Black Fell and Holme Fell

Friday 22nd December 2017

At the start of this walk the mist was very low over Windermere and was so thick I couldn’t even see the opposite shore, which is a poor prospect to start a walk with and promises little in the way of views. Setting off along the road around the northern tip of Windermere I passed through Borrans Park on my way to Ambleside Roman Fort. I have been to Ambleside many times, but in all those years I had never visited the old fort, so it was good to finally make its acquaintance even though only the foundations now remain. Going on from there I made my way beside the River Rothay back onto the road which I followed as far as Clappersgate where I turned off the main road, over the River Brathay, and onto a minor road that follows the river. The mist accompanied me all the way and added a spooky, surreal feeling to the surroundings with the mist making everything feel closed in and eerie. Eventually the road parted company with the river and I began to the climb the hillside to the tiny hamlet of Skelwith Fold.

Turning right I headed back downhill towards Skelwith Bridge, but before reaching the bridge I turned left onto a path that climbs through damp woodland to reach another road. A short distance along this road took me onto a path that climbs through Brow Coppice to reach the open fellside of Black Fell. When Wainwright was walking in the Lake District there was not a clear path to the summit of Black Fell and even when Chris Jesty prepared the second edition over ten years ago there was still only one path to the summit, from Iron Keld. By the time the Walker’s Edition was published last year, however, quite a few routes had been established including this one that is described as beautiful, though it may not have been at its best when I took the route. The path is sketchy across the undulating terrain and I had to bring my compass out to reassure myself that I was heading in the right direction, and fortunately my perseverance held out and I successfully reached the summit of Black Fell.

It is a pity the weather was so poor as this seemed to be a good route up and might be an even better descent as I enjoy slow, lingering descents, especially those that have good views ahead of me. I had a good view from the top of Black Fell in 2008 and described it as a “lovely little fell” so it’s strange that I don’t now remember being impressed with Black Fell, and much less with the route up (the only route up then), and now I had no view. As I made my way down towards Iron Keld it seemed as though the clouds were parting and revealing little pockets of open fellside that afforded me with views back towards the summit. There was hardly a breath of wind on the fell, which is always an eerie feeling when on a hill or mountain where it almost always gets quite windy as you climb. The silence, mist and lack of wind was making this walk really eerie. On reaching a bridlepath I turned left through the young woodland of Iron Keld Plantation on a dreary, wide track until I reached a byway that I remembered walking along five years ago in poor weather on my way from Hawkshead to Grasmere.

The weather was now at its best and I enjoyed slowly walking along this lovely lane in relatively bright conditions with some views into the open spaces and I reflected that although the area between Coniston, Grasmere and Windermere is very touristy and has no high fells, it is very complex with a lot of amazing sights that require a thorough exploration to fully appreciate it. At the end of the byway I crossed the main road and took the bridlepath opposite, but soon turned onto a path on the left that climbs onto Holme Fell. This is another route that was not highlighted until the latest edition of Wainwright’s guide although the path is marked on the second edition. It is described as being “an up-and-down delight with a good path all the way” however in the misty conditions I still managed to get lost. There is a clear path up to the delightfully named Man Crag, but after that the path seems to go in all directions and it was difficult for me to keep track of all the undulations of the slender, insignificant path.

Eventually I came across a large cairn, probably the one above Uskdale Gap at the top of Ivy Crag, and there I stopped. I did have a further exploration along the ridge south of the cairn, but finding nothing I came back. The actual summit of Holme Fell is on a parallel ridge to the west across a two hundred yard gap, but in the misty conditions I was in no mood to look for it. I had my lunch on Ivy Crag and decided that I had done enough, so after eating I headed down a muddy path that descends in a north-westerly direction to reach a bridlepath where I turned right that took me to Hodge Close Quarries. These are terrifyingly enormous holes in the ground for someone like me who is not comfortable with heights, however what I saw was awe-inspiring with crags that dwarf any of the naturally created crags in the Lake District. These quarries are one reason why this area is so fascinating and rewards an exploration. Even though Hodge Close Quarry was a knee-knocking sight for me, a return visit in drier weather that would enable a thorough exploration would be greatly rewarding.

