Black Fell and Holme Fell

Not every walk goes to plan, and this was the case with Black Fell and Holme Fell.

The weather didn't help, but I was just having one of those days.

I'd made a promise to myself to get up to the Lake District at least once a month over the winter period, and having missed out on a glorious opportunity with snow covered peaks the previous weekend, I decided to get up there no matter what the weather had in store........erm, within reason.

As it happens, the weather forecast was terrible during the week, lots of rainfall meant, most of the snow had been washed away. Heavy rain later in the day was forecast for the Saturday, but undeterred, nearing the end of January and running out of weekends, I decided to go anyway. 

I chose to stay low on this walk, picking the low peaks of Black Fell and Holme Fell and hoping for some views, under the cloud base.

The track of the day in blue

I arrived at an empty Glen Mary Bridge car park at about 8.30 am. As a National Trust member, there was no charge for parking here, all that was required was to scan my membership card at the machine, print the ticket and display in my cars windscreen. 

It was a damp and dull, overcast day. The temperature was plus 3c with light winds, but the cloud base was really low, probably lower than 300 meters, which meant my summits would be in cloud, but at least it had stopped raining....for now.

Glen Mary Bridge Car Park

From the car park, I was heading east, uphill through ’Lane Head Coppice’ which is a small woodland, deprived of good sunlight. The ground cover was made up of moss covered rocks, dead bracken and a covering of fallen leaves.

The path takes you passed a small but pleasant waterfall flowing from the Tarn above, as I followed the path meandering beside the steady flowing waters of the beck. The route is slightly steep and a little slippy in places, it also divides into two alternative options at one point, of varying difficulty.

Looking back at the road from the start of Lane Head Coppice.

The waterfall seen on the way up to Tarn Hows

Nearing the top of 'Lane Head Coppice'

As I approached the tarn ahead, I passed the small dam, which was built around 1862 by James Marshall to flood what was three small tarns and made into the one tarn we see today. So when I emerged from the rough woodland path, it immediately struck me as a very popular tourist beauty spot during the warmer months. The very wide, smooth, and well-constructed path, lined with conifers is part of the Cumbria Way. It circles the Tarn and is perfect for pushchairs and wheelchairs with pretty good accessibility from a nearby car park. 

I would imagine families flock here in their thousands during the summer to enjoy a picnic in these, what would be glorious surroundings.

But it was no surprise it was almost deserted today, just the way I like it.

Apparently, the view of Black Fell summit can be seen from here on a nice clear day, but not on this murky January morning, I could barely see the flanks of the fell, never mind its summit.

A rather murky Tarn Hows

As I made my way to the north end of the tarn I passed just one couple who totally blanked me after I said ”hi” to them. It costs nothing to politely acknowledge someone, it makes for a happier world we live in, some folk eh.

A few spots of rain came and went, and I kept my fingers crossed the heavy downpour forecast would hold off for a while longer yet, and the waterproof over trousers stayed in the pack.

At the north end of Tarn Howes, just before a footbridge, I crossed over a stile that had a notice attached from the ’National Trust’ explaining about a disease called ’Phytophthora Ramorum’ which is affecting Larch trees in the area, and to avoid touching the woody plants to reduce the risk of spreading the disease.

The stile at the north end of 'Tarn Hows' and Rose Castle Plantation beyond

From here, I headed up the grassy hillside to briefly join an ancient road, before passing through a gate on the left, into ’Iron Keld Plantation’.

Looking up at my route from the stile, and possibly the summit to the right?

Looking back to 'Tarn Hows' from the old road

The old road I briefly travelled on

The entrance to 'Iron Keld Platation'

It's a gentle climb through the plantation, of conifers, but the slope was enough to enable two Mountain bikers to come storming down the track at speed and almost colliding with me head-on.

As I made my way up the track, I was soon confronted by a herd of cattle at the side of the track. Without many opinions but to walk close by the cattle, giving them a wide berth would have been preferable, but I decided they looked friendly enough and continued to approach them.

I decided to be boring (I'm good at that) just keeping quiet, and uninteresting as I passed, I believe when you start talking or shouting, waving your arms, or sudden movements, they become a lot more interested in you, and are more likely to charge at you. So I calmly walked on by, and they barely flinched.

After passing, what looked like an emergency shelter built out of branches and foliage by a certain survival expert. 

I cleared the plantation and was now heading into the mist, as I gained height. The undulating path soon brought me to my first summit of the day, Black Fell. 

The summit has a triangulation point at 323 metres set on a rocky outcrop, so there isn't any confusion as to where the summit was in the heavy mist of today.

I could have used this a little later in the day

Walking into the mist as I approach 'Black Fell' summit

Almost at the summit

The trig point also has a graffiti-clad National Trust plaque, stating ’Black Crag’

Why people feel they need to leave their initials or name here for immortality is beyond my comprehension. I guess with this sort of mentality, their lifetime achievement could be summiting Black Fell?

The view was none existent as visibility was down to literally a few meters at times, so there didn't seem to be any point hanging around at the summit. 

