Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: grange fell

Showing posts with label grange fell. Show all posts

Autumn in Borrowdale

Thankfully, the Bowder Stone car park is one of the few that I can guarantee getting a parking space in these days as The lake District is so busy. This is probably down to the extortionate price that The National Trust charge to park. Four ponds fifty gets me just two hours parking, any longer and its six pounds fifty which I think is a bit over the top.

Anyway, two hours gave me ample time to have a nice little walk and take some photos of what I consider to be, one of the most beautiful few miles in The Lakes. I would normally have ventured higher up but to get there you have to negotiate what can be a quite boggy area and it had been quite wet that week and I wasn't wearing suitable footwear.

Even though the light was a bit flat, I still think I managed to get some nice shots.

Borrowdale

Silver Birch

Borrowdale

Quarry face

Disused Quarry

Oak Tree

Sun catching Brunt Fell

Old Quarry, Kings How

Kings How

Autumn Ferns

Disused Quarry, Bowder Stone

The Bowder Stone

Old Bridleway

Trees on High Spy

High Spy

A Hidden Lakeland Gem

I came here a few months ago, well before the latest lockdown began but didn't really do any exploring as the weather was appalling, plus I didn't have enough change to pay for the parking. Today the sun was out, I had a bag full of change and was ready to explore an area which was new to me. I have spent hundreds of hours over the years exploring the paths and hills of Borrowdale, but amazingly I had never been on Kings How.

Every step I took was sheer delight and it ended up as one of those days when you keep saying to yourself, "I'll just go a little further and see what's up over that next rise". As it was, I didn't have the time to do everything I wanted so curtailed my exploration at a gate in the drystone wall where the path dips down into some sort of valley and then rises up to Kings How.

The next time I come, I will get here early and bring drinks and a bite to eat and make it into a days walk. Maybe I will get up Kings How...who knows?

Leaving the Bowder Stone car park

Silver Birches

Unnamed Beck

Looking to High Spy

Path to Quayfoot Quarry

Quayfoot Quarry

Looking down Borrowdale

Across to Maiden Moor

High Spy and the Borrowdale Valley

Lower sloped of Kings How

Kings How

Dry Stone Wall

Path down to Borrowdale

View to Kings How

Path to Kins How

Path from The Bowder Stone

Dry Stone Walling

Birch Trees

Back to The Lakes and a walk up Grange Fell

It was less than a week after returning from my Highlands trip and I was out and about in Borrowdale. How privileged am I? I had intended to just follow the ancient bridleway from Rosthwaite over to Watendlath but at the top of the pass, I decide to head right and go up Grange Fell (or Brund Fell or Jopplety How) as it is also known instead.

It must have been twenty years since I was last up these parts and so, with a fine clear sunny day, I plumped for some mountain views as opposed to the valley and tarn down at Watendlath. Putting the weather aside, I couldn't have picked a better time of year as the entire tops of the fell was a carpet of heather.

The climb was by no means hard but the hot sun did slow me down somewhat. Unusually for me, I had prepared myself for the day and had brought a packed lunch and a drink. I found a nice comfy spot amongst the heather and sat and ate my scram on the top of the fel; looking south to the head of Borrowdale with the Scafell Range and Great Gable beyond.

With most people heading for the high fells and honeypots these days, I found myself having the entire fell top to myself. It was their loss because as you can see from the photos there can't be many more beautiful places in Lakeland. Haystacks and maybe Walla Crag immediately spring to mind as being tops that could be put in the this category but both of those would have been crammed with people on a day like this.

I reckon I spent a good half hour sitting and admiring the all round view. As I previously said, the high fells of Lakeland and the head of Borrowdale were to the south and, as if that wasn't good enough, Derwentwater backed by Skiddaw and Blencathra were to the north. Dalehead and the North Western Fells were just across the valley and they completed my view perfectly.

The walk back down was a bit of a slog plus the sun was in my face and at its hottest. There wasn't much cover so it was a relief to get back down to valley level and the car. It was still only early afternoon and I had plenty of time to do more if I'd have wanted but as my day had been more or less perfect, I just opted to return to the site and have an ice cold beer or two and relax.

Happy Days.