all around. I stood there for a long while, remembering that day ten years ago when this same view was hidden completely from sight. To finally see it spread out before me felt like uncovering a secret I’d been waiting years to glimpse.

The Climb to Haystacks

From the bothy the path climbs steadily onto Haystacks. Alfred Wainwright chose this as his final resting place, and it’s easy to see why, it’s a fell packed with character. Crags, little tarns, winding paths, it feels like a landscape built for exploring. Buddy and Teddy, with their boundless energy, scrambled over rocks and trotted along the trails as if they’d been there a hundred times before.

Innominate Tarn – Our Camp for the Night

By late afternoon we reached Innominate Tarn. The water was perfectly still, mirroring the sky and fells around it. I pitched the tent nearby and settled in with the boys for the night. As the sun dipped behind the hills, the whole sky glowed orange and pink, fading into deep blue as the first stars appeared.

Dinner cooked on the stove, two poodles snuggled into their sleeping spots, and me sitting outside just soaking it all in, it was one of those perfect moments that make wild camping so addictive.

Reflections

Walking back down the next morning, I thought about that day ten years ago, stumbling along the far side of the valley in driving rain. If you’d told me then that one day I’d be back with two poodles, camping by a tarn under a clear sky, I’m not sure I’d have believed you.

But that’s the Lake District for you. Every visit is different. Some days it shows you only mist and rain, other days it opens up and gives you memories that will last a lifetime.

Haystacks and Innominate Tarn gave me one of the best wild camps I’ve had so far, and sharing it with Buddy and Teddy made it unforgettable.