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.