The Near Eastern Fells

Guidebook containing detailed introductions to walking 35 summits in the Near Eastern Fells of the English Lake District, including a variety of ascents, old and new, in the mighty range of hills that sit between Ambleside, Ullswater and Grasmere, all presented with Mark Richards’ inimitable passion and flair.

From fireside to fellside

Free time spent out on the fell is always the very best of time. You may sit at home poring over maps and consulting guides, letting the imagination run riot, but nothing matches the fun and thrill of actually being out there. To wander by lonely becks and over rough fellsides, to climb to high cairned summits, to sense the freedom, space and sheer beauty of it all is a holistic experience beyond poetic words and pictorial expression. The walker notices the contrasts of seasons and time of day, the play of light and shadow, the mischievous antics of mist and cloud. They cope with wind and rain, snow and ice in an environment that they come to know by stints and stages. The form and character of each fell become recognisable, like friends from childhood – reliable, and happy in reunion whatever the time span since last in their acquaintance. The walker harbours memories of times past with these companions, and relishes new days in their company.

How grateful we are for their existence, these magical fells. Within the small compass of this guide you will find great mountains, deep green dales, wind-whipped lakes, still tarns reflecting the sky, dancing becks, fearsome buttresses, whispering woods and clouds racing across sweeping pastures inhabited by bleating sheep, the air tingling with the rippling call of skylark and the hoarse rasp of the high, rolling raven. And for all our pleasure in solitary wanderings, who has not smiled upon an encounter with the best of all fell creatures, fellow fellrangers?

This guide

The Helvellyn and Fairfield group forms a sustained high-level north-to-south ridge through the midriff of Lakeland. The character of the range lends itself supremely well to fellwalking. Crags seldom intervene to hamper ridge walks, but where they do (as upon Striding Edge linking Birkhouse Moor with Helvellyn), given fair weather, the adventure can be undertaken by the majority of suitably experienced and equipped walkers.

The group contains famous fells. Who would not be stirred by the romance in the names Helvellyn, Dollywaggon Pike and Catstycam? And who could resist the complete fell-day provided by the Fairfield Horseshoe and the circuit of the Dodds, or hold back from wandering up Dovedale bound for Dove Crag, or not venture onto the great whale-back of Red Screes to see the wide panorama of fells either side of the Kirkstone Pass? The range has long been renowned for its diverse store of superb fell-days.

The purpose of this guide is to show the fullest complement of walking routes on each fell. The pressure of boots down the years has taken its toll. Costly capital projects, along with pre-emptive works, have been and continue to be undertaken by the Fix the Fells project, a working partnership between the Lake District National Park Authority, the National Trust and Natural England. Yet ‘official’ advice on your choice of routes has always been strict, limiting route information to the modern variations of traditional paths and thus concentrating walkers on limited routes. In contrast, Lakeland Fellranger provides a solid reference to the fullest range of reliable contemporary options, a valuable by-product of this being to spread the load more widely over the path network.

For ease of reference the 35 fell chapters are arranged in alphabetical order. Each chapter begins with a customised HARVEY map that illustrates the routes of ascent described in the guide, and shows ridge connections to neighbouring fells to assist in the planning of extended walks. The corresponding text describes routes up the fell from given valley starting points, identified on the map by a number (shown in a blue box). The starting points are listed in the ‘Starting Points’ table on page 18, and are also given in blue (in brackets) after the ascent route headings in the walks. In many instances there is also a diagram that shows the routes from a given perspective to assist visualisation.

The primary routes to the summit are described, with optional variations given up to their natural point of connection with the more common route. Where a route follows a defined path this is shown in red dashes, and where the recommended route follows an intermittent path (or there is no path on the ground at all) this is shown in green dashes. Where a route follows a road it is not picked out by dashed lines. Being aware of the safest lines of descent is important advice and is given on these except on the most straightforward of fells. There are far more paths on the fells than are shown on a conventional HARVEY map, and for clarity this guide only shows the paths and routes that are described here.

