Date & start time: Sunday 22nd March 2009. 1.15 pm start.

Location of Start : Off road before the Kelswick Farm gate, Wythop Valley, Cumbria ( NY 185 293 )

Places visited : Sale Fell, The Rivings, Chapel Woods, Old Scales Farm, Eskin Farm, the Corpse Road to Ling Fell and return via the track above Burthwaite Farm.

Walk details : 5 ml, 1400 ft of ascent, 3 hours.

Highest point : Ling Fell 1,224ft ( 373m).

Walked with : James H, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Overcast but dry and mild. Very breeze on the exposed tops.

Parking by Brumston Bridge, Wythop Valley

Today James was over from his Yorkshire base and wanting a shorter walk due to having to drive back afterwards.

He still wanted a descent walk however, in order to justify the time spent in traffic and travel.

As a result, two lower north-western fells were the choice for today.

Ann and James are ready to start.

Behind me the gate to Kelswick, down the road a left turn over the Brumstone Bridge would be our return route three hours from now.

Very little chance to warm up before we are through the gate and climbing rapidly up the slopes of Sale Fell.

Ann noticed this unusual damage to the stone work. Perhaps we could call it Wythop's . . . "Hole in the Wall"

Above Dodd Crag looking across to Eskin Farm.

The rounded skyline is Ling Fell that we hope to climb later.

Sale is a grassy, undulating fell . . . the vegetation kept short by generations of grazing sheep.

The two dogs and I acting as wind meters whilst James has wisely donned a hat against the cool breeze.

Cloud on Skiddaw Fell, taken from Sale Fell summit.

Ullock Pike is just clear, as is Knott Fell some six and a half miles away beyond the trees of Wythop Woods.

From the top we walked east across the area shown as the Rivings and then down the track descending towards Lothwaite Side.

All the land is agricultural here, either low fell grazing at this level or mature pasture lower down.

Doubling back around the base of Sale Fell we take the track down towards Chapel Wood.

There are several old Hawthorn trees along here, showing the effects of the weathering they have received during their long lifetime.

The woodland habitat has been augmented by a large number of bird boxes on the trees.

The gate out of the woods gives us access to the site of the old Chapel.

[ Hold your cursor over the photo to take yourself back in time ]

Just ruins and this commemorative stone remain.

A new church dedicated to St Cuthbert's has been built on the other side of the fell many years ago.

From the Chapel we dropped down to the valley and made our way over to Old Scales Farm.

Myself at work, seizing a photo opportunity !	Not every day you see the Troll under the bridge . . fol-de-rol !

In musical mood, perhaps we should call this one " Bring me Sunshine "

An unusual addition to the barn of Old Scales Farm is a stone and brick outhouse perched over the stream

An old outside loo perhaps . . . but why the chimney ?

Inside was a fireplace and a circular iron sink for heating water.	Another old tree caught our eye near the barn.

On the road side of the building, a classic large door complete with sheltering roof.

With no public footpath up onto Burthwaite Heights we kept to the road

and headed off for Eskin and our second summit, Ling Fell.

A very friendly skewbald horse (a brown and white piebald) in the field just before the farm.

The junction and road down to the car . . . but we continue uphill at this point.

The gate to Ling Fell and the old Coffin Road shown on the map.

We've often parked here if we've climbed just Ling Fell as a shorter walk.

Looking back down the track to Sale Fell

with distant Skiddaw now clear of the cloud.

Ann leads but Harry sits holding his new found green ball.	Who's first then ?

Bethan braves the breeze to be top dog today.

" Catching the action "

Harry is more interested in playing with his new toy.

We found it on Sale Fell and he has carried it, and played with it, all the way round.

The summit cairn of Ling Fell is set back some fifty yards from the Trig point

and from here we were able to get views of Bassenthwaite Lake and Binsey in the distance.

A rapid descent of Ling Fell took us down to meet the moorland track.

From here we will skirt round the eastern side on that track, above Burthwaite Farm and back to the fell gate . . . a full circle completed.

Back at the junction now and we need to turn down to the left this time.

Brumston Bridge over Wythop Beck, a solid looking bridge for what is currently quite a small stream.

With the extensive farmland in the valley above this point though, I imagine a heavy flood would soon start to fill the arch.

Today there was plenty of calm water to allow Harry to cool off.

All that extra "run and fetch" of the ball has tired him out today.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with with my Cannon G7 or Ann's Ixus 75 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . someone to throw the ball in the first place.

Go to Top

© RmH.2009 # Email me here # or leave me a Guest Book Entry

Previous walk - 17/18 th March 2009 Two sides of Crummock

A previous time up here - 21st Oct 2007 Sale and Ling with Jo and John