The Kentmere Round
Date: 07-May-2008
Map: Landranger 90, OL5, OL7
Weather: Sunshine all day, with poor visibility on the tops – Hazy!
A circular walk from Kentmere Church, up the Garburn Pass and taking in the tops of Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Thornthwaite Crag, High Street, Mardale Ill Bell, Nan Bield Pass, Harter Fell, Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, then return to the church below green Quarter: 14.5 miles – as measured by a pedometer, 13.0 miles on Lonewalkers GPS.
The BBC forecast was
good for the
The
Church in Kentmere – rendered, but not very well! It was very quiet when we arrived at 7:45 and got
booted up. The church was not the best presented I’ve ever
seen, but I suppose it’s seen its share of arrivals and
departures. Lonewalker led the way today and I followed,
making a nice change from getting lost along the way. A
gentle stroll along the dry stone walled lanes led us up
towards the pathway to
Looking up to Buck Crag, Saletarn Knotts
Across the valley to Kentmere Pike – a big erratic boulder
in the field
Badger Rock – apparently. Doesn’t look like one though. A
Pele tower, with Manor House? Marked as Hall on the OS map There were some large erratic boulders that have
probably been moved down to the valley from the crags above.
Wherever they met a wall they were built up and over, and
incorporated into the wall line. We saw a Buzzard early in
the day being pestered by a smaller bird. The early swallows
were flitting in and around the barns. Later in the day the
skylarks were flying high and singing in the sunshine, a
sure sign that summer is coming. The adjacent fells were
clear enough but as we gained height the views were
disappointedly hazy. On another day the views from the
higher summits would have been spectacular.
Looking back to Kentmere in the early morning light The
path up the The path up the I
want that wall there no matter what’s in the way!! Yoke
in the distance The
not very graded path to stop more erosion – Yoke still in
the distance Are
we there yet? This is no Yoke….
Finally on Yoke. Windermere in the distance above the cairn LW
looking down over The
Kentmere valley from near Ill Bell. One
of three The people who built the cairns on Ill Bell probably
couldn’t be bothered going across to Yoke or Froswick, so
built three here instead. On the way up to Ill Bell we
passed a rather intrepid lady and her collie dog. She was
walking and wild camping for 8 or 9 days, following a
Wainwright route that took in Patterdale. She had a large
back pack that must have been a fair old weight, but was
making decent progress uphill. What a way to enjoy your
twilight years. She was a sharp contrast to couple we met
later in the day. One
of the other
Froswick next on the agenda. Bleathwaite Crag hanging above
the valley.
Looking back to Froswick – steep and craggy. Still can’t see
Windermere There were good
views of the Kentmere valley and Kentmere Pike from Ill Bell
and Froswick. Very steeply sloping down to the west and it
is not until you reach the other side of the valley that you
can appreciate how steep it actually is. The
way we walked – looking back to The big beacon above Thornthwaite Crag – lunch stop. Once we were past Froswick, the way ahead led up to
Thornthwaite Crag and the impressive cairn. From here on a
good day the views should have taken in Helvellyn and its
surroundings, but the haze persisted and only a small patch
of snow marked its position. We stopped and had a bite to
eat here, some birdseed for LW and a couple of chunky
chicken rolls for me. In the meantime I have been up to There
would be great views from here in clear weather. The
view over to High Street – the course of a Roman road. High
Street trig point – the high spot of the day. But not all
downhill from here. The walk over to High Street was easy enough and for
a change the wall went past the trig point not directly over
it – but that wouldn’t have surprised me. To be a Roman
Centurion up on these barren hills must have been a bit of a
bad boys posting. It must be bleak in the cold of winter.
