Sale Fell in the North Western Fells

This was one of those typical Lake District days where the weather can't make up its mind - rain, sun, snow and sleet all making intermittent appearances, so we decided to go for something that offered shelter for at least part of the walk.

Sale Fell is the northernmost outpost of the North Western Fells, together with Ling Fell these are the gatekeepers to this side of the Lake District.

It is a straightforward fell to walk - no scrambling required and the paths are very straightforward to follow. We approached the summit by following the path that arcs round to the west, with views over to Ling Fell, before coming back eastwards and heading up towards the grassy summit.

As we approaches the views to the south opened up giving us fine views of the Whinlatter range, ad when we reached the summit there were also fabulous views over Bassenthwaite Lake to the Skiddaw range.

Views over to Binsey from the summit were marred by some unsightly deforestation of Wythop Wood that had left this side of the fell scarred with tree stumps and not much else.

The summit itself is a wide grassy plain that was scenic enough without having the thrill you get on reaching the final rocky outcrop of a strenuous fell climb. This is different walking altogether, and Sale Fell offers the chance to follow your nose and explore the grassy plain, taking in the views all around.

We headed back down the southern side of the fell, through woodland and past the site of Wythop Old Church, before following the road back to the car. A lovely little that is ideal of you only have an hour or two to spare.

Uldale - Walking in the Northern Fells

Longlands - Longlands Fell - Brae Fell - Little Sca Fell - Great Sca Fell - Meal Fell - Trusmadoor - Great Cockup - Over Water

In various situations in life I find myself rooting for the underdogs. It's always uplifting to see someone or something come out on top despite the odds. I have a similar approach when picking a walk to do in the Lakes. Sure a walk up Blencathra, Scafell, Helm Crag or Coniston Old Man is pretty hard to beat. But the Lake District is also full of unsung heroes, fells which don't have the height, views, challenges and legends that the big guns do. Nonetheless they each have a charm of their own, and with such fells you also get a chance to escape the crowds.

This walk around the Back o' Skiddaw meant a chance of a quiet walk on a busy weekend. The Uldale Fells are a group of fells right on the northernmost edge of the National Park, with only Binsey beyond. As far as walking goes these fells are more leisurely than lively. Most of the walks are on grassy slopes, with the occasional steeper climb here and there but overall it's straightforward.

If anything, as they are all fairly similar in look and feel, you do have to keep your wits about you when navigating.

We parked at the small car park at Over Water and made the short walk along the road to Longlands, then headed out on our grassy climb. The walk up to Longlands fell was straightforward without much chance to go wrong and as we got higher the views behind back over Binsey, the Solway Firth and Scotland beyond opened up.

From Longlands Fell our next target was Brae Fell, which on paper looked like a short hop away, but the relatively deep Charleton Gill meant making a detour before the final ascent to reach the bulky cairn that adorns the summit of Brae Fell.

Here we left the views over Solway behind, heading "inland" into the heart of Uldale. It was a straightforward walk across to Little Sca Fell and Great Sca Fell just behind. By this point with the fells are quite similar-looking it can be disorientating, but you do get a wonderful feeling of solitude and serenity.

The next part of the walk saw us head in an almost straight line, coming down from Great Sca Fell, onto Meal Fell and then Great Cockup. The summit at Meal Fell was an interesting collection of lumps, cairns and a decent shelter and so it was here that we settled down for our lunch.

The most challenging part of the walk lay ahead as we had to cross the wonderfully Tolkienesque Trusmadoor to get to Great Cockup.

This ravine actually looked worse than it was, and the purple heather clad slopes made it all very picturesque. Once we had completed the steep climb up it was a simple walk over to the summit of Great Cockup and then down to Little Cockup.

The end of the walk was actually the hardest part, as there didn't seem to be a direct path back down to the road. We headed for what looked like a track towards the farm buildings of Stockdale but it was soon evident that this was private land, and a farmer's wife who saw us soon afterwards was friendly enough but it was clear that we had gone slightly wrong!

Apart from that this was a delightful excursion to the north of the national park and an area what we will be revisiting for sure.

To Skiddaw And Beyond!

It has been a couple of years now since myself and crag rat Rainer tackled Skiddaw, and on that occasion the summit was shrouded in cloud on a bright Summer's day, so I have been looking forward to enjoying the views from there for a while.

