Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag and Grey Crag

Friday 20th December 2019

Despite misty, heavily overcast conditions on this day, there was no rain and hardly any wind, which made for a surprisingly good walk. On coming up to the Lake District I had forgotten that I had originally also wanted to go up Kentmere Pike, so when I realised I made a hasty change of plans to include it even though I could have ignored my original intentions, but that would have ruined what I have planned for the future for no good reason. Driving up the narrow road through the water-logged Kent Valley I parked near the church in the tiny village of Kentmere and set off down the road across the river and up to Green Quarter where a path heads across the slopes of Green Quarter Fell. Soon I was so hot I had to take off several layers before venturing across the saturated fields. I took this path in 2004 coming down from the Kentmere Round and now I was going in the other direction while reflecting on the fifteen years that have passed since. I was much younger then, but I have climbed many mountains since and in many ways experience is far more valuable than youth.

The view was limited due to low cloud, however in better weather there must be a fine view, and I had no wind, which felt rather spooky as I walked across the boggy fell as there is almost always at least a breeze on a hill. When I reached the top of the pass I crossed the wide byway and took the path beside a fence, initially passing through bogs before tackling the glorious rocks up Wray Crag and into the clouds. At the summit of Shipman Knotts I found no cairn, however Wainwright informs us the highest point is the other side of the wall on the middle of three rocky knolls, however there is no way over the wall. I did find that three stones have been positioned on the western side of the wall opposite the highest point, which the latest edition of Wainright’s guide, the Walker’s Edition, indicates is intermittent with the stones sometimes being used to repair the wall (and the stones could also have been taken from the wall). Having climbed high there was now a cold, but light wind as I continued north across more mundane, grassy terrain, and as I couldn’t resist the temptation I diverted up to the top of Goat Scar, even though I couldn’t see anything from there in the mist.

From the cairn at the top of Goat Crag I returned to the fence and followed it up the broad grassy slopes of Kentmere Pike all the way up to the summit where a trig point confidently marks the top, although this is disputed by a cairn on the other side of the wall. Having achieved my goal for the day before noon I was now left with a choice of what to do next, but with relatively good, meaning calm, weather I felt I had to take advantage and bag the two fells that I had planned for the following day. These would involve a descent east into Longsleddale, but with snow patches on this high fell and steep crags lining the valley that could be dangerous in these misty conditions. Wainwright mentions a route off Kentmere Pike down Steel Rigg, but only recommends it in clear weather so I decided I would use the security of a wall to descend to the disused Wrengill Quarry. After crossing the Wren Gill I climbed up to an old pipeline and followed that keeping well away from the quarry workings until I reached the clear track over Gatescarth Pass. I had stunning views back up towards the snow-speckled ridge over Harter Fell and down the valley to the distant green fields of Longsleddale.

With a fleeting threat of rain in the air I had my lunch before setting off through the horrendously boggy Brownhowe Bottom while behind me Harter Fell began to emerge from the clouds. The boot-sucking bogs continued all the way up to the top of the pass where I turned right and headed south towards Tarn Crag. Half way up I turned around and saw that both Harter Fell and its neighbour across the Gatescarth Pass, Branstree, which I had climbed the day before, had appeared from the clouds and was producing a stunning sight. Continuing up I eventually reached the distinctive survey pillar that was constructed by the Haweswater Reservoir engineers and sits just a short distance from summit of Tarn Crag. Returning to the fence I could see that the clouds were continuing to lift and afforded me with views east along snow-lined grassy ridges and across Greycrag Tarn. Crossing this marsh with dry feet was going to be a challenge and despite keeping to the fence I had many wet moments to contend with, especially one towards the end when I appeared to be walking on water, upon a thick matt of moss that vibrated and rippled under my feet.

Finally I was across to the far side of the marsh and started climbing into the thickening clouds at the top of Grey Crag. I had previously climbed these fells on the eastern fringe of the Lake District in 2010 in weather that was no better than on this occasion and just as then I was rather thankful to get off these dreary, boggy fells and down increasingly steep terrain until I finally reached the old quarry road at the bottom of the valley. With the weather worsening I climbed through misty rain over the pass from Sadgill to Kentmere, ignoring the turning at the top of the pass onto the Green Quarter path that I had taken on my way up, and continued along the byway to Stile End taking the road from there back to Kentmere. This was an exhilarating walk in weather that was usually pleasantly calm, despite low cloud, even though the ground was horribly wet underfoot. It was most satisfying to have completed all the fells that I had set as my target for this holiday and still have another day left when I could do anything I wanted.

