The Yewdale Fells and Holme Fell

Saturday 14th April 2012

This walk was not very demanding as I slowly made my way from the Coniston area where I’d been staying to Ambleside. Up until this point in my holiday I had been blessed with light winds all week, but now on my last day the wind gradually grew in strength which made things feel a lot colder on the tops. From the Coniston Coppermines Valley I climbed back up to Hole Rake where I’d been at the end of the previous day's walk which had attracted me to the area so much that I wanted to return as soon as possible. At the top of the pass I climbed out of the ravine onto a complex area of undulating tops that have the collective name of the Yewdale Fells. Wainwright was dismissive of this area saying “Walkers would do well to accept (my advice) and turn their attention elsewhere.” I found it a fascinating area where one could really get lost trying to make sense of the many small tops that litter the area. The first top I reached was Kitty Crag, the highest point, before slowly making my way round to the other tops. It’s an interesting area to explore, but I suppose there’s no sense of achievement in reaching any of the tops as there’s always another one of similar size less than a hundred yards away.

Eventually I joined the good miner’s path through the Yewdale Fells and reached Tilberthwaite Gill, which I crossed in order to be on the northern bank above the deep ravine, which was the opposite bank to the one that I had taken the day before. After crossing Yewdale Beck I made my way through a small wood to Holme Fell. I went up Holme Fell just before Christmas 2009 just after a heavy fall of snow and I experienced near white-out conditions at the top. Since I couldn’t really see the fell then I thought I’d come back and climb the fell now in better weather conditions. Holme Fell is typical of other low fells, like Loughrigg, in having lots of heather and bracken, many tops and a maze of paths. I took a path that headed across the western slopes aiming for a cairn that stands above the tall, south-facing cliffs of Raven Crag before turning back to the summit. In 2009 I wasn’t sure whether I’d reached the summit but now with the benefit of better weather I could see three tops on the summit ridge with the northern-most being the best candidate (and matching Wainwright's description).

Dropping steeply down from the summit cairn I visited the nearby top of Ivy Crag before dropping further down to the top of the Uskdale Gap (where I’d climbed in 2009). Continuing north I passed a couple of overgrown, disused reservoirs on faint paths while trying to find my way off the fell. I enjoyed this feeling of freedom on the fell, making up my own way off the fell without taking the usual routes, though often through heavily overgrown woodland. I wasn’t in a hurry to get off the fell as I had nowhere else I needed to be in a hurry, so I was able to take my time and enjoy myself. On reaching a track I turned right and followed it past the unsettlingly deep Hodge Close quarries. This is a part of the Lake District that I don’t usually see as it’s a little more wooded and a lot less hilly. I saw more tourists and less hill-walkers as I made my way along tracks down into Little Langdale. Walking through woodland and small farmland took me past the waterfalls of Colwith Force and Skelwith Force. This is the sort of pleasant walk that I have been missing out on all these years through my pre-occupation with the high fells.

After passing through Skelwith Bridge I climbed up to Loughrigg Tarn which is quite an elusive lake. It’s not seen from many fells, its namesake may be the only one. After lunch spent gazing across its waters I made my way across the southern slopes of Loughrigg on a route that I have taken from Skelwith Bridge to Ambleside a couple of times as it’s a good short-cut, but for a diversion I decided to veer south past Lilly Tarn to the prominent viewpoint of Todd Crag. There I had stunning views along the vast length of Windermere, but by now the wind had whipped up so much that I could barely stand on the small platform of naked rock. I quickly came back down again and made my way off the fell to rejoin the main bridlepath across the fell as its drops steeply down into Ambleside. I really enjoyed my week in the Lake District as I tried do a little more exploring and I found some good paths, even if they were lower down that I would normally be walking. I went up few big fells, but what I found was that often the better paths are on the lower fells.