Boredale Horseshoe
1 NY435191 Turn south-west down the road, keeping ahead when the dead-end road up Bannerdale turns off left. In another 500m, fork down right on a track alongside a stream. (Slightly longer but with wider outlook is to stay on the very quiet road, turning sharp down right at the junction for Boardale – or Boredale, spelled either way on maps and signposts.) Pass down to the edge of Sandwick, where a signposted green track forks off left beside a wall.
2 NY423195 Head up this for 100m then turn up a grassy path past an iron bench, all the way up to the crestline above. The path heads southwest along Sleet Fell, then slants up the right-hand side of High Dodd to cross the wide col beyond. Now you could head straight up onto Place Fell ahead, but a nicer path slants out to the right, to contour along a steep drop facing over Ullswater. At the shoulder called The Knight the path bends back left (south-east) and rises to the rock knoll trig point at the summit of Place Fell.
3 NY405169 The descent path south towards Boredale Hause is wide and well worn. After a gentle descent, it zigzags down steep ground to the major saddle Boredale Hause. As the main path levels at the bottom, a ruined sheep beild is just up north-west of the true saddle point. This was taken by Wordsworth as a former chapel, and his mistake has been carried forward onto Harvey and Explorer maps.
4 NY408157 This is a complex path junction. Bear off south-east, on a faint path. It gets clearer as it works around the flank of Angletarn Pikes, crossing Freeze Beck in its dip, to reach the ridgeline of Beda Fell. Turn left down the ridgeline path. It descends over small hummocks, levels off, then rises gently to Beda Head, the main summit of Beda Fell.
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The onward path descends north, passing, or passing down to right of, a secondary and larger summit cairn. The ridgeline then becomes well defined. Near its foot the ridgeline rises over the small rocky top named as Winter Crag – though Beda Toe would be a better name for it. Then it levels off, not far above the valley floor. At a bench, turn down sharp right on a bracken path. This bends right, slanting down above a wall to reach the Martindale valley road.
6 NY432182 Keep ahead, to pass St Martin’s Church. The road would take you to St Peter’s Church, but instead you can take a gate on the right after 500m. A field path slants up to pass below Cotehow cottage. Follow the path round to the right, below a wall, to a gate. Keep left, and on joining a green track keep left again. It brings you round to the car park top beside St Peter’s Church.