As the weather deteriorated once more, or became very misty again rather than just misty, I joined the route of the Cumbria Way, though without diverting to Colwith Force, walking along good footpaths through beautiful farmland to reach Skelwith Bridge. After a short death-defying walk along the side of the main road I branched up to a bridlepath that crosses the south-eastern corner of Loughrigg, through the mist and down into Ambleside. This walk was heavily marred by the mist and even though it wasn’t raining and there was hardly any wind, the weather was generally very poor. Nevertheless I still felt as though I’d had a satisfying walk and I still felt that any walk in the Lake District is special especially as I don't come to the area as frequently as I'd like.

Borrowdale to Ambleside

Thursday 21st December 2017

After two nights in the Borrowdale Youth Hostel I now travelled across to the Ambleside Youth Hostel for the remaining two nights of my short holiday in the Lake District. I could have lingered in Borrowdale and climbed some of the hills in the area before catching a bus to Ambleside, and various options went through my head, but in the end, partly due to poor weather, I decided to walk all the way to Ambleside by the shortest route. The weather gradually deteriorated during the course of the week and when I left the hostel it was really misty with very low cloud that didn't lift and a constant drizzle all day. I had little incentive to go up any of the fells in the area so I headed straight towards the tiny village of Stonethwaite and into the valley that leads up to Greenup Edge. For most of the day I was following in the tracks of the Coast to Coast walk which passes over Greenup Edge, however that starts this section from the village of Rosthwaite requiring walkers starting from the youth hostel to make a significant diversion to the north to reach the village only to then turn south again and head into the Stonethwaite Valley.

I skipped all that by walking along the road, retracing my steps of two days previously going from the hostel to the village of Stonethwaite and from there across the valley onto the bridlepath that heads over Greenup Edge. At Easter 2010 I was thwarted in my attempts to get very far along this valley by exceptionally heavy rain (and snow melt), but I had no such problems now and was able to sail along the path into the misty weather that awaited me. Since 2010 I have walking down from Greenup Edge many times, most recently in 2016 in improving weather, but this was the first time I successfully walked all the way up the valley from Borrowdale to Greenup Edge. The views were non-existent and the path is not particularly good. I don’t have a great opinion of this path, which is why I was considering alternatives, as it very rough underfoot with many scattered boulders that have to be negotiated on a poorly defined path.

Slowly I made my way along the bottom of the valley to the foot of Lining Crag where the path steepens as it climbs the rock-covered slope up to Greenup Edge. It was satisfying to now have good rock underfoot and be climbing the steep, craggy terrain, but all too soon I was at the top of Lining Crag where in better weather there is an awesome view down the valley towards Borrowdale. Turning away from the edge I headed up to the boggy terrain that covers the broad plateau that is misnamed Greenup Edge. The path is very sketchy at this point with small cairns trying to help walkers across this bleak landscape. It is astonishing how ill-defined the path is across Greenup Edge considering the many Coast to Coast walkers who cross it every year, but eventually I did manage to find my way across passing several helicopter bags full of stones that have been left scattered around indicating that perhaps there are plans to make some improvements to the path across the edge.

The path coming down from Greenup Edge does show signs of recent path improvement so I had no problems coming down and soon reached the bottom of the valley where the path disappears amongst boggy ground. I could see a path on the other side of the valley so headed across the stream but I found that I couldn’t complete the traverse and I had to wade back over the stream only to cross it a third time to reach the path that I had seen. Looking at aerial shots of the scene and studying the map I believe the crossing of the paths from Far Easedale, Calf Crag and Greenup Edge is now some distance north of where it used to be, and where it is marked on maps. The crossing is now at the point where the Calf Crag path makes a sharp left turn, beside a cairn, and this is where I reached it, however the path from Greenup Edge used to keep to the rough ground until it reaches the stream just after Mere Beck and Birks Gill joins. A direct route across the boggy head of the valley from there leads to Far Easedale Head.

