Walks of a lifetime
Here’s an epic ridgetop horseshoe that visits the Lakes’ most charming summits, as recommended by Jeremy Ashcroft.
Kentmere was once a sort of ‘Spaghetti Junction’ for packhorses transporting goods across the Lakeland fells. In its heyday lines of up to 30 horses would travel to all points of the compass. Road improvements of the 18th century bypassed the valley and saw its importance vanish, and it became a peaceful backwater frozen in time. This time-locked spirit of the place imbues the surrounding summits, ridges, crags and fells with a wonderfully relaxed character. Indeed, more than anywhere else in the Lakes the mountains around Kentmere offer a walk that is a true get-away-from-it-all experience.
Far and away the best way to savour these hills is in a horseshoe round. The peaks that cluster around the valley, while not among the grandest in terms of height, are nevertheless a fine, shapely bunch – and they provide a diverse and entertaining day’s walking.
Two of the original packhorse routes – Garburn Pass and the Green Quarter Pass – serve as excellent routes at the start and finish of the round; while another, Nan Bield Pass, acts as a dramatic halfway marker. The walk can be done either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Both directions have their merits; but if you like to get the hard work done first, clockwise (starting up Garburn Pass) is the way to go. The western arm of the first half is a series of shapely peaks on a narrow ridge, while the eastern arm is more rounded and of rough open fell.
There is no technical difficulty on the route apart from a wee bit of exposure on the steep climb out of Nan Bield Pass, and most sections of path are clear on the ground. However given a bit of mist or even a light covering of snow the section over Thornthwaite Crag and down the eastern leg from Harter Fell can be confusing. Also, although the climbs are well-spaced and not too daunting, on your way to reaching all eight main summits you will cover a fair old distance – so get an early start and give yourself plenty of time to enjoy this stunning Lakeland round.
1 NY456041 Parking is difficult at the start as there are only a few places, so early arrival (particularly at weekends) is advisable. Set off from St Cuthbert’s church and walk up the lane to Greenhead; this takes you to the beginning of the route up to Garburn Pass. The track that climbs the pass is very old and was an important transport link dating back to at least late medieval times. It predates the turnpike roads further down the valley and was part of a network that connected Ambleside and Windermere with Shap. One hundred metres after the last building on the Garburn Road you will notice a huge boulder over the wall on the left; this is Badger Rock. Generations of climbers have used its short, steep walls and good, grassy landings for bouldering.
2 NY436043 At the top of Garburn Pass the ‘road’ reaches a stone wall at a corner (gate); just on the other side of the gate a path branches off right. This is the start of the ascent towards Yoke, the first summit on the main ridge. The path
The mountains around Kentmere offer a walk that is a true get-away-from-it-all experience. Heading for Harter Fell from Mardale Ill Bell with Haweswater in the distance. TOM BAILEY
up to Yoke mostly runs close to a wall until it reaches a stile and crosses over onto open fell. A steady climb leads up to a shoulder and then onto the rounded summit crest.
3 NY437067 Yoke is a great spot to take in the views, particularly those south out over Windermere and towards the coast; but don’t be tempted to stay long as there is a lot to do and it is only the first of many peaks. There is a bit of a dip between Yoke and the next peak, Ill Bell, but it is not too bad and the good path between them allows a decent pace.
4 NY436077 Ill Bell is a particularly shapely peak, and as you pop out onto its rocky and cairn-topped summit this becomes very apparent. Its graceful ridges and slopes fall away dramatically on all sides, allowing you views down into the surrounding valleys. This upper part of the fells looks particularly wild and unspoilt, with the only obvious human influence being the straight line of the dam that holds back Kentmere Reservoir. It was built in 1848 to provide a regulated supply of water for mills and factories lower down the valley.
5 NY435085 Froswick is the next peak on the round, and it is reached by simply following the ridge crest north. Its summit is lower than Ill Bell and it is the last part of the western leg before the main ridge merges into the great upland expanse of the High Street massif. The Roman road – the ‘High Street’ from which the mountain takes its name – hits the main ridge on the shoulder, on the southern side of Thornthwaite Crag. It connects the Roman forts at Galava (Ambleside) and Brocavum (Brougham), and traverses the summits while maintaining a height
in excess of 2,000ft for over 12 miles. The total distance between the two forts is 27 miles and it was covered by legionnaires in one day’s marching. Its steady gradients, good surfaces and long descent make it arguably the best high-level mountain bike ride in Britain. The Kentmere Round route crosses the Roman road and turns north-west to head across a plateau to the high point of the day.
6 NY432099 Thornthwaite Crag’s summit is marked by a particularly impressive cairn, which stands nearly 14ft tall. The summit of High Street lies just over a kilometre to the north-east and it can be included in the Kentmere Round; but traditionally it is not, and most people skip it and take the path around the head of Hall Cove to Mardale Ill Bell. In mist or snow this section of the route can be confusing as there are few landmarks and the plateau is fairly uniform in appearance.
7 NY446101 Mardale Ill Bell is one of the walk’s highlights. It’s not much to look at from below but it straddles the watershed and offers stunning views north and south. Its summit is rather flat, though, so to take all the views in you need to explore its edges a little. The descent to Nan Bield Pass is the biggest on the walk, and it presents a little bit of a psychological barrier because once you have reached the pass you are faced with a steep ascent for the onward route (or the chance of returning to the start via a good bridleway).
8 NY452095 Nan Bield Pass was regarded by guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright as ‘the finest of all Lakeland foot-passes’ and it’s easy to see why when you drop into it from Mardale Ill Bell. It is surrounded by steep slopes and dark crags, and it forms a very distinct notch in the ridge. It was originally traversed by foot and packhorse traffic but now it is just walkers and the odd hard-core mountain bikers that cross it. Attractive as it seems, however, it is not the place to stop for lunch as it is notoriously windy and even a gentle breeze will whip up a strong gust through its narrow confines. The crest up out of Nan Bield Pass is the narrowest section of ridge on the route; it is not overly exposed but the sides are rocky and steep enough on both sides to give it a pleasingly elevated feel.
9 NY459093 Harter Fell’s summit is a featureless grass dome; however there is no mistaking the top, as the summit cairn is a weird collection of old steel fence posts stacked together in a tangled pile worthy of a place in the Tate Modern! This is another summit worth exploring to get the best of the views. Looking to the north-east you can see Haweswater Reservoir. The distinct peninsula is The Rigg, and under water at its tip is the site of the old village of Mardale, which was drowned when the reservoir was built to provide water for Manchester. Harter Fell marks the start of the eastern leg of the Kentmere Round. The onward route is a pleasant descent over easyangled grass; it heads first south to The Knowe then south-east to a broad col below Kentmere Pike.
10 NY465077 Tired legs might baulk at the climb up Kentmere Pike but this last real ascent is quite short. The path down the main ridge handrails a wall then fence to the subsidiary top of Goat Scar.
11 NY472069 From Goat Scar the path turns south-west then south around the head of Rough Crags to gain the last summit, Shipman Knotts.
12 NY475049 The old packhorse track from Longsleddale is soon reached and makes a pleasant end to the day. Its well-graded course carries you easily down to High Lane, which you follow back to the start in Kentmere.