It was from the lofty summit of Skiddaw that I looked out upon Grisedale Pike and realised that it would have to be climbed one day. "A nagger of consciousness," said Wainwright of this graceful pyramidal peak and so it proved for me. Hopegill Head was the natural continuation of this hike and, with daylight hours sparse at November's end, the last Wainwright of the day. Snow covered the district and, with no ice-axe or crampons to speak of, The North Western fells seemed an appropriate stalking ground. Conditions were benevolent and crisp. The visibility was stunning with far reaching views across the entire Lake Distict, to the Isle of Man and to the Southern Uplands of Scotland. This was one of the best days I have experienced in England's finest landscape.