Black Fell summit

Wow!!!......... the views

A quiet Black Fell 323m

It was now mid-morning as I casually made my way down from the trig point, only to be caught out by a slippery patch of mud amongst the grass and rock on the summit. I instinctively put my hand out in anticipation of the fall, only for it to land on the sharp edge of a rock. The impact did all but break the skin and stung like hell for several minutes.

Fortunately it was my hand and not my head

I headed west, downhill following a wall part way down the fell towards High Arnside Farm below the cloud base. On the OS map, spaced green dots indicate possible public access, so I was hoping to drop onto the A593 from here.

Heading west, following the wall down towards High and Low Arnside

As I descended Black Fell, I inevitably dropped below the swirling cloud base and was greeted by intermittent views of the farm below, Little Langdale and ’Lingmoor’ beyond. 

I decided to stop here, behind a wall, for a sit-down and a cup of hot Vimto while taking in the atmospheric scenery, watched on only by a flock of Cheviot sheep. My sit here wasn’t long, but it was so peaceful, sat with a cuppa in hand, watching the swirling cloud dance around the fell tops, a solitary moment like this can be just amazing, loved it.

Sat behind a wall, sipping hot Vimto. this was my highlight of the day. Cloud brushing the summit of Lingmoor Fell

My stinging hand was now easing as I continued down to the farm, where I was met by a herd of Belted Galloway cattle, and a signed gate, stating no public access. It looked too private to take a chance and go for it, so I obeyed the sign and retraced my steps a short way.

High Arnside Farm

It was no big deal, It just meant walking a little farther north, and dropping down Hollins Bank to join the A593. From here I was heading to Holme Fell from the north via Hodge Close Quarry. Following a lane for just under a mile.

Heading northwest towards 'Hollin Bank'

The tarmac road turns into a track passing farm property nearing the quarry. 

Hodge Close Quarry just beyond the gate

View of the northern part of the quarry

I'd seen photos of this 19th-century old slate workings and was keen to see the small but deep emerald waters of a lake for myself. The light green slate hasn't been extracted since the early 1960s, but relics from the mining era can still be seen today. 

If I’d studied the OS map a little closer, I would have spotted the waters position, but I failed to do so, not doing my prep work well enough. I couldn't see any signs of the waters as I wandered around the spoil heaps, not surprising really, considering I was nowhere near it!!!

I walked a little way along a track towards Little Langdale as I had made good time. Here, a group of walkers came walking towards me, they all seemed well equipped and gave me the impression they were all experienced walkers.

As the group approached, I asked the leading guy, did he know where the waters of the quarry were? 

With a perplexed look on his face, replied ”erm.....no not really, sorry” then pulled out a small laminated printed o/s map with his intended route highlighted on it. Unfortunately, he was some way off route, and although I was far from the waters, I did actually know where I was, so when I pointed out where we were, I felt a little sorry for him, having to tell his party to about-turn as he'd guided the group the wrong way.......they didn't look very impressed.

I'd given up hope of finding the emerald lake and got back on route for Holme Fell, picking up a trail through woodland. I could still see a quarry road to my right as the rain arrived, just spitting at first. I made my way through to the edge of the wood, lo and behold, the emerald waters of Hodge Close Quarry appeared.

The woodland path I followed to the southern end of the quarry

First glimpse of the emerald waters of the quarry

A shot of the two openings and the remains of the wrecked crane and steel base

A close up of the wrecked crane, base and the two openings of which, one connects to the neighbouring Parrock Quarry.

A number of cars and outdoor adventure vehicles were parked by the quarry, and it soon became clear, it was popular with abseiling enthusiasts for the rock face which stands about 150ft down to the water.

The depth of the water is said to be another 150ft and also popular with cave divers.

The quarry is a dangerous place, its not fenced completely, and only recently a 30-year-old man drowned after jumping in the water from some height, also a number of divers have lost their lives in the underwater chambers, having lost their way and unable to exit.

So I cautiously made my way around the inner path for a better photo, where I could see the remains of the travelling crane in one of the holes. The track can be seen below the water level. 
As the rain continued to fall, I retreated to the safety of the road, and joined a large group of school children, I presume on a field trip, in hurriedly slipping on waterproof over trousers as the rain suddenly turned into something like a tropical downpour.

Rain soaked children do tend to screech, squeal and scream a lot, coupled with shouting adults, presumably trying to encourage the kids into gearing up a bit quicker. I couldn’t wait to leave the chaos behind. Once my pack was back on and sorted, I left the school kids and their disciplinarian guardians and the immense noise, and headed for the peace and tranquillity of ’Holme Fell’, within minutes the only sound I could now hear was the pleasant sound of spattering raindrops on my hood as the rain continued to teem down. 

I was following a well-established track from the quarry, through a gate, then left, leading up to a small disused reservoir. The path becomes less distinct, and somehow I ended up on the western side of the reservoir.