A walk up Skiddaw seemed like a great way to start the walks for 2014, so with the rains easing off, Claire and I set off from Keswick town centre - no sneaky drive to the car park at back of Latrigg for us!

I don't know if it is my imagination, but there seems to have been a fair amount of work done on the footpath up Skiddaw since my last ascent. We stopped briefly at the Hawell shepherds memorial for a glance back at the Helvellyn range with its dusting of snow, and looking ahead at the steep climb ahead of us.

The further you head upwards the views behind just get better and better so that is a good enough excuse for frequent stops. The higher up we got, the windier it also got, which was bearable for now but got pretty hairy later on.

From the main path we took the route up the short steep climb to the twin summits of Skiddaw Little Man, and its fantastic views back over Keswick to the south and Bassenthwaite Lake to the west.

From here it was a simple enough hike over to Skiddaw, but at this point the freezing wind was so strong, at times we had to simply stop still and wait for the gusts to pass. This meant the camera stayed firmly wedged in a pocket on the summit, and we so once again I missed out on the views from the top of the Northern Fells.

We carried on quickly across the high ground of the Skiddaw summit ridge, dropping sharply down to reach the top of Bakestall. It's funny how some of these fells look very insignificant when approaching from higher ground - for example Birks from St Sunday Crag, or Base Brown from Green Gable, yet when you reach the base of the fell they start to look like mighty crags, and Bakestall was no exception. Approaching from Skiddaw you ask yourself why this was included as a fell, but from the bottom the majestic rocks that build Bakestall tell a different story.

Here I was well and truly experiencing the Back o' Skidda for the very first time, on the Cumbria Way meandering alongside some of the rounded grassy fell-tops. A lovely place for a picnic stop and it was a real relief to be out of the howling winds. The walking here felt quite different to other parts of Lakeland, almost reminiscent of walking on the North York Moors - it felt tranquil and remote compared to the busy slopes of Skiddaw.

We followed the path as it swept past Skiddaw House, and through the mighty gorge between Lonscale Fell and Blencathra. I really enjoyed the views of Great Calva and Little Calva and this is a quiet part of the world I look forward to exploring.

Somehow the walk around Lonscale fell seemed really long and dusk was fast approaching, so it was time to get back to civilisation.

We had head torches with us and had we been out for another 15 minutes or so they would have been more than useful, but as it was we hit the outskirts of Keswick just as the last rays of daylight were disappearing.

Once again a highly enjoyable exploration of the Northern Fells and one of contrasts, with the crowded paths of Skiddaw giving way to the peace and tranquility of the Cumbria Way.

Latrigg: Gateway to the Northern Fells

Today's walk is about a return to Latrigg, previously visited in October 2012, Keswick's family fell and gateway to the Skiddaw family beyond. We had a special occasion recently, a welcome return to these shores for crag rat Rainer. He was on a whistle-stop tour of the UK, and of course on such a trip you have to make time for a visit to the Lake District even if only for a brief stop to say hello. With time up against us as usual, we decided on a half day in Keswick, having some breakfast in Booths, a look around the shops and a quick hike up Latrigg.

We took the "usual" Keswick route, along Spooney Green Lane and the bridge over the A66. At this point we followed the Cumbria Way as it climbs rapidly skirting Brundholme Wood.

As always, each step upwards was greatly rewarded as the views opened up over the vale of Keswick behind and the North-Western fells beyond, as well as the Skiddaw group directly ahead of you.

The walk is a short fairly steep one, with a very well made and maintained footpath, and so with a minimum of fuss we found ourselves on the summit plateau of little Latrigg. AW said of Latrigg:

"a small hill, an excellent viewpoint, a great favourite of local folk and visitors"

and that captured our requirements for today's walk perfectly - an easy walk with friends to share some of the fantastic Lake District scenery. Looking eastwards you have an excellent view of Great Mell Fell and Little Mell Fell on the edge of Lakeland.

It is a real pleasure to walk along the summit which has an amazing view over Keswick, Derwentwater and the huge collection of fells beyond.

We carried on along the summit, taking the route back down towards Lonscale farm. This leads down to the C2C cycle path and footpath that follows the old railway track between Penrith and Keswick.