Branstree and Selside Pike

Thursday 19th December 2019

There has been such bad weather during the autumn that I have hardly done any walking as the ground became increasingly saturated with water. Just before Christmas I usually spend a few days in the Lake District, however the days were not conveniently positioned this year to make this convenient, but I was determined to get away even if it was only for a couple of days. My plan for this short holiday was to walk up some of the fells on the far eastern edge of the Lakes and for this I would need my car as there is little accommodation in that area, so it was that I drove up the M6 coming off at junction 39 and driving through Shap and Bampton Grange I came down the road beside Haweswater Reservoir and parked at Mardale Head. Almost nine years earlier, to the day, I had walked up Harter Fell and the two fells named above on a snowy, but cloudless day and I had decided that on this walk I would do the same, but in reverse. However, when I was preparing to set off I changed my mind about the direction realising that I had never climbed the Gatescarth Pass before, and had descended only once, in 2005. Since I didn’t have time for Harter Fell and considering this is a better climb than the one planned I set off up the wide path under clouds while blue skies could be seen away from the fells to the east.

Snow decorated the fells where they could be seen below the clouds that were completely enveloping the highest fells, including the highest in the Far Eastern Fells, usually known as High Street. It was very windy and cold as I climbed the steep path thankful for my walking poles that I had not used since before the summer having forgotten to take them to Wales with me in August. As the winding path approached the top of Gatescarth Pass, snow began to make an appearance in small patches and by the time I reached the top I was completely surrounded by clouds. A signpost pointed back the way I had come, ahead along the path and right up a good path to Harter Fell, however I wanted the fourth option, to my left, which was not signposted, onto a faint path through mud and bog before climbing relentlessly beside a fence all the way up to Branstree. When I climbed this fell in 2010 there had been a full covering of snow on the ground, which, incidentally, I have not encountered at Christmas in the Lake District since then, but now I did come across some snow at the top of the fell, especially where it had blown against the south-eastern wall.

The summit of Branstree is a short distance away from where this wall meets the fence that traverses the fell and is marked by a small cairn and a round trigonometrical circle set into the ground. Moving away from the top I followed a path that soon led me to Artlecrag Pike where a tall, magnificent cairn has been erected amongst a small scattering of rock outcrops. After passing a second such cairn I seemed to lose the path in amongst the rocks at the top of a wide bank of snow. Carefully, I made my way across several of these snow banks as I slowly returned to the fence. Although I had lost the path in limited visibility I knew that there is a clear path beside the fence, which was not far away and soon I was back to the safety of the guardrail that is the fence. There is an old survey pillar on the other side of the fence not far away, but I didn’t cross over to visit it or the unnamed 673 metre top beyond and instead I kept to the fence crossing the northern slopes of the top dealing with the snow that was still barring my progress. Eventually I passed through Captain Whelter Bog and climbed the short rise to Selside Pike where a wide cairn has been fashioned into a shelter from the cold westerlies.

There the fence turns east and I headed out across the grassy fell down the north-east ridge of Selside End dropping below the cloud level once again to reveal the flat, featureless landscape between Haweswater and Swindale whose highest point is Hawe Shaw, but only a couple of metres higher than that of the broad upland ridge. Nevertheless I was enjoying myself as I sailed down the slender path and eventually reached the much clearer Old Corpse Road that crosses the ridge between Swindale and Mardale. Turning left onto this path I headed across to the top of Rowantree Beck where there is a stunning view down to the reservoir with the tree-covered Rigg at the foot of the long ridge that bends round to climb all the way up to High Street. The excellent path descends from this point in a series of bends neatly dropping steeply down to the road. Between the road and the shore of the reservoir is a footpath, but this was not worth taking except for the delightfully narrow bridge over Hopegill Beck.

I did not started this walk till noon, so I was unable to take much more than three hours before the setting sun forced a curtailment, but I really enjoyed the chance to get out onto the fells once more and walk over some of the lesser-known fells on the eastern fringe of the Lake District. It had been a long time since I’d done a good walk and I’d really missed it, but I’d also missed being in the Lake District having stayed away all year. Given half a chance I would spend all my time there, but it is perhaps better to ration my visits so they seem even more special and long anticipated, as was this one.