But today the weather was good for a stroll, and had the
views been better it would have been even better. I hobbled
along glad that it wasn’t raining, but then thought that if
it was I wouldn’t be here. We made our way down towards
Mardale Ill Bell on an easy path, with hardly any boggy
patches to contend with. A few leaps here and there was all
that was required – I had my boots on so I was alright. On
the top of Mardale Ill Bell I had a quick look at the
volcanic columns that were quite well formed, and is part of
the reason there is such a mess of stone up there. Broad
hills down to Mardale Ill Bell, Harter Fell is beyond. Ill
Bell in the middle across the valley from Mardale Ill Bell.
Haweswater from Mardale Ill Bell – You can see the volcanic
columns Small
Water above Haweswater reservoir. Nan Bield Pass and the walk up to Harter Fell didn’t
look to bad until we got a bit closer, then you realise that
it is a fair old haul up to the top. You zigzag along up and
over some rocky patches, but all the time having good views
of the surrounding fells, the tarns and Haweswater to the
north. LW told me about the eagle that flies around Rough
Crag, but he wasn’t coming out to play today. The only
birdlife today was a few skylarks and wagtails, the game
bird we saw earlier carrying the pack, and the lesser
clothed wife we met coming down from Kentmere Pike. The
shelter on the pass had only three walls, with the open end
to the north east. There was an escape route that we could
have used had my knee got worse, but thankfully by this time
it had eased off and I was able to stagger onwards and
upwards. Ill
Bell high above the Kentmere reservoir The
shelter at Small
Water, Riggindale and Rough Crag beyond – no Eagle today
Looking back to Up
towards Harter Fell – I think! The
view back from Kentmere Pike to Harter Fell and beyond. The
way ahead, follow the wall towards Shipmans Knott Wait
for me, LW….come back….. We made the top of Harter Fell in good time and
continued over the grassy tops towards Kentmere Pike. We met
another couple here who were asking instructions how to get
further along. Their Scotty dog refused point blank to climb
up on the stile for a picture, so we left them to it and
marched on. Thankfully the dry weather had made the worst of
the boggy bits easily passable today. It was on our way down
from Kentmere Pike that we met a strange creature – no not
Bertie the Beetle, resplendent in orange and green – but a
couple who could have been straight out of ‘The last of the
summer wine’. He was striding ahead with vest in one hand
and water bottle in the other (I don’t recall him having a
backpack on), followed 30 yards later by his companion. She
was looking rather pink faced, was carrying a pack and had
stripped down to her turquoise bra (she had other clothes on
as well). We said our ‘hellos’ and carried on down the hill,
then turned to each other and said “I hope it doesn’t get
any warmer!”
Begorrah its Bertie the Beetle.
Looking back up to Kentmere Pike
Shipman Knotts in the distance. Not too boggy here. I
want a wall up here and across there…are you really a nutter? Then it was on to
Shipman Knotts, not the sort of place you want to read about
at the doctor’s surgery. The top of this was very
indistinct, but LW had his GPS and bagged the picture, so I
just copied him and named it thus. We followed a fairly
distinct path down alongside the stone walls and we could
have carried on down the end of the ridge to meet up with a
path to Stile End. But we cut the corner off and steered
downhill to Stile End the hard way!
Past
Shipmans Knotts – all downhill from here
Follow the wall down towards Stile End
Kentmere down in the valley below a lot of Knotts – Cowsty,
Scale, Saletarn A
grand vista all around the Kentmere Round A
very neat barn at Stile End An
erratic waiting for an unwary sheep to come past.. The
Kentmere Round has its own beauty Neat
walls….mind that rock…oh never mind then. Back
to the church….a grand day out….no you can’t go through the
graveyard Once we were down on the lower slopes, the views
along the Kentmere valley opened up and it was a joy to see
the whole of the route we had walked today. We passed onto
farm tracks and crossed a few fields back towards the
church. Down in the valley the walls resumed their crazy
direction – up and over anything that was in the way. I’m
sure if the dry-stone wallers were out and about today, you
better watch out where you parked the car! A great day out
and much thanks to LW for a really enjoyable walk, good
company all day, and an area I will come back to for the
views and the peace. But ladies….keep your clothes on
please….walking…it’s Brilliant
