Nentdale and the South Tynedale

Saturday 20th April 2019

In 2009 I walked the middle section of the Pennine Way from Gargrave, on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, to Haltwhistle and then two years later I did the southern section from the start in Edale to Gargrave, but in all the years since I’d never done the final section from Hadrian’s Wall to the end of the trail just over the Scottish border. Last Easter I thought it was about time I completed the Pennine Way, so I caught a train back to Haltwhistle, however technically I had come off the Pennine Way half way between Alston and Haltwhistle in the village of Slaggyford. Therefore I thought the best plan would be to return to Alston and start the Pennine Way from there, so when I got off the train in Haltwhistle I caught a bus to Alston in amazing weather as Britain enjoyed hot, sunny conditions for the Easter weekend. I had already wasted most of the day travelling to Alston and it was now 1.30 in the afternoon, so to fill the rest of the day I came up with a couple of short walks to explore the area. I found one on the website for the Westmorland Gazette claiming this was one of the best walks in Cumbria, which considering that includes the whole of the Lake District is praise indeed.

I took a lane out of Alston to the River Nent following this lovely rock-filled river in a shallow valley, although I must say it is not in the most spectacular scenery, though blissful in the sunny weather. The delightful celandine decorated the landscape while the sweet garlic smell of ramson filled the more wooded areas. The sights and smells of spring are intoxicating to me and keep me going right through the rest of the year. Eventually the valley opened out and I reached a minor road where I had considered continuing up the valley all the way to Nenthead, and then climbing over Alston Moor down into Garrigal before following the River South Tyne all the way back to Alston, but I did not have the time for this rather ambitious walk, or the energy, and I thought it was a little too hot for something so tiring. Instead I followed the Westmorland Gazette’s directions climbing up the road towards Blagill and taking a bridleway through Corby Gates Farm that would take me back to Alston slowly descending back into the valley. At Corby Gates Farm I came across a locked gate and just as I was looking at my map to determine where I should have gone, a farmer shouted the correct route to me from the other side of the field.

Slowly, and rather sheepishly, I returned to Alston, but I had only spent an hour on that walk so I set off again following a footpath south part way up the eastern side of South Tynedale. This was not the most exciting path, but ahead, on the horizon, I could see Cross Fell teasing me in the sunshine. On the two previous occasions that I have been over Cross Fell, the highest point in the Pennines, the weather was poor which gave me no views, so I had considered starting the Pennine Way even earlier, in Dufton, on the other side of the Pennines. However, a lack of accommodation in Dufton or trains up the west coast had prompted me to start in Alston instead, which would provide me with easier days later in the week, but I couldn’t help thinking I could have been going over Cross Fell in this weather. A highlight of my walk south was crossing Nattrass Gill, which is a lovely, deep, wooded ravine that was covered with wild garlic, which smelt divine and doesn't need to be in flower to be delightful. Afterwards I had doubts on the route firstly while crossing a golf course and again at High Scilly Hall where I had no idea where the path went and may have trespassed into their garden. Eventually I found the path that led me steeply down to the Pennine Way and the river at the bottom of South Tynedale.

I was now back on the route that I had taken in 2009 and after a quick look up and down the river headed north along the Pennine Way very quickly getting lost again, which required another farmer to put me right. The Pennine Way comes away from the river and I didn’t, so I had to backtrack onto the trail and follow a rather tedious route through many farmers’ fields until eventually I arrived back in Alston. This afternoon walk was merely a warm up to stretch my legs before resuming my trek along the Pennine Way the following day. The weather was tremendous, but a little too hot, which left me very tired at the end of it. The walk was very challenging navigationally as I seemed to frequently go the wrong way or be unsure of the correct route which ultimately required the stern, but helpful, directions of two different farmers. I didn’t find the paths well signposted and so I hoped that the Pennine Way would be easier to follow on the coming days while making my way north towards the Scottish border.

Little Hart Crag and High Pike

Saturday 21st December 2019

The previous day I had completed all of the fells that I had planned for this holiday, which left me with an open choice of where to go for my final day in the Lakes. When I saw the weather forecast indicated light winds I decided I would try to climb some of the high fells north of Ambleside so I wouldn’t have to travel anywhere since that was where I was staying. I had enjoyed good, calm weather the day before and based on the forecast I thought the weather for this walk would be similar, but as I left the youth hostel it was a grey, misty day with rain at first, and though this soon stopped the poor weather continued all day. After passing through Ambleside I walked up to Sweden Bridge Road and out of the town on an enclosed lane that is typical of the Lake District. Behind me the view opened out over Ambleside with Windermere in the misty distance while over the wall to my left Rydal Water could just be seen past the wooded surroundings of Rydal. Soon the track passed into beautiful woodland with the Scandale Beck running at the bottom of the valley until eventually I came out of the wood not from from High Sweden Bridge that is described by Wainwright as “one of Lakeland’s most iconic stone bridges”. Despite this I had never seen it before as I had not previously been in this valley.

Scandale is a wide, secluded valley that has recently been planted with hundreds of trees, which I have seen the National Trust do in many other parts of the Lake District. The weather was not great as I made my way up the valley with light rain passing through and clouds hanging low overhead. As the end of the valley approached, the steep ridge of Bakestones loomed oppressively ahead, but fortunately my path took gentler slopes into the clouds and eventually reaching the top of Scandale Pass. I have descended to this pass many times before when crossing between Red Screes and Little Hart Crag, but never before have I taken the paths up to it. When I was last there in 2018 I bypassed the summit of Little Hart Crag, but now I diverted up the windswept, craggy terrain to the summit. After bagging the top I returned to the main path and turning right followed the fence posts that lead towards Dove Crag, however I wanted to take the path up Bakestones. In 2016 while on the Bakestones path I noticed that the path is not clear (the Walker’s Edition of Wainwright’s guide describes it as “intermittent”) so in view of the poor visibility I stayed on the clear path until the terrain steepened.

At that point I turned south keeping to the foot of the rising ground following sheep trods and turned uphill only after I had passed the faint Bakestones path, but taking my own route up Scandale Head. I failed to see the tall Bakestones cairn in the mist, and eventually discovered the now clear path above the cairn which led me to the ridge wall, lined with snowdrift, coming down from Dove Crag. It was bitterly cold at this point with rain and wind coupled with snow on the ground that made the conditions really tricky as I wrapped up against the harsh weather and carefully made my way beside the wall through the snow south. Soon, as I descended, the conditions eased and eventually I reached the cairn at the top of High Pike where I was able to stop and have my lunch. After High Pike the ridge steepens with rocky ground to negotiate, which I found to be a little tricky in the wet conditions. When a sudden upthrust of rock appeared through the mist I realised I had reached Low Pike, so I climbed up to reach the small cairn that marks the top. Continuing down the ridge I came upon a wide marsh where a small sign helpfully warns of a deep bog and recommends keeping to the wall, though this was just as wet.

Even though I had now fallen below the clouds the views were pathetic, but at least the path improved as it diverted around the rock step on Sweden Crag with a good surface underfoot that took me past the turning to High Sweden Bridge and all the way down until eventually I crossed Low Sweden Bridge. Passing through Ambleside I finally returned to my car exhausted after a walk that had required careful concentration to navigate complex terrain in poor weather conditions. There was no chance to relax and enjoy the walk as I had been able to do on the previous two days, but it was still satisfying to have managed to complete the walk despite the weather. Even though this was a very short holiday in the Lake District, it once again reminded me just how much I love this place and why I had gone out of my way to get up there.