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" Ling and Sale Fell with Ian " Date & start time: 22nd April 2021. 1 pm start. Location of Start : Roadside near Eskin Farm, Wythop Valley , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 183 291 ) Places visited : Ling Fell, Old Scales, Lothwaite, Sale Fell , Brumston Bridge. Walk details : 6 mls, 1450 ft of ascent, 3 hours 45 mins. Highest point : Ling Fell, 1,224ft - 373m Walked with : Ian Smith and the dogs, Dylan and Dougal. Weather : Sunshine and blue skies. |
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After Easter the sunshine and dry conditions continue and fellwalking is a delight. Ian is up in Cumbria and staying over for his work at Seascale. He takes time off in between meeting contractors, in order to walk the fells. We chose an old favourite of his, but decide on a shorter ascent route in order to walk a second fell in the day. - - - o o o - - - First may I introduce a youngster, who you might well get to see more of as time goes by. Friends Sophie and Chris have just aquired a new puppy . . . young Bracken here is now about fourteen weeks old. Following his first inoculation he is now able to meet other dogs for the first time . . . his lock-down (nothing to do with Covid) is easing too ! He is still unable to leave his house and garden but that doesn't stop him playing here with Dougal. As time goes on, the dogs and I look forward to be able to meet, walk and play with him more. - - - o o o - - - However today the dogs and I have the company of Ian Smith for a slightly out-of-valley Cumbrian fell walk. Our outing today starts with Ling Fell, so we parked on the roadside close to the fell gate. Ian has previously walked the fell by heading back down the road slightly and taking the 'Green Lonning', to approach the summit from the back. Today we've taken the track up the front, shown as the Corpse Road, which is a more direct route and should allow us more time to walk Sale Fell later. Lovely sunshine and good visibility . . . as I look back at Ullock Pike and Skiddaw. We were being followed up the fell by two young ladies, sisters from Bristol as it turned out. Looking over two old grouse butts, across to Bassenthwaite Lake and Binsey. Summit photo courtesy of two young ladies, sorry no names were exchanged. The older of the two sisters has planned to walk ALL the Wainwright tops this year and to photograph her mascot, her toy chicken Mr McClucking, on each of the summits. ( It is just the head . . . I believe the rest of the chicken was too bulky to carry) She is practising with her slightly large pack as she intends to do many of the fells on a wild camping holiday later in the year. They had already driven up from Bristol and climbed Sale Fell. They now headed off to climb Broom Fell and as many of the remaining Whinlatter tops as they could, before returning home tonight ! Ian and I resumed our more leisurely walk by heading off to bag the second of only two summits in our day Sale Fell, seen here to the left. Dropping down from Ling Fell, looking across to Widows Hause (devoid of trees now) and Graystones across Wythop Moss.
Rather than jump in the car, it can stay there for a while longer, as we start the second loop of our figure of eight walk. Eskin Farm from the junction with our return route, the road up from Brumston Bridge. Looking across Wythop Valley with Ladies Table (rather than Lords Seat) at the top end. Pastoral pleasure, with all the new lambs enjoying the sunshine. The feeder has presumably been well used as the grass in not growing very fast in these dry April conditions. The barn and outhouse at Old Scales. The main part of the farm is set back from the road. The footpath here could be used to take you over to Kelsick Farm on weekdays and the old Wythop Chapel on a Sunday. A meeting of Ian's "Standing still in a line for a long time, competition winners" on the top of Lords Seat. As we got closer . . . they turned out to be trees not a large walking group. The briefest of views of the old Wythop Hall, partially hidden by trees. Sorry madam, may we disturb you because you're sitting right in the middle of the footpath ! Oh deer . . . a large gate. The entrance to Chapel Wood is guarded by deer fencing and an equally high gate. Inside the woodland spring flowers are in bloom, here some delicate little violets. Further up the track, classic yellow primroses. Climbing up out of Chapel Woods and our first view of Dodd and Bassenthwaite Lake. As we head up the side track of Lothwaite the view broadens. Looking down on Scar Ness and Scarness Bay, leaving the main track and head more steeply up now. Lothwaite is not actually a Wainwright Summit, but nevertheless it has a lovely view from the top. Ian looks over the lake towards Bowness Bay and the Mirehouse Woods, Dodd (to the right), Ullock (more purple) and Skiddaw itself. The classic view could have graced one of Mr Wainwright's photo books . . . only Ian's modern rucksack gives the game away. The view from the top of Lothwaite Fell. The memorial chair . . . and the new memorial stone at this popular viewpoint. Two walkers approach the summit of Sale Fell across the way . . . we'll he heading over there shortly. The slightest of diversions takes us to the cairn overlooking the Rivings, the flatter area in the next photo. Looking back at our route across from Lothwaite. Summiteers on Sale Fell. Ian was saying that the white quarts stones are supposed to be some of the oldest rocks in the Lake District. We leave the summit and head west down the fell towards the wall. Here we turn left to drop down to Brumston Bridge, hidden in the valley below. The car is parked on the road that runs across the side of Ling Fell opposite, so it will mean a slight uphill walk to finish. Burthwaite and Eskin Farms that we passed earlier. Please shut the gate . . . to Kelswick Farm. A brief road walk back up to the car now and the circuit is complete. - - - o o o - - - Time for a quick diversion on the way home to check out local developments . . . The building work on the old Bassenthwaite Lake Station is moving on faster, now that covid restrictions are easing. The old station buildings are re-roofed but there's still plenty to do. A far cry from the state of the building in January last year, when the work had only just started on the renovation and before the covid problems got in the way.
They hope to be open for business later in 2021. - - - o o o - - - |
Technical note: Pictures generally taken with my Panasonic Lumix Gx8 Camera. Resized in Photoshop and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder. This site best viewed with . . . refreshment (in due course) at the Station Cafe. Go to Home Page . . . © RmH . . . Email me here Previous walk - 16th April - Gowbarrow from the East A previous time up here - 11th January 2020 - The train Now Standing . . . Next walk - Last Week in April 2021 - Local walks and Visitors
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