Harter Fell and the Coniston Fells

Wednesday 30th March 2005

This day started grey and cold, but despite the weather I still headed off on another walk along the road at the bottom of Eskdale before heading up a bridle path straight after crossing Whahouse Bridge. Once out of the trees into open country I had a steep climb ahead of me up to the top of Harter Fell. This may have been a very cold and overcast day, but it seemed almost like ideal walking weather: there were few other people on the fells, and none on Harter Fell. I had the fells to enjoy all by myself. Descending towards Dunnerdale Forest I discovered there were now no trees in the Forestry Commission land but a bleak, barren landscape where the trees had been until recently. Ennerdale is in a similar state in parts where the Forestry Commission has removed all the trees from an area, but coniferous forests have a destructive effect on the ground, poisoning it so nothing else can grow. With all the trees gone we are left with nothing but bare earth across the hillsides, which is not what I came to the Lake District to see. It is not a pretty sight and the sooner the land recovers the better.

After negotiating the steep, barren landscape I reached the bottom of the valley and crossed the River Duddon. I walked south along the road until I crossed a cattle grid where I climbed over Troutal Tongue and passed through Tongue House and Long House farms, crossing several muddy fields in the process. Eventually I reached the beginning of the Walna Scar Road and ascended the track to the summit near Brown Pike. While braving the strong winds that assailed me at the top I headed along the ridge northwards over Brown Pike, Buck Pike and Dow Crag. After crossing over Goats Hawse I climbed up to the summit of the Old Man of Coniston, which was inevitably hidden within the clouds. Heading back north I passed over Brim Fell and climbed up to Swirl How. I was now unsure what to do next. I was planning to go along Wet Side Edge, north of Great Carrs, the next day but suddenly I thought it would be a good idea if I left something else in the Coniston Fells to do as well. With this in mind, and also with uncertainty as to when I'd get to the hostel otherwise, I decided not to go up Wetherlam but descended from Swirl Hawse past Levers Water and down to the hostel in the Coppermines Valley.