Captain's Log

Northern Fells

The northern fells aren’t quite as popular as those in the rest of the Lake District. Maybe it’s because they are a little more rounded and a little less spectacular.  What they lose in dramatic views, they gain with epic ones. They include some high hills  and provide a great area for those walkers that want a quieter alternative to the other Lakeland honeypots. Today’s walk would take a tour of the central area of the northern fells. We’d park on the northern edge of the fells and make our way to the centre using the Cumbrian Way. Our return would be more challenging with a trot over Pike, Knott, Frozen Fell and Burn Tod.    

One of the things that might deter walkers to the northern fells is getting access to the start. We took the single track road that branches out from the A591 and follows the northern base of the fells. There aren’t that many passing places along this road and I always cross my fingers that I don’t meet something coming the other way since my reversing skills aren’t the best. I was therefore delighted to reach the parking area at Peter House Farm without meeting any other vehicle. I was able to relax a bit now and enjoy the walk. .   

Cumbria Way

Those hikers attempting the Cumbria Way have a choice of routes between Caldbeck and Skiddaw House. There is a high level route that goes over High Pike (the highest point on the Cumbria Way) or a low level (bad weather) route that follows the northern edge of the fells between Caldbeck and Peter House Farm, before heading southwards using the valley to the east of Skiddaw and Lonscale Fell. The high and low level routes intersect at Skiddaw House.    

It was an icy morning and the Kapitan had to give the latch mechanism a bang on the first gate since the metal components had stuck together. We started following the farm track that formed part of the low level Cumbria Way. This made for easy walking and we made fast progress to the Whitewater Dash waterfall where we followed the track to its top. From here the track continued into the centre of the northern fells. I have walked along here in mist and rain, and the monotony of its straightness can make it a dreary prospect. Today though, the sun was out and the snow-topped Skiddaw on our right provided interest. It was just over a three mile walk from Peter House Farm to Skiddaw House. The hostel and honesty cafe had shut for the winter (open March to October). At this point we headed off northeast on the high level Cumbria Way track. This followed the River Caldew downstream towards Carrock Fell at the end of the valley. Apart from the short section near Whitewater Dash, today’s walk had been more or less flat. It wasn’t until about six miles from the start that we finally branched away from the Cumbria Way and started heading uphill on a track towards Coomb Height.

Pike

The track was distinct at first, but then got more sketchy the higher we went. It then started heading off towards the summit of Coomb Height. We’d already ticked Coomb Height around this time last year (see A Helm Wind Over Carrock) and didn’t feel a need to revisit it so soon. Although the hillsides were grassy and heathery, it was actually quite easy to walk over and so we started making our own way across towards the cairn on Pike. This whole area seemed like a maze of sketchy tracks. A lot of them just seemed to disappear altogether. I’m not sure what made them: people, sheep or ATVs.  Probably a combination of all of them. Whatever created them, we made use of what we found to plod over to the sizable cairn, where we stopped for lunch. Pike felt like the centre of the Lake District's northern fells and looking at the OS map, it probably was. There was an excellent panorama southwards to the snowy slopes of Blencathra. Over to the west we could see Great Calva and the mighty snow-capped Skiddaw beyond. Over to the east was the ever present Carrock Fell. It was so impressive that I convened a meeting with the Kapitan and Cabin Boy and we decided to accredit Pike with Wainwright’s Missed Gem status. Over to the northwest, we could see a huge lump of a hill. This was Knott and our next target. 

Knott, Frozen Fell And Burn Tod

We had to retrace our steps for a while northwards and then head westwards to Knott. Again, there were occasional sketchy paths, but the terrain made for easy walking and so they weren’t really essential. Knott had a plateau summit and is a crossroad of pathways across the northern fells. Initially we started out on one heading westwards, but soon headed off  on a direct bearing to Frozen Fell. Unless you really want to tick it as an Explorer hill, it might be an idea to leave this summit off today’s route. The terrain across to it was a bit tufty and not the easiest walk. It didn’t really have a summit as such, but it did have great views over the rolling fells to the north and west. The fell to the south was Burn Tod and we managed to find a very sketchy path that led us over towards the hill. Again, there wasn’t really a summit, but there was no denying the wonderful views. Over to the west, we could see Great Cockup, a delightful name for a hill if ever there was one. We dropped down the northern slope of Burn Tod to Frozenfell Gill. Looking up the gill, Frozen Fell looked like a real mountain, belying its insignificant summit we'd stood on earlier. Frozenfell Gill turned into Burntod Gill and we started following this downstream using a track along the southern flank of Great Cockup. 

Return

The valley and views opened up as our track diverged from Burntod Gill.  Our elevation  allowed us to see over the fell and fields to where I’d parked the car at Peter House Farm.  Beyond we could see the most northerly Wainwright Binsey, and over to the west, Bassenthwaite Lake. Just before Brockle Crag, the track joined a lovely grassy bridleway that gradually descended to the valley floor. The bridleway took us northwards and away from my car which made the walk back along the road a little longer than it could have been. There was no traffic though and so it was a pleasant enough end to the walk.   

It is tempting to spend all of your time in the Lake District pottering about the Langdales or climbing the classic hills like Helvellyn and Scafell Pike. If you want a bit of a change, then the northern fells provide a wonderful alternative. Today’s walk took us on a good path  to the centre of the Lake District's northern fells and then provided an interesting yomp back over the surrounding hills, with plenty of opportunity to tick those Explorer hills.