Blencathra and Bowscale Fell

Monday 6th April 2015

Once again on this holiday, when I left Skiddaw House the weather was stunning with clear blue skies overhead, however once I had passed over the watershed, at the Stake, I noticed that the Vale of St. John's ahead of me was full of thick mist just as I had seen the day before surrounding the Lake District. The stunning sight of this thermal inversion filled me with excitement as there was a chance of seeing the rare optical illusion of a Brocken Spectre at such moments so I was looking forward to the prospect. With eager anticipation I made my way down the path taking the left junction to the eastern side of the valley so that I would be ideally placed for my shadow to fall onto the mist and form the rainbow-coloured halo effect around my head that is typical of Brocken Spectres. However, in the end the mist was too thin for a clear spectre to be seen, though the sun was so bright that even in these conditions a faint spectre could still be seen. You have to be really lucky and in precisely the right place at precisely the right time to see a good Brocken Spectre.

Nevertheless, it was stunning to see the cloud filling the valley ahead of me until eventually as I continued along the wide track I descended below the level of the mist and reached the Blencathra Centre. After a short spell on the road coming from the centre, I took a path that follows the fell-wall above the fields and led me to Gate Gill. A couple of months ago, while writing on this blog, about my first ever ascent of Hall’s Fell Ridge, I realised that although I have subsequently been down the ridge several times I had not climbed this fabulous ridge since. At that moment I changed my plans for this holiday and incorporated a climb up Hall’s Fell Ridge on this walk and in view of the great weather I’m glad that I did. It wasn’t long before I had climbed above the clouds and while I was on the excellent zigzagging, craggy path the mist began to clear from the valleys until by the time I reached the top of Blencathra, Hall’s Fell Top, the valleys were completely clear of mist.

I really enjoyed climbing Hall’s Fell Ridge, from Gate Gill all the way up to the top, but it starts getting really exciting half way along when the ridge narrows and turns into a delectable scramble. There are many paths that bypass most difficulties, but those difficulties, usually right on top of the ridge, are never more than grade one and thrilling rather than terrifying when attempted. Wainwright was definitely right when he said, “For active walkers and scramblers, this route is positively the finest way to any mountain-top in the district.” This was a gorgeous climb in fabulous weather with improving views over the Lake District and was easily my highlight of the day, if not my whole holiday. Eventually I reached the top of Hall’s Fell Ridge, the summit of Blencathra, for the second day running and from there I made my way across to Atkinson Pike.

At the foot of Foule Crag I was reunited with the course of the watershed between the River Derwent and the River Eden almost twenty-four hours after I’d left it. I now resumed the main purpose on my holiday: following the watershed across the length of the Lake District. After crossing the col at the top of the Glenderamackin valley I headed up the hill opposite to the top of a tiny rise above Bannerdale Crags. This rise rather than the highest top above Bannerdale Crags is on the watershed and from there I made my way across very boggy ground north to Bowscale Fell. Despite the boggy ground I thoroughly enjoyed the traverse as I jumped across the bogs with the aid of my walking poles, happily sailing over Bowscale Fell, where I swung to the right and sailed along the ridge gradually descending to Mungrisdale.

However, as I approached Mungrisdale failure was staring me in the face. The watershed continues from the foot of the ridge towards Eycott Hill across farmland that has no public access and there is also no access to the route of the watershed after Eycott Hill as it passes over the A66 and over the top of Great Mell Fell. I was unable to continue along the watershed so after passing through the pretty daffodil-filled village of Mungrisdale I turned around, abandoned the walk and started to head towards Keswick. I had decided that I would take a route along the valley of the River Glenderamackin, a place that I had never thoroughly explored before. The only time that I had previously been in this valley was in wintry conditions and only for the short distance to the foot of the east ridge of Bannerdale Crags, and the path as far as this branch was actually very wet and narrow, but beyond Bannderdale Beck it became much wider and drier which made along the valley considerably more pleasurable.

After the valley swung to the right a bridge appeared over the river with a slanting path giving me easy access to the top of Mousthwaite Comb. From there I took a deliciously narrow and precipitous path that passes through the crags on the western side of the comb before swinging around the lower slopes of Scale Fell down to the fell-wall above Scales Farm. Now, I simply had to follow the wall back to Gate Gill with two things of note on the way. There is a tricky scramble across Scaley Beck, which I remember doing two years ago before starting my climb of Doddick Fell, and is a challenging sting on an otherwise simple path, while the next problem was simply annoying. While traversing the foot of Doddick Fell I passed a path that branches right and assumed it was the start of the climb up Doddick Fell. However, the path I was on then descended towards Doddick Farm and I eventually realised that in order to continue beside the fell-wall I would have to climb steeply up the fell to stay onto the branching path. This was not welcome near the end of a tiring walk.

Eventually I reached the familiar surroundings of Gate Gill, where I had been earlier in the day, and followed footpaths through farmland to the village of Threlkeld. My route onwards to Keswick lay on the picturesque Keswick Railway Footpath through the delightful woods of the River Greta. I couldn’t believe how good the weather had been on this walk with stunning views and bright sunshine all day. I felt really blessed to be in the Lake District during such good weather, however that could all be undone by my own body. My feet and legs were really aching after three hard, tiring day's walking that had left me with several blisters on my feet, and my face and neck were badly sunburnt. Nevertheless I was very lucky to be in the Lake District in such great weather, and any walk that includes a climb up Hall’s Fell Ridge is a great walk.