Start/Finish: Millbeck Farm Wainwrights: Dodd (1612ft) , Carl Side (2420ft), Long Side (2405ft), Ullock Pike (2230ft), Skiddaw (3053ft), Little Man (2837ft), Lonscale Fell (2344ft), Latrigg (1203ft)
Distance: 14 miles
Total Ascent: 4117ft Time Taken: 8 hours
The Route : Clockwise from Millbeck
I'm finally back in the fells! It's certainly been a while since my last Lakeland Hike. The Wainwright count has been stalled on 179 for the past 2 years. It was time to restart the campaign.
A video of the hike
My focus for the next few hikes is going to be on the Northern Fells. I've plotted routes to complete them all in 4 day hikes. Today was the first such route and was centred around the Skiddaw group of fells. The northern fells are not a particularly easy group to link together efficiently and so I used routes based on those suggested by Stuart Marshall in his book, 'Walking the Wainwrights'.
Views towards the Newlands and Coledale Valleys from Millbeck
Millbeck
I started at Millbeck on a lovely spring morning and headed up Skiddaw Dodd along the meandering forestry paths which traverse the fell. There are many route options. A map helps but it's really just a case of heading upwards at every route choice until the summit is reached.
The views get better with height
Early morning mist over Derwent Water
Forestry path leading up to Dodd
Dodd summit view west over Bassenthwaite Lake ...
... and south towards Derwent Water ...
... and finally north towards Ullock Pike and Long Side
Postcard view of the Coledale Fells
The summit view from Dodd is really quite something and far in excess of what could be expected from just one hour of fairly minimal effort. The next objective of Carl Side looms ominously to the north and involves a 10 minute retracing of steps before a path branches off downwards towards White Stones. Unfortunately about 400 feet of height is lost before the ascent returns with fury. An hour of hard labour results in the conquest of Carl Side which is a fairly unimpressive mound with a tiny cairn to denote the summit.
Looking back to Dodd from the path up to Carl Side
Carl Side summit looking towards Skiddaw
Long Side looms to the west and an obvious path takes a direct course to its summit. A further narrow path continues towards Ullock Pike. The views down to Bassenthwaite Lake are stunning along the whole ridge.
Ullock Pike view of Bassenthwaite Lake
From Ullock Pike, the route is retraced back over Long Side before a wide path veers off towards the ascent of Skiddaw.
Long Side and Carl Side from the ascent path to Skiddaw
From the col at Carlside Tarn the route then steers north-eastwards up a steep shale path which eventually emerges onto a broad ridge leading gently up to Skiddaw summit. Of course the expected summit slugs were sat on the trig point enjoying their lunch. For the life of me I don't understand why people do this. Why sit on the very busiest point of a mountain, where everyone else wants to get to, surely knowing that your presence there is so obviously unwanted. Maybe they have no sense of self awareness ?
Summit Slugs on Skiddaw
Little Man is the next objective and in clear view over to the south east. The summit is lovely place with fantastic views. A little grassy terrace a few steps down on the Keswick side is a great place for 10 minutes R&R.
The path to Little Man
Little Man summit view over Derwent Water
Little Man summit view back to Skiddaw
Little Man summit towards Lonscale Fell with Blencathra beyond
Lonscale Fell is clearly visible to the east and involves a fairly dreary trudge towards this expansive grassy plateau where the summit is marked by a small pile of stones.
Lonscale Fell summit view west back towards Skiddaw
Lonscale Fell summit view east towards Blencathra
It was now time to head downwards, initially re-tracing steps for 5 minutes before heading along a good path due south towards the car park on the Cumbria Way. From there, a path skirts Latrigg on the western side before looping round and approaching the summit from the south. Lovely views over Keswick towards Derwent Water and the Newlands Valley are ample reward from this last fell, the lowest of the day but perhaps the best viewpoint of them all.
Views of Keswick from the descent path
Looking back along the descent path from the Hawell memorial
Latrigg
Looking back along the route taken from the flanks of Latrigg
Latrigg summit view of Keswick and Derwent Water
It was then a case of picking a route back to the car by the avoidance of road walking as much as possible.
Next up, the fells north of Skiddaw, or perhaps the Blencathra Group. Hopefully not too long off.
The Route : Clockwise from Bridge End (most southern point)
This was first time back in the fells after a 6 month hiatus. I've lost a bit of fitness so decided to peruse the less lofty fells on my Wainwrights 'to-do' list. High Rigg seemed like a nice option. Indeed Wainwright described this very walk as being "... suited to old and rickety fellwalkers long past their best". Perfect for me then! He also suggests doing the walk clockwise so that the lovely views of Blencathra are always in front when on the higher ground. I therefore followed this advice.
I parked right by Smaithwaite Bridge on the A591. There is a stile and gate within the dry stone wall just north of the bridge where the path heads along St John's Beck. A steepish path then branches off on the left towards Wren Crag. The hillside is littered with uprooted trees following the recent winter storms.
The Stile on the A591
Views down to St John's in the Vale from the upwards path
The first of many uprooted trees on the hill side
Looking back towards Great How
The path up to Wren Crag
Glimpses of Thirlmere behind
Views from Wren Crag looking north - Mart Crag with Blencathra and Skiddaw on the horizon and down along the 'St Johns in the Vale' valley
A little un-named tarn between Mart Crag and High Rigg
The path up to High Rigg
High Rigg summit views of Blencathra ...
… and back towards Thirlmere
From High Rigg I decided to extend the walk over Low Rigg and Tewet tarn. The path passes the little church and youth centre.
Low Rigg over the Youth Cente
There can't be a more picturesque Youth Centre in the UK ?
Looking back over High Rigg
Skiddaw from Low Rigg summit
Tewet Tarn
I then headed back via Yew tree farm and the main path skirting Rake How and heading towards Low Bridge End Farm following the course of St John's in the Vale Beck. Overall a lovely little walk perfect for blowing off the cobwebs.
Date: 26th July 2018 Start/Finish: Rosthwaite Hotel Wainwrights: Castle Crag (951 feet) Distance: 5.6 Miles Height Gain: 2080 Feet Time Taken: A very leisurely 4 hours
Castle Crag is a bit of an outlier as it doesn't easily link up with any surrounding fells without significant height loss. Its nearest neighbours of High Spy to the west and Grange Fell to the east are best climbed in a circuit of their respective neighbouring fells. For this reason, Castle Crag is often the last Wainwright climbed on the circuit of 214. However, I was in the area on a family camping holiday and it was a balmy windless day ideal for a low fell with good views. So instead of marching my 11 year old lad up one of the high fells we decided to tackle something lower. Castle Crag fitted the bill nicely, especially as part of a circuit of the Borrowdale valley. It also had the advantage of finishing by the River Derwent where we could cool off afterwards.
We parked on the Rosthwaite Hotel car park and duly paid the £3 all day fee. The walk took us on a wide circular route out towards Seatoller and then looping back towards Castle Crag before descending steeply down to the Derwent.
