Knock Fell and High Cup Scar

Saturday 26th August 2006

For another bank holiday I was off again walking in the hills and this time I had picked the less popular Northumberland National Park as my destination, but before I got there I stopped off in the North Pennines to visit a geological feature that I had wanted to visit ever since I'd missed out on it when I was in the area in 2004: High Cup Scar. Parking in the village of Dufton near Appleby I walked along the Pennine Way around Dufton Fell and steeply up the hillside onto the open moorland at Knock Fell. The tops north of this point are the highest in the Pennines reaching to its peak on Cross Fell, and I had considered diverting over these tops if the weather was good. When I went over these fells two years previously the weather was lousy, but it was no better for this walk so I hadn't started until after lunch as I just hadn't been in a hurry to get there.

After taking a worthless picture of the summit cairn of Knock Fell I turned my back on the Pennine Way and headed across the pathless moorland, dodging the bogs. This was hard going but eventually I reached the young Maize Beck, beside which I found a faint path. Following this, although still rough, was much easier than traipsing through the bog. The stream eventually led me to a footbridge that takes the Pennine Way over the beck while on its way from Teesdale to Dufton. Passing over the gorge I headed straight towards the top of High Cup Scar, a huge gouge that cuts deep into the hills. It was a stunning sight, but it was a pity that the weather was dull and from there I followed the Pennine Way as it descends the hillside into Dufton. This was a nice walk, so it was just a pity that the weather was so poor.