It is fascinating how paths move as people wander off the original path and in their confusion take a completely different line even though it’s often worse than the original. The misty weather continued as I headed down into Far Easedale to find a valley that I think is more pleasing than the Stonethwaite Valley that I had passed through on the ascent, and I quite enjoyed the descent down the valley on a good path, despite the poor weather, and stopped off at one point for my lunch at the foot of a picturesque series of waterfalls and cascades. Eventually I reached the village of Grasmere and after a rest stop to grab something to eat I headed past Dove Cottage onto the Coffin Route. I had considered diverting from Grasmere over Loughrigg, but since I couldn’t see Loughrigg there seemed little point. Even the low-level Coffin Route was shrouded in mist so I don’t think this was the right day to be going up a fell. I think the route that I selected, actually the most direct, was the best route given the weather conditions and I think, in the end, it was quite a pleasing walk.

After the roughness of the Stonethwaite Valley had been left behind the walk was curiously satisfying. I was even surprised by the Coffin Route, from Grasmere to Rydal, which I think I have used only once before, almost ten years ago, and it now shows signs of being, shall we say, upgraded. The path is now much smoother, which in most places in the Lake District would be, and is, a travesty, but I think here, on this low-level path, it is allowable and enables those less able to walk up a fell the chance to enjoy a little of what the better able can enjoy of the delights of the Lake District. At the end of the path I passed Rydal Hall and through Rydal Park to finally reach Ambleside at the end of a day that shows that the Lake District can still deliver even in poor weather.

Newlands Valley and High Spy

Wednesday 20th December 2017

In rather dark and dingy weather I set off from the Borrowdale Youth Hostel and immediately went onto a path that I have never taken before, which is astonishing considering the number of times that I have stayed at the hostel. The path follows the edge of Johnny Wood before climbing up the fell and passes Scaleclose Force on the way, but part way up I saw a footbridge over Scaleclose Gill and I assumed the path went that way. It was a beautiful crossing in a delightful dell and proved too enticing for me to miss and soon took me through Scaleclose Coppice to a waterfall, but this could not be Scaleclose Force as it is not on Scaleclose Gill. It wasn’t until after a good look around the beautiful waterfall in its woodland landscape that I realised I wasn’t where I should have been as the right-of-way doesn’t cross the bridge over Scaleclose Gill. Crossing a wall I followed a faint path that took me onto the clear track that follows Tongue Gill up towards Rigghead Quarries. Formally this area would have been a noisy and very busy place full of people delving deep into the fell, but as I climbed I found it a quiet, but damp and misty place with levels delving deep into the mountain dripping with water.

The weather was slowly deteriorating as rain began to fall and I slowly made my way up the slat-covered path through the quarries. I popped my head into some of the levels, the abandoned mine openings, but wisely did not venture inside, and continued plodding up the wet path into the mist that enveloped Rigg Head. Despite the poor weather this was a good climb with interesting scenery, but when I reached the top it deteriorated considerably as a far bit of quagmire has to be crossed before reaching Newlands Beck. I had decided that in view of the weather I would not climb any higher at this point, but made my way down into the Newlands Valley, however I had rather a bit of difficulty finding the path in the misty conditions. After wandering around for a bit and visiting Dalehead Tarn I eventually dropped steeply down grassy slopes to reach the beck and there, which had been unseen to me, was a slender, poorly maintained and deteriorating footpath. Wainwright describes this route up Dale Head as tedious and although I’ve never taken this path before I am not going to be in a hurry to return.

The crags of High Spy loomed above me, topped by cloud, and littered the path with scree making this a tricky path to walk upon and one that seems to be crying out for someone to tidy up and improve. However, with hindsight I do wonder why I would have thought that as in its present state it is special, raw, untamed and wild. Many paths in the Lake District have been tamed and made too easy whereas this one does have some appeal in the fact that is not easy and is difficult to follow. Walking in the Lake District should not easy and the walker should sometimes be challenged with rough and muddy paths. There are places in the Lake District where the paths have been ruined rather than fixed and maybe I shouldn’t be moaning about this path, but rather rejoicing that it was still in its raw, untamed state. Eventually I reached the bottom of the valley where a good, wide track finally enabled me to put my feet up, or more accurately put my poles away and stride confidently, secure in my steps, along the valley to the little town of Little Town.