As a good guide should also be a revelation, a full panorama is provided for each fell summit or better nearby viewpoint. This names the principal fells and picks out key features in their midst, with some more distant features beyond the national park to intrigue. When undertaking the walks in the guide, you are advised to take a map and compass with you (and know how to use them). The map can enhance your day by showing additional landscape features and setting your walk in its wider context, as well as being useful for your own safety. And remember that representation of a route in this guide, in whatever form, does not infer safe passage for all, at any time. The onus is on each individual to weigh up their own capabilities and the prevailing conditions. In fellwalking, as in any mountain travel, knowing when to retreat is often the greater part of valour. The author has taken care to follow time-honoured routes, and kept within bounds of access, yet cannot guarantee rights of way in all cases.

Fix the Fells

This series highlights the work of the Fix the Fells project in pitching the most seriously damaged fell paths. The process has been a great learning curve and the more recent pitching is superb, ensuring a flat foot-fall where possible, and being easy to use in ascent and descent. However, invariably these trails are not rights of way, and are therefore beyond the statutory responsibility of the highway authority. Hence this partnership of the National Park Authority, National Trust and Natural England, with additional financial support from the Friends of the Lake District, has worked to make good the hill paths. The whole effort has been made possible by third-party match-funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Much work remains to be done, most especially pre-emptive repair to stop paths from washing out in the first place. The Tourism & Conservation Partnership also contributes significantly to this work, but with a metre of path costing up to £100 there is every good reason to cultivate the involvement of fellwalkers in a cause that must be dear to their hearts… and soles! Make a beeline for www.fixthefells.co.uk to mark your commitment to the well-being of the fells by giving a modest donation. Clearly the occasional donation is welcome, but as yet this is still only a tiny injection. If it were the culture for regular fellwalkers to make small regular donations, so much the better.

Access

May 2005 saw the implementation of the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act in Cumbria, from which time most rough open country became conditionally accessible to walkers. The so-called ‘right to roam’ legislation is in truth something of a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Quite the majority of fellwalkers only feel at ease when striding upon a clear path, especially one that has a time-honoured sense of purpose. The roving instinct, a broad-brush freedom to randomly explore trackless country, appeals to a narrow band of walkers. I love the liberty of exploring open country with a map, but being wedded to the preparation of practical guides, my liberty always has an eye on sensible routes that give the security that guidebook users expect. This guide shows only a few such ‘roaming’ routes.

The mantra of Open Access should be stressed – Respect, Protect and Enjoy – for liberty to roam brings responsibilities. As wanderers we acknowledge that land has value, not confined to its ownership, and we above all should play our bit-part in its sustaining care. This new liberty has a further purpose, and is seen by Natural England as a flagship for a walking revolution. The notion of biophilia (a love of living things), and an inclusive joining up of natural heritage and people, has broadened the message, for alongside the well-being benefits of stepping out – see Walking the Way to Health (www.whi.org.uk) – Open Access brings new impetus for encouraging a wider range of people to experience the outdoors.

Safety

Being constantly alive to, and aware of, the potential dangers of walking in high fell country is essential for everyone, and most especially those who come new to this activity. The National Park Authority provides practical, up-to-date advice from daily weather checks (Weatherline 017687 75757, 24-hour fell forecast) to guided walks aimed at absolute beginners. As a first recourse obtain a copy of their leaflet ‘Safety on the Fells’ and consult their website: www.lake-district.gov.uk.

ADVISORY NOTE

The National Park has prepared a short advisory note for conscientious walkers:

• Place your feet thoughtfully; every single footstep causes wear and tear on the environment. The slow-growing plants that can survive on mountains are particularly vulnerable.
• Keep to the path surface; do not walk along the vegetation at the edge of the path.
• Do not build or add to cairns – paths need stones more than cairns.
• Do not take shortcuts – water will soon follow your tracks and an erosion scar will develop. Remember, there may be only one of you, but there are another 12 million pairs of feet treading Lake District paths every year.

Let us long love Lakeland and care for its future. May its magic remain an inspiration for each new generation.