Tarn Hows

When the Kapitan and the Cabin Boy finally managed to drag themselves out of bed, they said they were tired from yesterday's walk (see Ullscarf's Eastern Flank) and wanted something a little easier. To accommodate their request, I devised a shorter and lower level walk that would circumnavigate Tarn Hows and then climb Holme Fell.

We parked at the National Trust's Glen Mary Bridge carpark and set off up the 'Waterfalls Trail' to Tarn Hows. It was very muggy and even though the ascent was gradual we were soon sweating. Given the amount of rain that we'd had over the last week I thought there would have been a bit more water running down the beck. The waterfalls all looked a bit desperate although they were pretty enough.

We escaped the woodland and came face to face with the wonderful Tarn Hows. The sky was grey today, but the tarn still assumed an air of beauty and tranquillity. 'Are you doing the Cumbrian Way?' My questioner was a middle aged chap who was scooping up some water from the tarn into a plastic drinking bottle. 'No. Are you?' I responded, as I'm sure he'd hoped. There then ensued a conversation about the Cumbrian Way where I was given some expert advice such as 'It's best to take a map'. That suggestion was so good that I immediately took out my notebook and wrote it down. 'Show him our map' said the man with the bottle to his mate. His mate was a lot less enthusiastic about the ongoing dialogue but he reluctantly got his map out to show me. It was a map specific to the Cumbrian Way with strips of the route on just the one map. 'Yes, very good!' I commended. Before my new, talkative friend got on to the benefits of using walking boots we made a swift departure. I just hoped he put his water through a filter or boiled it before drinking it.

It is a stunning trail around Tarn Hows with every view seemingly designed to perfection. Three raptors flew to the top of a tree on an island in the tarn. I thought they were Red Kites but were probably Buzzards. We encountered some tiny toads on the trail. They were so tiny that they just looked like small stones when they were still. Other walkers must have thought I was taking a photo of a cowpat when I got down on my knees to get a decent shot. On completing the circuit of the tarn, we could have just walked back down to the carpark, and it would have still been a nice day's outing. Instead we started to drop down into the valley to then commence a climb to the summit of Holme Fell.

 Holme Fell

We crossed over the A593 and to the entrance to Yew Tree Farm. Looking at the farm's website you can book a 'Herdwick Experience' at the farm or pay a little bit extra for a private session. It isn't entirely clear what services are offered, but I don't think it's for me. The sun was out now and it seemed even muggier. The ferns seemed to be growing exceptionally well this year and the air was thick with their sweet, cloying smell. The track up to the summit of Holme Fell was steep and stony but the hill isn't huge (height 317m) and we soon got above the tree line and into a refreshing breeze. We settled down on some crags at the top and had our lunch. Given its lowly height, Holme Fell does seem to offer extensive views. There is a great view to Coniston Water and the nearby Coniston Fells. The Langdales are also visible and we could see even as far as the Fairfield and Helvellyn ranges. 

After lunch we headed down on a track heading north. We kept Holme Fell's reservoirs to our right and reached a track that runs along its base. This led us to that huge gash in the ground known as Hodge Close Quarry. It was a bit like looking into the abyss when we stood near the edge to it. The bottom is filled with water and there is a mine entrance at the bottom of the quarry. Given the right conditions, the entrance and its reflection in the water, resembles a skull. It wasn't quite working today though. At Hodge Close we followed a fingerpost that directed us towards High Oxen Fell.

Return

A stone track brought us to the farm buildings of High Oxen Fell. There were wonderful views over to Lingmoor Fell to the north. The stone track turned to tarmac after the farm and this led us to the A593. Although I'd driven along the A593 many times on my way to or from Coniston, I'd never walked along the track the runs alongside it. It is positioned a distance away from the stone wall  that runs along the verge of the road and so we didn't really seem to get bothered by the traffic. At one point we were enchanted by an aerial dance of two Damsel Flies. They sparkled in a beautiful combination of greens and blues. A few hundred yards before reaching Yew Tree Tarn, we crossed the A593  into the woods on the other side. The ferns were high in the woods and the track didn't look particularly well used. The Tree Troublers had been at their wicked business and our path reached a forestry track. We followed this but it led us down to the road. A stone wall ran up the hillside fifty yards ahead of us and so we followed that until we found a stile and our track again. There weren't any more navigational difficulties and the track eventually plonked us safely back at the carpark.

It had really been a day of two halves; a circuit of Tarn Hows and the climb up to Holme Fell. They both could have been done as separate walks but felt it felt twice as good doing them both together. It is a good alternative when your walking colleagues can't be arsed to get out of bed at a reasonable time.