Walk Summary
Lovely lakeside walking along Ullswater. Good chance of seeing deer on Place Fell. Classic views of the Helvellyn Range and the Dodds from The Knight.
Date: 09/12/2021
Length: 10.5 miles
Height Gain: 588 m
Terrain: Boggy paths, grass paths, stony paths, lightly used roads, pathless fell, short section of scrambly rock
Navigation: Tricky on Place Fell. The path from Low Moss to The Knight and then Place Fell is sketchy. Map and compass required.
Start: Cow Bridge Car Park, Near Hartsop
Route: Cow Bridge Car Park (Hartsop), Ullswater, Scalehow Force, Low Moss, The Knight, Place Fell, Boredale Hause
Map: OL5 The English Lakes North Eastern Area
Weather: Grey, sunny, drizzly
Walkers: Nun, Mo and Calse
Gallery
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Ullswater Kayakers
Captain's Log
Cows Bridge
It had been raining as we drove across Kirkstone Pass but it had stopped by the time we reached the Cow Bridge car park near Hartsop. We got out the car and started putting our boots on. It started raining again. I suggested getting in the car and waiting five minutes for it to stop. Out of the front windscreen I could still see the tops and so I was still hopeful for a reasonable day. The BBC weather forecast had said that a weather front would hit Cumbria around 15:00, but hopefully we should be back by then. The rain stopped and we got out of the car for a second attempt. I was less concerned about the weather, than the level of Goldrill Beck, that seemed quite high. The beck runs alongside the car park. I noticed a generator had been put in the car park and so I guessed somebody else thought Goldrill Beck wouldn't overspill. Even so, it did play on mind for the subsequent hour or two.
Riverlands Project
As we walked along the track near Dubhow we could see where the National Trust had effectively constructed two additional rivers over the flood plain. This was to slow the flow of water down Goldrigg Beck and prevent flooding further downstream. We'd seen an item about this on a recent TV documentary by Simon Reeve. To some extent, the scheme is experimental. A notice on fence post indicated that you could rest your camera on the post, take a picture, and send it to the National Trust so that they can monitor what changes occur over time. I took my photo and later sent it to them. I wondered whether slowing up the river might actually increase the chances of my car being flooded back at Cow Bridge. It started to drizzle again, which didn't improve my mood.
Riverlands Project River Diversion
Silkie Hen (Lucky Survivor Of White Van Man)
White Van Man
The path took us through the farm yard at Beckstones. As we headed out on the farm track at the other side I was surprised to see a man driving a large white van. The track is very rough and only really suitable for off-raod vehicles. I presumed he had either got lost or maybe he thought he could get back around to the Kirkstone-Paterdale road.
The driver wound down his window and asked me if there was space to turn around in the farm yard. I said there wasn't. He said, 'Well, I'll just have to reverse then', and then went into a one-man road rage. I was stood behind a boulder on the track. This was lucky in that when he reversed, the front end of the van skidded towards me, and the only thing that prevented it hitting me was that the driver's side front wheel hit this boulder. He reversed back along the track, skidding and sliding on the stones. We watched at a distance as he appeared to get stuck but managed to extricate the van with lots of high revs and much skidding. With some difficulty, he managed to turn the van around using the entrance to a barn, and then he was away at speed, spitting stones from the wheels. What looked liked the farmer's wife, had been stood by the barn, during this performance and as she went past us she said, 'If he'd taken it a bit slower, he'd have had more success'. We agreed.
After this nerve wracking experience it was nice to see a silkie hen near the barn. By some miracle she had managed to avoid the wheels of the van and was strutting alongside the track. Calm resumed.
High Dodd With Nonna's Bench Below It
Nonnas Bench
The path along Ullswater's eastern side is very pleasant. There are great views across to the Helvellyn range and Dodds and you are away from the busy road. Three kayakers made their way along the lake to some rocks protruding from the water.
At the impressive Scalehow Force we made our way up the steep path to Low Moss. At the disused quarry below High Dodd there was a stone bench built on the outside of a derelict building. It had a stone with an inscription on it that said, 'Nonna's Bench'. I've no idea who Nonna was, but the bench provided welcome shelter from the cold wind. As we sat drinking coffee we gradually realised that this whole valley was full of deer. We could see them in every direction. Dozens of them. What a great place.
Low Moss Deer
Ullswater Hallin Fell
Place Race
There is a large stone sheepfold at the head of the valley at Low Moss. A sign inside says, 'Please enjoy the shelter that the sheepfold affords', and that it has been restored by the Dalemain Estate. As a shelter, I still preferred Nonna's Bench.
We followed the path to Mortar Crag and then to The Knight. We were preceded by the deer, but they soon disappeared as we approached. There are great views from The Knight down on to Ullswater. It is well worth visiting, rather than taking the direct path from Low Moss to the top of Place Fell. As we admired the view we could see an ominous weather front approaching over Kirkstone. I wondered if this was an early appearance of the weather front that BBC Weather had predicted. I didn't really fancy getting caught in this weather front, whether it was rain or snow, and so we made a quick ascent to the trig on Place Fell and continued over.
Helvellyn Range And Dodds From Near The Knight
Cow Bridge, The Return
It turned out to be nothing worse than a little drizzle and by the time we reached Boredale Hause the day had just turned into a late afternoon winter gloom.
We returned to the car park at Cow Bridge and I was relieved to see my car still had its bonnet above water. In fact it looked to me as though the water level in Goldrill Beck had gone down, rather than up. All that early morning flooding worry was for nothing.
It had turned out to be a great walk with super views from Place Fell. It was a privilege to see so many deer. Nonna's Bench is a great place to have you lunch and deer spot.
Ullswater On Descent From Boredale Hause