Lakeland Fellranger: The Western Fells - Walks in the Lakes

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

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 beats the fun and thrill of actually being out there, walking the dream. 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. The walker copes with wind and rain, snow and ice in an environment that he or she comes to know by stints and stages. The form and character of each fell become recognisable, like a friend from childhood – reliable, and happy in reunion whatever the time span since their last 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 – the genius of vintage fellwalking days. And for all our pleasure in solitary wanderings, who has not smiled upon a happy encounter with the best of all fell creatures, fellow fell wanderers?

This guide

Held within a mighty triangle pivoting upon Great Gable and fanning out between Wasdale and Buttermere, the Western Fells have long been revered by fellwalkers of all levels of ambition. There is something for everyone – places of common congregation and lonely dales, iconic summits and gentle grassy tops, fearsome dizzy heights, romantic and seldom-seen sights, stirring stuff to lift the spirits and capture the imagination. This guide offers a showcase of ideas for wonderful fellwalking days – templates from which to build your own bespoke fell adventures. For the fells remain for us all to seek.

Radiating west from Styhead this group is defined by the high ground between the rivers Irt and Cocker. The easternmost rocks are volcanic and merge into the sleeker lines of Skiddaw slate, giving characterful contrast to the mountain form as the range unfolds. In its midst are two conspicuous ridges, which have their focus on Pillar and High Stile and form the bounds of Ennerdale; this long, roadless dale lies at the heart of the group, the re-wilding process making strides to rectify the folly of previous fir-tree planting. Astute felling and soft-touch management is being applied to restore nature’s inclinations in a valley that harbours evidence of Viking settlement, and which serves recreational interests for walking, biking and climbing in an appropriately low-key manner.

For ease of reference the 34 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 16, 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 on the map and diagram 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 advice 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.