The track from the quarry, leading to Holme Fell

The disused reservoir

Visibility wasn't great as I made my way up and across the boggy ground towards ’Ivy Crag’.

I finally picked my way up through the soft squelching bog, and eventually found a route on this small but rugged fell and wound my way through the heather, and scrambly sections to its summit, a small rocky peak standing at 317m.

I checked my altimeter on my GPS as visibility was poor, just to make sure I was actually on the summit, it read 318m.

But just to satisfy myself this was the highest point, I wandered over to a couple of other potential summits looming in the murky mist, but no, they were not as high.

The climb up to Holme Fell summit

A little bit of hands on here

Looking back at the reservoir from near the summit

Holme Fell summit 317m

The rain was still extremely heavy, as the time approached 1:45 pm. I was in need of some lunch as I hadn’t stopped since mid-morning, but there was no shelter from the torrential rain here.

Descending Holme Fell directly south from the summit isn't a wise option as there are a number of crags to catch out the unwary walker. So once I had descended the peak in a northeastern direction, I was looking to pick up the path which would take me southeast, down through ’Harry Guards Wood’ and back to the carpark, which was about three quarters of a mile away from this point.

But unfortunately for me, I just couldn't find the path, and with the rain pelting down, low visibility and the terrain I was in was just so boggy, time was ticking on and I was feeling damp and cold. 

So I decided to abandon the search for the path and backtrack to the quarry, and return back on the route I was now familiar with.

Difficult ground to negotiate

If it had been a dryish day, I would have probably sat down at this point, got my 

1:25 000 O/S map out of my pack, and looked for my best route option, something not easily done on the small screen of a wet GPS unit, which at 1:50 000 has less information on it. Hopefully I would have worked out, that if I headed back to a gate I passed,  turned left in a southwesterly direction, I would have found myself below Raven Crag and Calf Crag and saved some time and distance.

But I was reluctant to open the pack and soak its contents which were in a dry bag anyway. I was being a bit stupid and lazy really, as the map was outside the dry bag, in its own waterproof case.

So I continued back the way I had arrived at the fell adding 2 miles extra to the planned walk. I passed the now quiet and empty quarry feeling a little despondent.

Continuing along the wooded path I spotted an overhang of rock face, which provided some shelter at its foot, an ideal spot to take a break, out of the weather.

In the dry patch of overhanging cover, the opportunity to check the map for a better option here and save a mile and a half of walking was missed as I now had it in my head my route back to the car. The last sandwich and a cup of hot vimto were downed before pushing on.

Passing ’High Oxen Fell’ I rejoined the A593 and headed south on a parallel path to the road, which was situated a few metres below, separated only by the wall.

Unfortunately, there must have been huge puddles of water forming on the roadside, which I couldn't see because of the high wall or any of the passing traffic, so every so often I’d see a huge wave of water breach the wall ahead of me, dousing the path to a flooded state.

Every time I heard a car pass, I thought ”this is it”  it was my turn for a drenching.

Inevitably, it did come, I was already soaked, so it didn't really matter too much, but having a bucket load of cold water tipped over your head is something I could have done without.

I finally arrived at a point where the path crosses the road, into ’Old Close wood’ just before ’Yew Tree Tarn’ I'm thinking almost back to my car.

I'd crossed the A593 passed through a gate and climbed several steps into the wood.

The path which looked well established then turned in the opposite direction from my finishing point, and continued to climb up through the woodland.

However what looked like a faint path followed a fence line in the direction I wanted to walk in, and more importantly, it was level!!!

At that particular minute, this looked the easiest and most likely option, follow the fence to the car, rather than a climb in the wrong direction.

My GPS didn't show enough detail, but I knew it shadowed the road.....but the map in my pack.....erm.....did show the path does climb in the wrong direction before turning back higher up in the wood.

Within minutes of walking, I was straddling tree trunks, branches and just general overgrown plantation. I'd gone from a reasonable pace, down to almost stopping as the ’trial’ all but disappeared.

I’d need a flippin machete to cut my way through any further!!!

I wasn't returning back to the gate, and by now, I'd realised the path must be higher up. The torrential rain showed no sign of abating, as I made my way up through the wet undergrowth, snagging my shell on thorny stems and foliage. 

Wet, tired, and muddy, I scrambled through the dense ground cover, finally joining the actual path I should have been on for the last half mile.

I was relieved to be back on track, for the short distance back to my car.

Fortunately I keep a spare change of clothes, a snack and drink which I never usually need, but I was thankful for them today.

I must admit it wasn't the best 10 miles out on the hills I've had in all honesty, the weather was rubbish for most of the day, not many good views, and lots of mud to trudge through, not to mention drenched from traffic. I made some basic navigational errors along the way, starting with reading my detailed mapping a little closer, which I will learn from.

On this occasion, I was just pleased that I hadn't led a group through the day.

However, I returned in one piece, had a good days exercise and a magical moment looking out from Black Fell.

And during the 1550ft of ascent, I managed to collect two more new fells to take me to 131/214 so a positive start to 2019.......until the next adventure.