Lake District
MOUNTAIN HORSESHOE
1
NY395159 From the Patterdale Hotel walk south along the road passing the White Lion pub. Turn left down a dead-end lane and cross a bridge over the Goldrill Beck. Stay left by Rooking Gill Barn, then take a bridleway rightwards through a gate. Cross a small stream, then bend right, zigzagging briefly up the hill and staying right on the wider path where it splits.
2
NY402160 Fork left where the path splits again, taking the wider pitched path diagonally up to Boredale Hause (the narrower footpath is rougher and less travelled but rejoins the bridleway nearer Boredale Hause).
3
NY407156 At a small cairn near an unexpected water services marker, ensure you locate the correct grassy path heading roughly east (there’s a multitude of paths here). Continue past a slight valley on your right, then more south-easterly towards the next slight ridgeline.
4
NY410155
Continue straight ahead
(roughly east-southeast) as the path splits on the slight ridgeline. Maintain this direction to cross Freeze Beck, an incised narrow ravine. Continue uphill, bending more to the north as the path rises, staying below the ridgeline at first then crossing at a low saddle to a small cairn.
5
NY418158 Now head roughly north and initially along the east edge of the ridge. The narrow grassy path undulates over Bedafell Knott then just to the right of the summit of Beda Fell – head left over rough trackless ground if you wish to collect the ‘summit’ at NY422163. Continue over a slight saddle and up the broad grassy ridge to Beda Head.
6
NY428170 Beda Head’s summit is marked by a tiny cairn. Continue down the far ridge, passing a marshy area, then more steeply down to Howstead Brow – a slightly craggy outcrop – then down to a path junction by a black metal bench.
7
NY430186 Head left and down to some farm buildings (Howstead Brow and Garth Head). Cross the tarmac lane, a stile by a gate and descend to cross a clapper bridge.
Head right through a gate then bend up and just left of a farm building with antennae, to a higher gate. Now head almost directly uphill, trending slightly left on a very narrow path through bracken to a crossing of paths.
8
NY424186 Turn right up this wider and clearer path then turn left at the next path junction. This now leads diagonally up the slopes of Sleet Fell. At
NY418183, bear slightly right to a junction. Cross over the main path, heading slightly left to take a narrow path. This winds more steeply up the slope to the ridgeline, then left along the ridge to the top of High Dodd.
9
NY415182 Pass a shelter wall, then down to the col of Low Moss. Stay ahead at a split in the path and up past a sheepfold. The path keeps rising, eventually following the broad ridgeline to a trig point at the slightly rocky summit of Place Fell. On a clear day you should have fantastic views over Helvellyn and St Sunday Crag.
10
NY405169 Continue south past the trig point, then south-east over undulating rocky ground to a slight knoll at Round How. Continue briefly south-south-east on the path, then drop south-west down a short but narrow rocky step. The partially-pitched path now descends much more clearly, steeply in places, to Boredale Hause.
11
NY408157 Turn right at a path junction by the remnants of a stone building (Chapel in the Hause). This descends, zigzagging near its end to join the bridleway you took up to Boredale Hause. Turn right and retrace your outward steps back to the Patterdale Hotel.