After a quick stop for lunch I headed along the path towards Hause Gate, which I had passed through just the day before while coming down from Cat Bells, but I had no intention on reaching Hause Gate again. I wanted to take a seldom used path up Maiden Moor, but despite Wainwright’s admonition to ‘Watch for this junction’ I completely missed the junction, although the path may have been up a groove that I had spotted. It wasn’t until I reached the Yewthwaite Gill crossing that I realised I had missed the junction so I headed up into Yewthwaite Comb from that point through very boggy ground until I eventually found the clear path through bracken that heads round to the top of the crags that overlook Little Town. This path fades as it heads up to a sheepfold and beyond the terrain steepens considerably so I had to toil all the way up until I reached the main path that traverses Maiden Moor.

Beyond me there were tremendous views in the improving weather over Cat Bells with the widening Newlands Valley on one side and Derwent Water on the other side. However, there was a bitterly cold wind blowing across this exposed ridge, so I wrapped up warm before setting off along the ridge up to the summit of Maiden Moor. Properly clothed against the wind I felt wonderfully cosy and enjoyed walking over Maiden Moor under the brightening skies that marked a vast improvement on the dark and wet conditions that had marred the morning. After making my way along the ridge of Narrow Moor I headed up Blea Crag diverting across to the prominent cairn that has good views across Derwent Water and towards the cloud-covered Skiddaw. Continuing along the top of the ridge past the extensive hinterland of Goat Crag I eventually reached the impressive cairn that sits at the summit of High Spy.

Rather than continuing along the clear path towards Dalehead Tarn I took a branch that heads towards the top of Rigg Head thus bypassing the quagmire that I had crossed earlier. Returning down the path that I had climbed earlier in the day, it was noticeable how much brighter and dryer was the path and surroundings. On reaching Rigghead Quarries I took a branching path that I had spotted earlier passing more mine workings until I reached an old building that has been restored for use as a climbing hut. The OS map shows a path from this point that follows a wall, but on the ground there is no sign of it and instead a clear path descends straight down the hill until it reaches the clear bridlepath that comes up from Grange. I kept heading downhill beyond the bridlepath thinking that I was on the old, non-existent path hoping to find the right-of-way that I had wandered off at the beginning of the day.

Eventually I realised that I was on the path that I had actually taken earlier in the day, so since it was now beginning to get dark I continued along the track beside Tongue Gill all the way down to the River Derwent where I turned south to follow the river back to the youth hostel. The weather on this walk was rather challenging, particularly in the morning, and finding the path at the top of Newlands Beck was rather difficult, but the weather improved in the afternoon and provided me with some great walking along the ridge from Maiden Moor to High Spy. It was a pity the sun sets so early at this time of the year as I really wanted to keep on walking after I passed over High Spy to make the most of the weather that was improving so significantly, but that would have been foolish and led to my finishing the walk in the dark.

Cat Bells and Grange Fell

Tuesday 19th December 2017

Setting off on this walk into the heart of the Lake District I passed through the streets of the lovely Lakeland town of Keswick onto a very familiar route, part of the Cumbria Way, that I have taken many times before across the fields to the west of Keswick, over the River Derwent into the village of Portinscale, down the road and through Fawe Park to the northern tip of Cat Bells. This is a great route, a favourite of mine that is handy for walks from Keswick to the western side of Derwent Water. Rather than heading down to the shore as I’d originally planned, I decided to do a walk up Cat Bells for no other reason than the fact that it would be a shame to bypass such a lovely little fell and also because the weather was not too bad. It was overcast but mild, even warm for the time of year and I was soon stripping off my cold-weather clothing as the steep zig-zags of Woodford’s Path began to bite. It would not be unusual for temperatures like this at Easter in the Lake District, which made this walk quite pleasant, despite the misty views, as I slowly made my way up the steep slope until I reached the north top of Cat Bells.

