Lakeland Fellranger - Walking the Mid-Western Fells

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Reviews

The purpose of this guide is to describe 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 the 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, the Lakeland Fellranger series of guides provides a solid reference to the widest range of reliable contemporary options, aiming, among other things, to spread the load more widely over the path network.

For ease of reference, the 22 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 and so advice is given on these except on the most straightforward of fells. There are far more paths on the fells than can be shown even on a conventional HARVEY map, and for clarity this guide only highlights in red or green the paths and routes that are described within its pages.

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, but cannot guarantee rights of way in all cases.