Jenkins Crag and Sallows

Thursday 24th December 2015

I had spent a lot of time during the previous evening to this walk trying to decide where to go and never came to a decision. Ultimately I needed to get to the railway station for Windermere and after the recent flooding in the Lake District I was wary of relying on buses preferring to walk all the way, but there is not a clear, obvious route to take. The weather forecast had been of no help with a potential for both good and bad weather during the day. It was raining when I got up, but by the time I left the Ambleside Youth Hostel this had stopped leaving a damp, grey and windy day that didn’t inspire me to trek up any fells. The only place that I definitely wanted to visit was Jenkins Crag, which lies on the western slopes of Wansfell in amongst the trees of Skelghyll Wood. On the other side of the road from the hostel I climbed past Stagshaw Gardens into this delightful wood that was overflowing with winter damp and patiently waiting to spring forth with new growth when the season warms. I had never been in this wood before but I am now eager to return when the season displays it in more luxurious colours and delights.

The view from Jenkins Crag extends over the northern stretches of Windermere including the hills of Claife Heights that I had walked over the day before with the secluded Blelham Tarn that I had passed lurking in the hollow below Latterbarrow. Just before reaching the crag I passed a sign that was marked for Wansfell and I briefly considered taking it, but the low clouds that enveloped the top of the fell put me off. This path is not marked on my OS map and was not recommended in Wainwright’s guides until the latest, recently published edition. With hindsight I would have loved to have taken the path, but only if the weather had been better. Instead I continued along the path that enjoyably travels through the wood to emerge with views down the length of Windermere. There is a path marked on my map that goes from the end of Hundreds Road up to the top of Wansfell that I did consider taking, but the clouds were still too low and I really couldn’t be bothered to make the effort up a fell that I hadn’t been impressed with when I was last at the top.

Soon after the junction with Hundreds Road is a squat cairn, marked as a pillar on my map, where a good view can be seen down Windermere, but whose purpose otherwise escapes me. Continuing along Robins Lane I descended into the sprawling village of Troutbeck, and after crossing the valley started climbing up one of the many enclosed lanes that crisscross the slopes above Trout Beck. I was heading towards one of the most famous enclosed lanes in the Lake District, where there are many, the Garburn Road. I’m not sure what my intentions were when I started the climb, whether I was planning on turning south onto Longmire Road or Dubbs Road on my way to Windermere station, but as I climbed an astonishing thing happened: the clouds parted and sunlight filled the valley. With this unexpectedly improving weather I decided to continue heading along the Garburn Road all the way up to the top of the pass even though by the time I reached the top clouds had once again enveloped the Lake District.

I had never climbed to the top of Garburn Pass from Troutbeck before, and as I slowly made my way up the track I remembered the previous times that I had been there. In 2004 I had climbed to the top of the pass from Kentmere as part of the Kentmere Round, and in 2006 I walked from Windermere station up to Sour Howes and Sallows before descending to the pass. A reverse of that walk was what I now intended on doing even though when I had considered it the previous evening I had dismissed it as being a waste of effort on two fells that even Wainwright admitted ‘are not strictly walkers’ territory’. Nevertheless when I reached the top of the Garburn Road I turned off the track onto a wet and muddy path that climbs up to the horribly windswept and boggy top of Sallows. After battling through savagely strong winds that were thundering over the fell, I made my way up to the summit of Sallows where I could barely stand, so I immediately turned around and headed around the top of the waterlogged valley of Park Beck.

I was seriously questioning my wisdom in coming up to the top of these two fells as the conditions were horrendous at the top of the ridge while I tried to shelter from the wind as much as I could. After reaching the top of Sour Howes I followed a delightful path down a line of outcrops through Applethwaite Common while the sun once more come out revealing a majestic view of Windermere glistening before me, which should have made this a really enjoyable descent if it wasn’t for the ferocious winds on the side of this exposed fell. All I had in my mind was a desperate desire to get down the fell as quickly as possible and away from that savage wind. Finally I reached the enclosed lane of Dubbs Road where after collapsing with exhaustion I slowly made my way along the lane to Moor Howe. In 2006 I had started my ascent by passing over the viewpoint of Orrest Head and I had considered returning on this walk, but the wind had been knocked out of me on the fells, so I just stayed on roads and walked all the way to the railway station. It had been distressing to see the Lake District so badly affected by flooding on this short holiday and as I left I hoped it wouldn’t be long before it had fully recovered, and that I would return.