Black Fell & Holme Fell
DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 18KM
TIME 7 HOURS
TOTAL ASCENT 825M PEAK BAGGER STATS
WAINWRIGHTS 2
1
NY327047 From Elterwater village follow the broad level path, south-east, next to Great Langdale Beck for 1.5km. Go through a gate and continue to go through gates in successive walls.
2
NY340034 Turn right and cross the footbridge at the top of Skelwith Force. Turn left, look at the falls, and keep straight ahead at the next junction (signed Colwith Bridge). Pass through a large kissing gate at the end of the wood and carry on through pasture, join a track and go right. Pass through a pair of kissing gates by a house and keep on the stony path ahead. Go through a gate and walk along the track to a gate at Park Farm. Go through yard and keep straight ahead – cross a stile in a wall, pass through a squeeze stile after 100m and go through gates at the next house. Take the path across a grassy bowl to a stile, with steps down to the river. Cross a stile and walk over a meadow to a step stile at a lane. Turn left, steeply uphill, and go right at the A593.
3
NY332027 After 100m take the path on the left and walk ahead over pasture to a gate at a wall. Go left uphill on a track. Take the second gate on the left and trend right to join a track to a gap and turn immediately left. Go left, just before the next gate, and walk up to a gate in a wall. Turn right and go left after 200m. Continue up to the trig point and large cairn on Black Fell (Black Crag), with fine views across Windermere.
4
NY340015 From the top, take the meandering path south towards Iron Keld Plantation. Turn sharp left at a gate and follow the track through forestry to a gate. Turn right on a rough track, turn left at the next gate and go right at a junction on a wide track with Tarn Hows now on the left. Just before the next gate, go right on a rough path signed to Glen Mary, with waterfalls. Walk steeply down to the NT car park.
5
SD321998 Turn left on the road and go through the right-hand gate by the entrance to
Yew Tree Farm. Walk up the track, fork right at the corner of a wall, pass through a kissing gate and follow the rough path ahead, through birch trees, to a fence. Go through the kissing gate, turn right and fork left at a waymark to climb the path, through Harry Guards Wood, up the east side of Holme Fell. Continue to the remnant of an old wall by a saddle named Uskdale Gap. Turn left here, walk up to a minor top and then turn west, across a shallow valley, to the summit.
6
NY315006
Descend north to a former reservoir, on the edge of trees, and continue downhill to a tall wall. Turn right to a gate and follow the broad path, with a huge old quarry on the left. Go through a gate and go left on a track. Go through another gate, turn right on the track at Hodge Close, go through another gate and take the path straight ahead over open ground. Cross a stile and continue downhill to Stang End.
7
NY318028 Turn left on a tarmac lane, turning into a track, and continue to cross a large footbridge. Follow the lane to a junction, turn right past the Three Shires Inn and take the first path on the left (to Wilson Place Farm). Beyond the buildings, go through a steel gate and walk up a stony path by a field. Go through a couple of gates, turn left to another gate and turn right on a track. Go through a gate and follow the rough track downhill through trees to a lane. Turn left for Elterwater village.