The Far Eastern Fells
After a long-ish drive, I parked near The Coombs at Howtown. There was a fine rain in the air and visibility wasn’t great. My route started with a quick dart up Hallin Fell. Standing at 388 metres, I should have had a good view over Ullswater…I didn’t. The only moderately impressive aspect was the large cairn. Anyway, onwards.
Re-crossing the road near where I parked, I followed the path to the right of the church before heading up the steep and rough path over Steel Knotts and Pikeawassa. After Pikeawassa I had ended up getting soaked by dense bracken as I followed the wall towards Brownthwaite Crag. At this point I took a left and passed the remains of an old hunting lodge overlooking Ullswater. The cloud was clearing a little, so I was took in some views.
After a quick Soreen stop on High Raise, I started to head south west; following the ridge over Rampsgill Head and along the ridge passing High Street. As I approached Thornthwaite Crag I realised I was starting to tire and considered turning around. The visibility was poor and I was getting cold. I glanced at my map and decided I’d head to Frostwick and then turn around. As I descend off the plateau at Thornthwaite Crag the clouds began to clear and within an instant I could see along the ridge all the way down to Yoke. To my left was the Kentmere Reservoir.
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| Kentmere Reservoir with Ill Bell in the distance |
Reaching the summit of Frostwick was relatively straightforward, so I decided I’d at least proceed on to Ill Bell. As I was descending off Frostwick my left foot slipped into a gully in the grass and I turned my ankle. I stood still for a couple of minutes and tentatively applied weight to it…fortunately I could still bear weight and decided to continue, albeit carefully.
The climb to Ill Bell was hard work. By the time I reached the summit I decided that I’d do Yoke another day. My watch informed me I still had 8 miles left and I didn’t fancy over-stretching myself. From here I retraced my steps northwards, taking a slightly different route on the lower path to the west of Frostwick. Again I passed by High Street; it seemed like an age since Abigail and I had done this three days previous. I continued to tire and it was starting to feel more and more like a slog. It was only when I reached The Knott that I could see light at the end of the tunnel.
Standing atop of The Knott I realised it had turned into a beautiful morning with stunning views over to the west. My route then took me north, up the steep grassy embankment over Rest Dodd and then down onto the boggy Deer Forest. As I made my way over the boggy peat I saw deer roaming in the distance. Finally I reached my final Wainwright; The Nab. To my surprise, at the top, there was a farmer and his wife. They asked where I’d been; they seemed quite surprised when I said I’d just hit my 18th mile. The farmer’s wife warned me that the descent off The Nab was very steep. It was then that I remembered the elevation graph when I’d plotted the run. I’d only half paid attention to the almost vertical descent assuming that it wouldn’t be as bad in real life. Garmin didn’t lie, nor did the farmer’s wife; this was one hell of a descent. There was no way I could run it; one slip and I would have tumbled all the way down. I had to carefully pick my way through the rocky turf. It was quite a relief when the gradient started to ease.
From here I was able to follow the path through a couple of gates and then join the lane back towards Howtown. Glancing behind me, I was greeted with some beautiful views back up towards The Nab and beyond.
A long slog of just over 20 miles, but worth it!
