A short Summer Lakes break

Faced with a few days off towards the beginning of July, we decided to head north for a short break. Our thinking was to try and ease the walking in our October and November visits by climbing Hesk Fell and Stainton Pike and, with our sensible heads on, avoid driving down the Duddon Valley and up onto the Birker Fell Road when the weather could potentially be a little less benign. We also wanted to re-visit Newton Fell North and Caermote (for the third time of trying), as these two would have been slightly more awkward to get to from where we were staying at the end of the year. 

We booked into a little bungalow between Waterhead and Ambleside for four nights, which proved to be warm, quiet and very comfortable. On our way to the accommodation, we parked in a layby just below Newton Fell North to re-climb it as we suspected we hadn't quite got to the top in 2017 and we were right; in fact, we hadn't been anywhere near it! It was a warm, muggy afternoon but the wildflowers were lovely, there were deer on the flanks and the heather was just coming into flower. The walk was very marshy and circuitous as we couldn't see a path for the shoulder high bracken, but the views once at the top were lovely.

Our next objectives were Hesk Fell and Stainton Pike. We hadn't tacked Hesk Fell onto The Pike when we climbed it in March last year as Bro had a problem with his ankle, and we hadn't gone on to Stainton Pike from The Knott in that same week as the weather was horrendous, so this would tidy things up nicely. We set out very early for the fairly long drive to Coniston, down the length of the Duddon Valley, then very sharply and steeply up onto the Birker Fell Road, parking at the end of a lane which crossed tiny Woodend Bridge. It was a gorgeous day with stunning views of the Scafells and Devoke Water around us. As we started up the huge, grassy, featureless bulk of Hesk Fell, the sun came out making it very warm indeed, but three quarters of an hour or so later, there was a lovely cooling breeze blowing across the wide, flat summit plateau and breathtaking views in all directions.

From there, we headed towards Stainton Pike, and it looked a fair distance away, but once we picked our way down Hesk's western flank, it was a fairly straightforward yomp across a lovely lonely valley and up the other side. Mist rolled in from the coast, but fortunately we were on the ridge just before it engulfed us, and we made our way to Stainton Pike in that strange muffled quiet you experience in thick mist. It was a very simple and pleasurable walk in an area which felt quite remote, but we were soon on the final pull up to the top. We found it was much cooler on the summit and, with the mist clearing every so often, provided wonderful views to Muncaster Castle and towards Wasdale. We also looked down on The Knott we'd climbed in horrendous weather the previous October, relieved that we hadn't attempted to go on to climb Stainton Pike back then as originally planned! After a bite to eat and some photos, we decided that, as we were only about a twenty minute walk from Yoadcastle, one of the Devoke Water fells, we would re-climb it as we wanted a proper summit shot. We also seemed to have been just slightly off to one side of the true summit when we climbed it in 2017, so we wanted to be sure. It was a very easy detour over gently undulating ground but with a fairly stiff little climb up to the summit knoll. We sat for a while, taking photos and admiring the vast landscape in front of us, then started down in a more or less in a dead straight line to the north of Hesk Fell, heading for a drystone wall we had walked beside when we set off. Hot chocolate sitting watching tiny chaffinches at the Crosby Snack Shed was very welcome before the drive back

That afternoon. we wandered into Ambleside and Brathay Park where a Lakeland Trails event was taking place. We sat and watched for a while, enjoying the atmosphere.

The following day we decided to climb Caermote and it would be our third attempt. Both previous attempts had resulted in us not feeling comfortable climbing without permission, especially as we knew for sure that it was on private land. This time we asked two farmers in a nearby field and they pointed out the farm which owned the land, so (after a fortifying cup of coffee!) we walked into the yard and knocked on the farmhouse door. The farmer couldn't have been friendlier or more welcoming and happily gave his permission, asking that we used a specific gate, and letting us there weren't any cows in the surrounding fields. All in all, it took no more than 15 minutes and had the most spectacular panoramic views, especially over to Scotland. A delightful little fell.

Our final stop just before we re-joined the motorway home, was stunning Sizergh Castle. It was raining slightly, but it didn't diminish our enjoyment of the beautiful gardens and grounds, and its fascinating history. All in all, it was a really productive, short visit and leaves us 12 Outlying Fells left to do. We have two more weeks booked in October and November, so fingers crossed for completion, bringing to an end our quest to climb all 330 mountains and fells of the Lake District!