Tarn Hows and around Holme Fell

Wednesday 1st January 2025

Ignoring that it was the start of a new year, I went to bed at a normal time and got up the following morning as usual, preparing to leave the Coniston Youth Hostel where I had been spending the last few nights. When I set off the weather was no better than it had been in the previous year as it was still raining and there was a brisk wind, though it wasn’t as bad as the torrential weather of the day before, which had left the ground very wet. I walked along the path that follows the main road out of Coniston, passing the turning to Tilberthwaite and Yew Tree Farm to reach the start of a path that climbs through woodland beside Tom Gill, which was now a raging torrent thanks to the heavy rain. The walk up was interesting and the falls were spectacular, compensating for the poor weather, but I think I would have still preferred to have been there in better weather as I had done in 2008 on my way to Coniston, though the falls then were merely a trickle. At the top of the path I was confronted with the Tarns that are the centrepiece of Tarn Hows and with the rain easing at this point I had a pleasant walk beside the lake heading north until I reached a signpost that directed me onto a good path that brought me to the byway that links Oxen Fell High Cross with Knipe Fold. The rain now returned, off and on, accompanied by a strong crosswind that made putting on my new Mac in a Sac poncho very difficult, in fact extremely frustrating as I was unable to straighten it up out without the assistance of someone else.

Eventually I gave up and left the poncho off, and after crossing the main road at Oxen Fell High Cross, I continued along the track until I reached a gate where I turned south onto the undulating ridge that heads towards Holme Fell. I had come this way in 2017 in misty conditions and I had been unable to appreciate it then so I was keen to return, but the wind and rain made this time no better, even though the visibility was better. The rain prompted me to put my new poncho back on, but the wind convinced me that this was a waste of time as the constant flapping became annoying. The poncho had been bought for the wet and humid days of summer when waterproofs just leave you hot and drenched in sweat, and it had been taken to the Lake District for a trial as I’d just bought it. It remains to be seen if it will work in the season intended. The maze of paths across Holme Fell made navigating along the undulating ridge difficult and prompted me to abandon it even when there was no alternative. One attempt to descend to my left proved to be futile and I had to climb back up onto the ridge, but finally I made another attempt that was more successful and led me onto the clear path that descends from Uskdale Gap to Yew Tree Tarn. A fast moving stream of water was flowing down the path washing away the loose stones so the path was not in a good state and I had to be careful as I made way down to Yew Tree Tarn where I turned left to pass through a waterlogged area north of the tarn.

The weather had already been showing signs of improving with breaks in the clouds even while I was on the Oxen Fell byway, but it had remained mixed with rain dominating in between the brief moments of sunshine and it was only now that the rain finally stopped. The ground was everywhere very wet as I slowly made my way over the pass beside the main road, passing Oxen Fell High Cross and continuing to Tongue Intake Plantation on a path that I had never taken before, so I loved the opportunity. In the wood I followed a bridleway that descends through woodland and felt very remote with no sign of civilisation across the grassy fields to the River Brathay that was meandering through the valley and reminded me of the Scottish Highlands. At a junction I turned left to cross Ben Beck and join the familiar route of the Cumbria Way, which I have taken many times and as the weather continued to improve with the skies clearing I followed the popular path to Skelwith Bridge. From there I kept to the south of the valley following minor roads climbing up to the hamlet of Skelwith Fold and back down to the river along Bog Lane. The views in the distance up Langdale were stunning though marred by the foreground being sheltered from the low sun as I followed the road into Clappergate and finally reached Ambleside.

It is a shame that I abandoned Holme Fell and failed to reach the summit, but since I had a long way to walk to Ambleside I felt I was short of time and didn’t need to waste time struggling up to the summit. This was a very frustrating day when the weather was better in the afternoon when I was uselessly making my way towards Ambleside, though this was an enjoyable walk and the improving weather held a promise for the rest of the week of better weather.

Claife Heights

Monday 30th December 2024

After a good night’s sleep I set off from the Coniston Holly How Youth Hostel into the centre of the village where I caught a bus to Hawkshead. The weather forecast for this and the following day was very poor with strong to gale force winds and heavy rain, but as I set off along the road out of Hawkshead it wasn’t raining. I thought it would be best if I kept low for this walk so I decided to walk over Claife Heights which is a low range of hills between Hawkshead and Windermere largely covered with conifers. Wainwright described a walk over these hills in his guide to the Outlying Fells of Lakeland and that was my inspiration for this walk, however I was starting from Hawkshead whereas Wainwright’s route started from Far Sawry. To get onto Wainwright’s route I walked along the road as far as Colthouse where a rocky lane, that was a joy to walk along, took me steeply up the hill, but when the gradient eased my ancient green lane was transformed into a modern forestry track, though while climbing the grassy hill I was provided with views back towards Hawkshead and towards the conifers ahead of me. Soon after entering the conifer plantation I began to descend, past a crossroads and onto a narrower footpath signposted Belle Grange, which was not on Wainwright’s route, but I thought it would make an interesting diversion, and was definitely better than the wide forestry tracks and was an enjoyable path to follow as it descended the hillside, sheltered from the strong winds.

