The Howgill Fells from Cross Keys

Friday 17th September 2004

Having spent the night at the Langdon Beck Youth Hostel I now had an hour’s drive to get to the start of my walk up the Howgill Fells from the small town of Sedburgh. After driving all that way I parked up in the car park in Sedburgh only to discover that my boots weren’t there and eventually realised that I had left them at the hostel. Therefore I had to drive an hour all the way back only to find no sign of life in the hostel which was locked when I got there. After wandering around the nearby town of Middleton-in-Teesdale for a while I returned to the hostel where I found the warden and was able to retrieve my boots. After another hour’s drive, during which I had to fill up with petrol because I’d used it all up, what was left of the morning was gone. Rather than going all the way back to Sedburgh I changed my planned walk, cutting it short, by starting from the Cross Keys Temperance Inn. After all this running around I didn’t start walking until after lunch and I believe the time was about one o’clock in the afternoon, but despite the short time available I was in the prime spot to enjoy the best that this fabulous range of distinctive hills has to offer.

The Howgill Fells sit between the Lake District fells and the Yorkshire Dales, though they lie in the latter national park, but have little similarity to either area. I often imagine that they have taken a little from both areas and combined them to make an appealing and attractive range of hills unique in character. The Howgill Fells radiate from a central hub on smooth, grass-covered ridges that fall remarkably steeply into deeply cut valleys that delve far into the range. My target was all the tops that rise above two thousand feet and to begin this task I had to undertake an unrelenting climb up Ben End climbing from the River Rawthey all the way up to the southern top of Yarlside. Exhausted I eventually reached the top of the pathless slope and turned north to walk the relatively easy distance to the summit of Yarlside overlooking the northern half of the Howgill Fells.

There is a further top north of Yarlside, Randygill Top, that I technically should have bagged, but since it would have involved two descents and ascents passing over Kensgriff, just to get there, and repeated to return I gave it a miss and turned my attention towards the centre of the Howgill Fells. Descending steeply to Bowderdale Head I climbed the grassy slopes on the far side eventually reaching the flatter ground where I could finally breathe a sigh of relief with all the steep climbing completed. The sun was shining overhead as I walked across the broad top of the Calf to reach the highest point in the whole range and the trig point that sits at the summit. From there I headed west towards the distant Lakeland Fells on the horizon stopping off at White Fell Head and Bush Howe on the gently undulating ridge. The greatest hill walking is ridge walking and this was hill walking at its greatest on fabulous hills in fabulous weather and with an awesome view towards the Lake District before me.

A small descent across Windscarth Wyke and another short ascent took me up to Breaks Head where the ridge begins to narrow pleasingly until it finally ends on an airy perch overlooking the Lune Valley and the Lakeland mountains beyond. This was a fabulous moment and I wish that I had brought a camera with me on this walk to capture that tremendous scene, but in their absence I have had to be content with illustrating with post with pictures from my walk up the Howgill Fells in 2010. Back in 2004, I retraced my steps along the ridge back to the Calf where I turned south to traverse the broad tops to reach first Bram Rigg Top and then Calders where I turned left to head across the featureless plateau of Great Dummacks until I reached the cliff edge of Cautley Crag. This is the only extensive crag in the whole range and stretches for almost a mile. I was at the southern end so I turned north and walked along the edge of the escarpment gradually descending to reach a stream at the point where it falls over the edge to create one of the highest waterfalls in Britain: Cautley Spout.

Descending very steeply I carefully made my way down beside the waterfall until the terrain finally eased and I was able to walk down the valley and back to my car. Although this walk was shorter than I’d originally planned it was still very memorable and awoke a love in me for the Howgill Fells. These are supreme walking territory and I would love to be able to return to these fabulous hills again and devote myself to the time that they so rightly deserve. Many people pass these hills on the M6, or on the train, and if they have any soul they gaze in wonder at these highly distinctive hills that dominate the eastern view in the Lune Valley. I have passed these great fells far more times than I have stopped and enjoyed their wondrous delights, and my heart aches at the thought.