28th October 2011 - Walk No.618

Area:	Lake District	Ascent:	660feet
Walk No:	617	Time:	3hours 15minutes
Date:	28th October 2011	Parking:	Village car park....honesty box £1.00 for the day.
Distance:	6.50miles	Weather:	Fine & Sunny.

For those of you that are thinking of going onto the hills I would strongly recommend that you read the advice given by the Mountain Rescue organisation of England and Wales. To read this advice, which will open in a new page please click HERE. If you would like to make a donation to the Mountain Rescue organisation which is purely voluntary please click HERE. Please make the time to read the advice page.

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It was Edith's choice today and as she had missed seeing the fell ponies on my last visit here she decided on this gentle walk. In retrospect a splendid choice as we had lovely views and easy walking.

Route Map

We left the car in the village car park where there there is an honesty box and suggested fee of £1.00/day. Now even I think that is reasonable and does go towards the Community Centre. From the car park the walk follows the road upwards towards the fell.

The short walk up the road is probably the steepest part of the walk but is short-lived and height is gained the northern Pennines start to come into view over the rooftops.

Almost at the top of the road now and looking back to a cloud-topped Cross Fell and to its right Little & Great Dun Fells.

Ahead of us the road ends and we pass through a gate onto the open fellside. There were a number of vehicles parked here, I think they were a party of shooters.

Our path simply follows the wall upwards.

We are headed for the gate near the trees but first I feel a Dr Doolittle moment approaching.

Alas, despite her best try the good doctor failed in coaxing the fell pony over.

A look back as we reach the top gate.

We are through the top gate now and looking southwards partly into the sun. Below us a tractor can just be seen which is collecting the cut bracken into bales.

Looking over to the fells of the northern High Street.

Our way ahead is towards the end of the plantation.

A first glimpse of Helvellyn as it peeks out from behind Barton Fell with the rows of cut bracken below us.

As we progress the views continue to open up.

We are not far away from the top of Heughscar Hill now and it is a glorious viewpoint.

Looking over Ullswater and Gowbarrow Fell to the Helvellyn Dodds.

And over Little and Great Mell fells to Blencathra.

Heughscar Hill summit cairn with Penrith beyond.

As we carried on northwards towards Heugh Scar we met this group of youngsters enjoying a ride on the fells.

Looking down on Pooley Bridge at the foot of Ullswater.

Approaching Heugh Scar and I had already decide against dropping down to pick up the High Street path. Instead we chose a path just below this to return along.

The path we are on isn't used by the horse riders and therefore wasn't as churned up and as muddy as the lower paths, plus it also kept the views better.

Close up Blencathra with Sharp Edge to the right.

Now some of you may be thinking what they do with the bales of bracken. We first saw these a few years back and it puzzled us at the time. We think the answer may lie HERE which is only a couple of miles away.

Eventually we left the path and just headed down to meet up with the bridleway over Moor Divock near Ketley Gate.

At the end of the bridleway we walked over to the Cop Stone.

A glacial erratic stone standing around 120cms high it forms part of a man made bank of around 20 metres in diameter. The bank is believed to be a Bronze Age ring cairn that was recorded in the 19th Century as having more than 10 stones around its perimeter.