Day 2: Fairfield, Deepdale and Dovedale
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Take the track through the campsite and then across fields to Hartsop Hall. Turn right on the track behind the house. It passes Brothers Water to a gate in front of Cow Bridge car park. Don’t go through, but fork up left along the wood above the car park. A pleasant path runs above the A592 to the wood corner, then joins a verge footpath to cross Deepdale Beck on the road bridge.
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Turn left into the driveway of Deepdale Hall. Turn right on a half-tarmac track across Deepdale to a group of cottages. Turn left on a field track up the righthand (north) side of Deepdale. As the track reaches a final cottage, bear right on a green path above a wall to pass the cottage. Continue up-valley, to the right of the beck, on a well-defined path.
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The valley steepens, with the stream in a little gorge and the rather eroded path running along the steepish slope alongside. In the upmost hollow of the valley the path is fainter, but still followable. The valley head has various impressive crags, but a steepish grass slope runs up ahead to the lowest point of the Deepdale Hause col on the skyline. Zigzag up among small outcrops – the snowslopes are better than the steep, eroded summer path.
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Turn left along the long, level col Deepdale Hause. Then a path zigzags upward through broken ground – if this is snowed over, the direct line up the crest offers some occasional scrambling moves on nice rock, to arrive at a narrow crest – the top of Cofa Pike. The ridge dips to a second summit, decorated with a small rock obstacle.
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From the saddle beyond, the ridge rises in a step of slabby rock before continuing more gently to Fairfield summit. Take this step or slant up the base of the rocks on the right, then head back left to join the ridge above the step. Alternatively, and most easily, pass to the right of the obstacle, slanting gently uphill, to join the cairned path up Fairfield’s west spur.
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Leave Fairfield summit south-east, using a careful compass bearing if misty, to find a path along the brink of drops on the left. The well trodden path levels as it turns east, up a slight rocky rise. Here it bends down right to Link Hause col. Keep up ahead onto Hart Crag, to the cairn at the further end. Keep ahead down to the following col.
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Turn down left into the head of Dovedale. The edge of the big Dove Crag forms the right-hand boundary of the hollow. Head down alongside the rocky ground. Don’t follow the streamline out of this upper hollow, but cross a little plateau and head down north-east in a little dip about 200m to the right of the stream. (This is obvious in summer as there’s a good path). Head down steeply until the slope eases.
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At the middle level of Dovedale, the path slants down left to the stream. Keep down to left of the stream until the descent steepens again. Here, cross a footbridge and go down to right of the stream. At the valley floor, cross the stream to the start of a muddy track. It runs north-east to the junction at Hartsop Hall. Turn right, back to Brotherswater Inn.