The sun was making fleeting attempts to break through the clouds, but ultimately failed to appear and was never to be seen again for the rest of the week. A band of rock had to be negotiated before reaching the first top where I discovered that rather than having reached the summit, as I’d hoped (walkers are always hopeful), an undulating ridge was ahead of me before the path steepens once again to climb up to the top of the fell that is defended by another band of rock. Even though this fell is half the height of the biggest Lakeland fells, the rocky scrambles make you feel as though you have climbed a proper fell and when you finally reach the summit there are the tremendous views across Derwent Water and through the Jaws of Borrowdale. On the other side of Cat Bells I took the path down to Hause Gate, but instead of continuing onto the brooding mass of Maiden Moor beyond I turned left down a steep, paved path that I don’t remember ever taking before despite being a popular route.

On reaching Manesty I walked along the road for a short distance before taking a path that crosses very muddy fields that had been churned up by the hoofs of cows so I was relieved to reach the clear, dry path that is part of the Derwent Water Circular Walk. Boardwalks took me across the southern tip of Derwent Water, which looked calm under the grey, overcast clouds, and turning right after crossing the River Derwent I eventually reached the Borrowdale Hotel. Just beyond the hotel a path took me through gorgeous woodland to the foot of Shepherds Crag attracted by the awesome rock that is much loved by climbers, however I am not a climber so I retreated until I could find the clear walker’s path that I had strayed from and continued up the side of the hill. On reaching the top of the ridge I turned left to head up to the summit of Shepherds Crag that has a good viewpoint over Derwent Water, though is little visited, and indeed this was the first time that I had ever been to the top of Shepherds Crag.

Turning around to head back down I crossed the col onto faint paths that are probably little more than sheep trods onto a route recommended by Wainwright (although he said it was better done south to north). The dense bracken that makes the initial stages of the climb tricky in summer was no easier in winter with the dead bracken still forming a trip hazard as I tried to find a route through the escarpments of Ladder Brow. I have wanted to tackle the east ridge of Grange Fell for a long time and I did not find it easy with a challenging terrain of steep slopes and no paths to follow. At one point I climbed a steep hill only to find that it was a minor, insignificant top and the main hill was far away beyond a wide and deep bracken-filled depression. Eventually I managed to find a way up Comb Crags and to the top of Brown Dodd where heather now replaced the bracken on a more gently undulating ridge that made for easier route-finding and took me to the top of Ether Knott. This is the highest point on Grange Fell, but is not the recognized summit which is further south.

As the weather deteriorated I slowly made my way across the increasingly boggy ground of broad upland fell until eventually I reached the foot of Jopplety How. Despite the damp, misty weather I couldn’t resist attempting the scramble up this steep-sided cone and was quite pleased with myself when I successfully reached the top. I remember climbing to the top of Jopplety How, in 2008, and it was satisfying to once again manage to get to the top before losing my nerve. Descending the way I had climbed I joined a clear path that crosses the fell to the recognized summit of Grange Fell, Brund Fell, before continuing on the path that gradually descends into Borrowdale. It was still relatively early in the day, even for this time of year, but in the deteriorating weather it seemed to be already getting dark so I was more than happy to be coming off the fells.

I was reminded of the previous time that I descended Grange Fell on this path, in 2013, on a walk that was similar to this one, though with significant differences. On that occasion I had turned right at the bottom of the path through the Jaws of Borrowdale in order to prolong the walk, but this time I turned left onto the Watendlath path. I remember taking this path several times in my early visits to the Lake District, but I don’t remember taking it in the last ten years, and I didn’t take it all the way into Rosthwaite this time. Instead I took a delightful little path that I have never been on before and branches off towards the Stonethwaite valley. This great, little terrace path eventually joins the valley path beside the river and rather than head back towards Rosthwaite I turned in the opposite direction until I reached the path that crosses Stonethwaite Beck and passes through the Stonethwaite village to reach Borrowdale. Though the weather may have been overcast for much of this walk I climbed two good, medium height fells and I had an enjoyable walk in the Lake District that stretched my legs and took me onto paths that I’ve never taken before.