The Loweswater Fells

Wednesday 23rd December 2009

The snow continued to be a major factor during this walk, but fortunately this time I enjoyed perfect weather with the sun shining all day, hardly a cloud in the sky and hardly a breath of wind. The snow meant I couldn't park where I'd planned (next to Maggie's Bridge, near Loweswater), so I parked on the main road at Lanthwaite below Grasmoor. This necessitated a long walk-in from my parking spot to Maggie’s Bridge and another long one at the end when I was tired. However, since this extension was along easy tracks and roads it wasn't too bad and actually I found it quite relaxing compared with the rest of the walk. Beyond Maggie’s Bridge I entered Holme Wood and began climbing the steep wooded slopes eventually reaching the edge of the wood to stunning views of Grasmoor and Whiteside.
Crossing into the open fell I climbed beside a stream, the Holme Beck, for a short distance until I reached a fence where I turned right and followed the fence steeply up the hillside. This was in fact the wrong way. I had misread Wainwright’s guide and therefore missed out on a vastly superior route that crosses the eastern slopes of the fell along an excellent terrace route that affords stunning views over Loweswater before climbing beside a wall to the top of the fell. Instead I had an exhausting climb while trying to drag myself up the steep slope in deep snow that didn't get any better even when the gradient levelled off. This was typical of the whole time I spent on the fells during this walk as I struggled through snow that was often knee deep, and was sometimes even deeper in drifts. It was an extremely tiring day as I had to lift my feet high with every step while wading through the snow, but eventually I managed to walk or sometimes crawl to the summit of Burnbank Fell.

After a short rest I set off beside a fence down the side of the fell and up to the top of Blake Fell, the highest of the Loweswater Fells. After all my effort I collapsed into the stone shelter at the summit and had my lunch. After eating I set off with a spring in my step down the wind-swept (i.e. shallow snow-covered) southern slopes until I reached deeper snow at the bottom, in Fothergill Head, where my trudge resumed and I climbed up to the top of Gavel Fell, my third new Wainwright of the day. My original plan for this wallk had been to go on beyond Gavel Fell to Hen Combe and Mellbreak but under these conditions it was obviously taking me a lot longer than normal to cover the distances. With the sun already beginning to set I headed down the steep north-westerly slope of Gavel Fell onto a broad ridge that had more of the same trudge through deep soft snow. I paused briefly for a last look at the stunning views in perfect weather conditions at a cairn on an unnamed 488m top before dropping steeply down around Black Crag.

With the snow already beginning to get a hard crust as the sun set I came off the fell and onto a bridlepath that took me through High Nook Farm and back to Maggie’s Bridge. A quick walk along the road and up through Lanthwaite Wood brought me back to my car. Although this was a really tiring walk I actually enjoyed it, mainly due to the stunning views that accompanied me all day, which more than compensated for the trudges through deep snow. In the summer this would have been a simple, if boggy, walk. Under these conditions, despite the clear, sunny weather, it was a gruelling challenge of stamina. It amazes me how a little snow turns even the easiest walk into a mountainous expedition and shows that walking under these sorts of conditions should never be taken lightly.