On this sunny day the path was very busy with walkers and cyclists and it's not hard to see why this is a popular route. Soon enough we were back at the old train station and it was smiles all round after a great little walk.

Exploring the Lake District's Northern Fells

The Skiddaw range

This was a strange day indeed. It started out with nothing but promise, so nearly let us down, yet came around at just the right time. It also left a lasting impression, even more so than the usual Lake District walks!

Packed lunch sorted, we took the bus up past the Forestry Commission site at Dodd wood leaving us at the foot of Ullock Pike. It was a truly magnificent day with not a cloud in the sky and a breeze on our faces as we headed up the steep start of the walk through the sylvan wooded slopes. Once we were out of the woodland it picked up. The heat of the sun was pounding on our faces but the breeze had also increased its welcoming freshness too. 

looking northwards to the slopes of Binsey

As we reached the ridge that traverses Ullock Pike and onto Long Side and Carl Side our luck took a turn for the worse and we were treated to a howling wind. We pushed on, nearly getting knocked off our feet on several occasions and with the wind increasing in strength with every metre of ascent gained. 

the peak of Ullock Pike ahead

Soon enough we started passing bedraggled walkers coming down the other way, and without fail they all warned us that the winds were too strong and they had turned back before the sharp peak of Ullock Pike. It seemed crazy, it was such a beautiful day, yet the high ground was destined to be out of reach. After a short moment of stubborn persistence on my part, Claire and I decided enough was enough and so we headed back down.

looking across Bassenthwaite Lake

The Rescue

On our walk back down crossing a couple of fields we saw a lamb in the distance which seemed very interested in the field's perimeter fence. On closer inspection we saw why - it had its head stuck in the fence! Claire being the braver of us took the front end, whilst I held the back end of the lamb to stop it from struggling too much. In under a minute it was free and ran off bleating to its mother and an intense feeding session. Despite being beaten by the winds on Ullock Pike, we now felt that we had achieved something far more worthwhile!

Dodd

Bassenthwaite Lake from Dodd wood

Our walk back to Keswick took us through the very pleasant woodland around the foot of Dodd wood, until we reached the welcome picnic and rest area at The Old Sawmill Tearoom where we stopped for our fab pasties which we had picked up in the morning. After lunch our route went up the slopes of Dodd past the osprey viewing platforms - more on this in a future post. 

looking back to the summit of Dodd

Soon enough I noticed that we had gained significant height and were not at all far off the ridge route to the summit of Carl Side, which happened to by my designated fell for the Wainwright Society challenge walk of 2012! Somehow we had missed the path off to the summit of Dodd, so this looked like the last chance change to climb a peak today.

Carl Side

As we headed up the path to the summit, the wind returned with a vengeance, nowhere near as strong as earlier in the day and with the path along much wider terrain we felt much safer, but it was still a struggle to make the summit. 

a look back to Keswick and Derwentwater

The clear skies rewarded us with more fantastic views, over the vale of Keswick and Derwentwater, up the steep scarred slopes of Skiddaw and Skiddaw Little Man and with a hazy Isle Of Man rising from the sea.

Skiddaw looms behind Carl Side

It wasn't the kind of weather to hang about in though, so after a minute or two on the summit of Carl Side we headed back down the steep descent in the direction of the hospitality of the pubs of Keswick, satisfied and tired after a long day of adventure!

Scenes from Derwentwater

On a recent trip to the Lakes I took a trip on one of the launches on Derwentwater. This offers a  different angle on views of many of the popular fells.

Setting off from the camping barn at Skelgill farm, the boat trip started at Hawes End and going anti-clockwise offered us a nice leisurely ride to Keswick, down to the start of Borrowdale before heading back up the lake.

The views of Catbells over to Maiden Moor and High Spy offer a good view of that popular ridge walk.

Further down and you get a great view of the diminutive Castle Crag as it stands in the jaws of Borrowdale.

As the lauch heads back up the Lake towards Keswick you have a perfect view of the Skiddaw fells and a distant Blencathra.

From the water you cannot really see Keswick at all, and as you can only see a few houses and hotels dotted around the edge of the lake you really get the impression of being away from it all.

This is a great way to spend some time in the Keswick area, with each launch stop offering its own walks and sites.