Before reaching Belle Grange on the shore of Windermere I turned right onto a path that slowly climbed back up the side of the hill and provided me with views across the lake to Bowness, though they were very misty. Near the top of the ridge the winds were picking up, helped by the trees in the area being mostly felled, and on crossing a wall I turned right to head towards High Blind How, the highest point in Claife Heights. When I was there in 2015, the summit was still surrounded by trees that hadn’t yet been felled, but not anymore so I was now easily able to see where I needed to go and made my way up onto the summit crag where a trig point provided me with some shelter from the strong winds. I had views in all directions with the best looking south over the scattered, young trees on Claife Heights with Windermere extending into the distance. A slender path meandered through a craggy landscape passing over High Pate Crag before descending through the trees to reach the main footpath. Now, I headed south with the path slowly improving as I followed a wall gradually descending apart from the short, sharp descent down Low Pate Crags and on into the incoming, but brief, rain. When I eventually reached the village of Far Sawry, which I hadn’t been to before, I took the opportunity to stop and sort myself out before setting off again.

My route initially followed a tarmac road that climbed north back up the hill, until I came off the road and onto a much rougher track that led me onward past Moss Eccles Tarn and Wise Een Tarn. As the skies darkened and it started to rain again I entered the conifer plantation and at a crossroads I turned left, soon reaching the crossroads where I had been earlier in the day, when I had taken the path towards Belle Grange, and now I turned left to retrace my steps over the hill and down the recently made, unnecessarily wide, forestry track that led me down to the bottom of the valley and finally return to Hawkshead. This was a funny little walk with weather that was never as bad as predicted, though it soon worsened. I enjoyed walking on the narrow, rocky paths that are typical of the Lake District, but it was more tedious when on the wider forestry tracks. The following day the weather was terrible and just as bad as forecast, so I was tempted to stay in the hostel all day, but there is an advantage to walking in prolonged heavy rain as it gives you an opportunity to see if your waterproofs are any good, so I decided to take a low level walk from Coniston. When I set off it wasn’t raining, which made a mockery of all the waterproofs I’d put on, but it wouldn’t be long before I needed them.

From the centre of Coniston I turned up a lane that climbs steeply beside Church Beck into the Coppermines Valley, but this was not the way I’d wanted to go, so when I reached Miner’s Bridge I crossed the beck beside some waterfalls and came back down into Coniston. The Coppermines Valley is usually an interesting place to explore, but with a strong wind blowing down the hill it was soon clear that this was not the day to do so and as I descended back into Coniston it began to rain. This was a good opportunity for me to test my new Mac in a Sac poncho so I put this on and continued to walk round to the old station car park where the track of the railway can be walked and provided me with a good surface to walk on in these conditions. Having never walked on it before I enjoyed the opportunity and the path took me over the main road, past Park Coppice Campsite and alongside the road to finally reach the village of Torver. Sadly, I now left the railway behind and followed a farmer’s road to Mill Bridge where I rejoined the main road and followed it back to Torver, which was not the correct way as I should have gone in the other direction. Frustrated, I walked back along the busy road past the turning to Mill Bridge and finally reached the path that led down to the shores of Coniston Water where a fabulous path led me back to Coniston.

This was an interesting path that undulated, weaving around the trees and over the roots, until eventually the path widened and I passed through the campsite again. I had previously come along this path in 2016, in the other direction, and I enjoyed the opportunity to return, despite the heavy rain. I finally returned to the youth hostel in Coniston before two o’clock, which may be early, but understandable in this weather. It was curious to note how well or poorly my waterproofs had faired as I was dry under my poncho and waterproofs, but where my new poncho hadn’t covered me, on my arms and legs, my waterproofs had not protected me, so the key seemed to be to wear two waterproofs. Although the rain had come through my poncho it had not been able to also get through my regular waterproofs. This was a very useful walk for the future and quite an experience to walk in that weather.