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.