The Loweswater Fells - Photo Gallery
The wet weather had continued all week and I was reconciled to getting another soaking. I parked near the phone box at Loweswater and walked up the road, past the last houses of the village and turned left down the track leading to the small car park near Maggie's Bridge. I walked along the track towards Watergate Farm and followed it into Holme Wood, keeping parallel to the lakeshore, although I couldn't see Loweswater for the trees.
Beyond the edge of the woods, there is a right of way shown on the map that goes a mile beyond the end of the lake before doubling back towards Burnbank Fell; I decided I probably didn't need to go as far as that. After passing Hudson Place farm I felt that I was going too far away from the hill, so I found a suitable gate and worked out a route, across the rough sloping fields and set off up the hill.
I left the first field at a gate in the top corner and followed another wall uphill until I came across a gap in it and walked across to yet another wall topped with barbed wire. I carefully climbed over the wire, which turned out to be unnecessary as I saw later, and walked up to another wall that I was able to easily step over and found myself on a good track.
Although the air was damp, it was warm, and in the humidity I was sweating profusely after the strenuous walk uphill across the fields. The track was going in the direction of Burnbank Fell and I followed it, to where I could see a green path going uphill into the mist. The green path was obvious on the other side of the bracken but the fronds were going brown and falling over, hiding the route through the vegetation.
After making my own way through the bracken, the green path was obvious when I got to it, and although it wasn't the steepest gradient, I was still feeling extremely warm. When I looked back down to where I had come from it became obvious that I should have kept to the right-of-way, it would have been easier. Just below the summit plateau, you pass the remains of what was probably a small quarry of a rock outcrop; the view of Loweswater and the hills beyond is as good from there as anywhere, and the best I was likely to get on the day.
As I got to the summit plateau, the mist came rolling in, at least it made me feel a bit cooler, even if it did make navigation more difficult. The path was by now vague and the visibility was just as bad, I kept walking until I reached the fence corner that marks the summit of Burnbank Fell; the summit cairn is just the other side of the fence, and with no stile, the fence is bound to be climbed over.
The rolling green landscape might be easy on the eye when you can see it, but with so many black lines on the map, that may or not be fences, I had to rely on my compass again. I set off in the direction of Blake Fell, and as it happened, one of the aforementioned fences kept me company almost all of the way to the summit. In the whole of this broad green flatness I saw just one small tree, a conifer a couple of feet tall; I don't know if it is a lucky one that the sheep missed as a seedling, or if the landowners deliberately remove any trees that dare to sprout.
I eventually came to a path I recognised, a muddy mess accompanying the fence across the shoulder of Carling Knott. By the time I reached the substantial cairn at the summit of Blake Fell I thought the mist was clearing a bit; at least, as I set off towards Gavel Fell, I could see my route by the side of the fence. The fence and path descended to a col; I assumed, or rather I was hoping, that I would find a route uphill on the other side.
The col was extremely wet, the bright green vegetation being the obvious indication that there was plenty of water underneath it. A soggy diversion got me past the worst of the swamp, and the path going upwards on the other side also had a fence for company. The summit of Gavel Fell is a short way from the fence and the descent towards Loweswater means you have to cross over it.
I was wet through inside my jacket from being so warm earlier, and now it started to rain just to even things up on the outside. Having crossed the fence, I was on a compass bearing again; although there was a faint path, it disappeared in the longer heather, and finally gave up altogether. I did suspect however that the path had turned off and I had missed it; my suspicions were confirmed as I reached the edge of the summit plateau, where the ground fell away sharply.
It was a bilberry slope so I could have got down it, but with being wet it would have been slippery and awkward; the steep sloped was named Black Crag on the map, suggesting that it might not be all grassy, so I thought I should find a better way down. I could see High Nook Tarn directly below me, so at least I knew where I was; it seemed to me that a less steep route was available on the green ridge over on the right hand side, so I followed the contours until I was able to descend towards the ridge. This is one of the natural routes that I like and sure enough, I found an obvious footpath, that was better to get down the steep slope than it would have been slipping and sliding on the wet vegetation.
Eventually I reached an intake wall, and having passed through a gate, I was on a track leading to High Nook Farm; after passing the farm I carried on along the track, crossing Maggie's Bridge to get back to my starting point. By now it was raining properly and I did think about calling a halt to my walk; but having been teased recently about shortening my walks in bad conditions I decided to carry on, for a while at least.
I walked back up to the road, and crossed over almost immediately; I followed the small road towards Thackthwaite, from where I intended to climb Fellbarrow. On the way, I saw a footpath signposted and decided that I would climb Low Fell first; having crossed the fields on a good track, I got to the woods where I expected to start climbing. I walked into the woods and I took the first opportunity to climb uphill; it was pouring with rain by that time, I thought I would just find the path then leave it to come back another day.
I climbed steeply, up a muddy bank by the side of a fence, and came to a small path following the contours; I turned right to follow it and see where it led. I was beginning to think it wasn't really a path, I had to bend down to avoid the tree branches, and be careful to avoid the slippery tree routes. I reached another fence, with a stile I think; it was raining very heavily and I was not taking as much notice of the route as I should do.
I thought about following the fence uphill; I remembered a fence and a steep slope from the last time I was here, but I didn't fancy fighting my way through dense bracken all the way to the summit. I climbed the stile over the fence and carried on, along a faint path that started to go diagonally uphill. As well as the rain I was getting wet from the bracken, having to run the gauntlet of its dense fronds. I got to a wall and lost the path, I walked by the side of the wall for a while but the bracken was too dense for it to be the proper path.
Eventually, I reached a shallow grassy gully, I decided I would start going uphill from there; having had to work so hard to get that far, I was determined to climb the hill. The steep slope was about as wet and muddy as it could be, the frogs were obviously enjoying it. The ground became less wet as I got above the bracken and into the heather; the gradient didn't ease though and as I got higher there were patches of scree and it was becoming difficult to climb without sliding down. Then, I realised that I could see the fence where the real path would probably be, so I contoured across to it; the path was muddy on the steep ground but at least I was able to hold on to the fence for support. The steep climb leads up to a small col; after crossing the stile it was a short walk and climb up to the summit of Low Fell.
From the summit, I retraced my steps back to the fence and followed the path on the other side of it; I was keeping my eye on my compass to make sure I was going generally in the right direction. I don't remember much about the walk around that time, splashing through wet grass in the pouring rain with not much visibility and not much to see anyway. Eventually I reached a familiar soggy bottom with a fence crossing it; I recognised it as the start of the final climb up to the summit of Fellbarrow.
From the summit, I retraced my steps back to the soggy bottom and turned left, to find the zigzag path that straightened out before taking me back to Thackthwaite. It is at least a couple of miles walk back to Loweswater, but at least it had stopped raining by then, and anyway I finished the walk and was able to satisfy myself that I don't always give up when it gets too wet.
© Andy Wallace 31st August 2008