Friday 25 October 2013

A Staveley figure of eight

With a forecast for 'extensive hill fog' I decided it pointless staying in the heart of the Lakes and decided to travel again to the Far Eastern fringe and pick off a few more outliers. Skiddaw & Blencathra had their heads in the cloud butI had to fight the urge to pull in to the empty parking for Helvellyn. A faint whiff of cloud teased its summit and with the surrounding blue sky it did look enticing :)

Arriving at Staveley and the car dumped by Barley Bridge with still a distinct lack of hill fog I wondered if I'd made the right decision. When I started on the Wainwright Outliers I soon discovered that it was handy taking the book or at least a photocopy of the map, a majority is through farmland so having a heads up where the (usually hidden) stiles & gates are to be found. Unfortunately it was at this point that the guide which I thought was in the car's glove box was back home on the book shelf, my memory isn't the best !

The first leg of the 'figure of eight' covered the Potter Fell section and probably involved a trespass. The second loop covered High Knott, Hugill Fell & Reston Scar chapters in one pass and again probably involved a bit of trespassing. Plenty of barbed wire & stone walls had to be crossed - not always easy with a wayward terrier.

Early morning in the Kent valley...


there was a distinct lack of a public footpath finger sign & plenty of  'PRIVATE' signs, at least this one conceded to there being a footpath...

Side House...

a signed path for Potter's Tarn turned before AWs route...

long shadow towards the Lakes...

Potter Tarn...

& its outflow...

Gurnal Dubs, the proper route goes behind the tarn, forgetting I went around the front...

'Private Land, Private Fishing'...

A new gate had been installed in the a wall (courtesy of the LDPA), for Ulgraves, its summit gave good views down Longsleddale...

not having info on where the stiles I aimed for the direct line to Potter Fells 2, the first awkward crossing consisted of two fences, one wall & 3 strands of barbed wire - what beasts are they trying to keep out!!!

only one fence & one wall this time but FOUR strands of barbed wire, it must have been on BOGOF...

Brunt Knott from Potter Fell 2...

Potter Fell 1 from Potter Fell 2...

Potter Fell 2 & Ulgraves from Potter Fell 1...

The two Potter Fell's from the climb up Brunt Knott...

only trig of the day, Brunt Knott...

descent to Brunt Knott Farm & the road back to Staveley...

weir in the River Kent by Barley Bridge...

looking down on Staveley from the zig-zag track up Reston Scar...

its summit & Ings...

looking back to Reston Scar...

Hugill Fell's Wainwright summit cairn...

Kentmere...

the route to High Knott, only two walls needed crossed the rest could be passed with rather convienent gates...

nearly there & avoided detection so far...

summit...


still awkward crossings...

descent to Kentmere now on a public right of way...

'Unofficial' sign beside the road...




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