Hound of the Newlandshills - Photo Gallery
The weather didn't seem too bad as I was driving through the Lake District, there were small amounts of snow visible through the mist of the tops of the hills but it looked like it might be a reasonable day. Then as I got past Thirlmere I was suddenly in a substantial hail shower that didn't look as though it was going to go away but by the time I got to Keswick it was clear again.
On the road from Portinscale to Grange, near Hawes End go over a cattle grid and there is a small road leading to Skelgill, there is no through road for cars but a small car park is well positioned for the climb to Catbells. There is a constructed path that leaves the car park climbing steeply up Skelgill Bank with a little bit of a scramble over rocks if you want to.
On the little ridge to Catbells the wind made its intentions clear, it was going to make me walk at an angle of forty five degrees whenever it could and it was going to throw the hailstones at me as hard as possible. The views are good from this little ridge especially of the hail shower rushing at me from the direction of Grisedale Pike.
The final climb to Catbells summit is a delightful little scramble over bare rock, it probably seems very intimidating to the inexperienced walker tempted to climb this small fell. The wet rocks and the wind blowing from right to left meant I had to take some care whilst trying to get to some shelter before the shower reached me, although as it happened most of the hail missed me this time.
The summit of Catbells feels like a real mountain top except for the absence of a cairn, it is a splendid viewpoint with mountains and lakes all around. Having scrambled of the summit of Catbells the easy walking towards Maiden Moor is less easy when you have to lean into the wind. The bulk of Maiden Moor lies ahead and the way forward is obvious over a good path.
Shortly after a rocky outcrop that you can scramble over the nature of the path changes, it suddenly becomes very eroded and rough but is easy enough to walk along. Then you get to a fork in the path, the obvious larger path takes you across the flat top of the fell and you will definitely miss the summit. The less obvious right hand path takes you along the edge of the unexpected crags and you come to a small cairn but whether it is the summit or not you have to judge for yourself. Is it my imagination or can I hear a dog barking, not a playful bark but a guard dog type of bark.
In the past I have tried to find the highest point but each time you walk to a higher looking place the spot you have just walked from then looks higher. Oh well on to High Spy, at least from the cairn you can see the crags of the next hill. The walk over to High Spy is beginning to become a real struggle in the wind and the weather looks to be closing in on Dale Head, I am beginning to think I may need to turn back at some point.
When you have reasonable visibility you should always visit the cairn on Blea Crag, the little scramble is a good enough excuse but the view over Derwent Water is the real reason. This side of the ridge is quite calm too, by the time I have rejoined the main path walking is a struggle and the weather is heading over from Dale Head. All along the ridge I am sure I can hear that dog barking even above the noise of the wind, or is it just the wind noise anyway?
At High Spy the hail storm had reached me, it is good job there is a big cairn there. I decided to carry on and see how far I could get, the hail turned to snow for a couple of minutes as I walked down the eroded rocky path towards Dale Head Tarn. By the time I got to Newlands Beck the wind had eased and the hail had stopped, there was more water in the beck than usual but getting across wasn't difficult.
Then I got to Dale Head Tarn and it was very calm for a minute and the barking dog seemed to be very close. As you pass the tarn and a large shelter built up against a wall of rock there is some very wet ground to cross before you get to a constructed path that takes you steeply upwards.
As I was climbing the steep path the wind wasn't too bad but I knew there was a shelf higher up that would be more exposed. Then all of a sudden a foxhound ran down the hill past me as though it knew where it was going. The constructed path ends at a grassy shelf and sure enough I was battered by the wind as I continued upwards on a rocky path. Then to my surprise the foxhound ran back up the hill, stopped a few feet away from me and barked something important to me before running up the hill again.
On the climb up to the summit of Dale Head the views were good enough to take photos but at the summit it was misty and windy. The hound ran past me again back in the direction of Dale Head Tarn, the poor thing left behind by the pack was really running itself ragged.
It was with some apprehension that I set of towards Hindscarth, the ridge isn't that narrow but would still be awkward if the wind was very strong. The wind wasn't as strong as I had feared and even the mist cleared to give me the view of Buttermere, the Langdale Pikes in the distance and a mist covered Kirk Fell.
The walk over to Hindscarth is reasonably easy, especially if you take the short cut off to the right before you get up to the ridge. There is an extensive view of mist covered mountains from the summit of Hindscarth with Grisedale Pike looking very wintry. As I walked over to the shelter cairn with its implied antiquity (according to the Ordnance Survey map) the wind began to pick up, the start of the descent is rocky and potentially slippery made more awkward by the strong wind at my back.
The descent from Hindscarth is much longer and more difficult than you would think looking at it from valley level. There are many rock outcrops and awkward steps downward that would be easy when dry but I can't trust the rocks in these conditions and the wind is really beginning to be a nuisance.
Having arrived at a flatter area I was hoping for an easy descent, the wind was now at its strongest and almost knocking me off my feet. On the flat area that wasn't too bad but the path goes below the start of the Scope End ridge and the wind was trying to knock me off the narrow path and it is a long, steep way down to the valley.
Scope End itself is a series of rock outcrops each with its own awkward step and its own gust of wind, there is no rest today and this pattern of outcrops runs all of the way down to the bottom. I did however promise myself to climb Hindscarth this way, it would make a very interesting ascent.
The path leads you down to Low Snab, just below the pan holes of the old Goldscope mine. I went to have a look at the pan holes, diagonal man made tunnel entrances, it is amazing to think that these tunnels were hand made. If I had checked the settings on my camera I would have had some good photos, this is another place that I have to go back to.
Back down to Newlands Beck, turn right along the path as if you are going up the valley until you reach a signpost where, if you look to the left, you can see the footbridge you have to cross. Cross the footbridge and turn left for Little Town, from there are a couple of ways to get back to Skelgill. The less obvious route is through a couple of the houses on the right and a signpost shows the way to Catbells but you can go through some disused workings back to Skelgill.
If you carry on past the houses there is a track on the right with a signpost showing the way to Skelgill. This path is much more obvious these days, like many paths that were made so after the Foot and Mouth outbreak. Eventually you go through Skelgill Farm and turn right at the road and you are soon back at the car park.
Back at the car park and the bad weather finally broke, strong winds and sleet are not welcome when you are trying to get changed.
Andy Wallace 7th February 2004