Five Uldale Fells (Brae Fell, Little Sca Fell, Great Sca Fell, Lowthwaite Fell and Longlands Fell)
Walk date – 17th July 2024
Distance – 6.5 miles
Weather – dry with some sunny spells, long cloudy periods, breezy
The weather has been poor since our last walk, day after day of leaden skies, rain and strong winds. Looking out of the window every morning and seeing the same weather each time has been monotonous and uninspiring to say the least. It is supposed to be summer but mostly it feels like anything but. Yesterday brought a ray of hope, the washing went out on the line and stayed there until it was dry and its a long time since that happened. J went and did his usual Tuesday volunteering and reported coming back home through very heavy rain between Kendal and Shap. It never quite reached us although the skies did look threatening from mid-afternoon onwards. Today’s forecast indicated a dry day with some early morning sunny periods with a build up of cloud developing as the day went on. That turned out to be the case although the cloud covering arrived much earlier and was more extensive than we had hoped. The veil of white cloud resulted in, from my point of view, some very disappointing washed out shots.
Route
Off road parking at Holborn farm – Cumbria Way – Charleton Wath – Charleton Gill path – Brae Fell – Little Sca Fell – Great Sca Fell – Lowthwaite Fell – Longlands Fell – Charleton Wath – Cumbria Way – Off road parking at Holborn farm
Holborn farm buildings and a few winters worth of fuel waiting to be sawn into logs for the fire. We’re parked off road just a short distance below the farm and, other than a group of four walkers who came past us as we were getting ready, there was nobody else around.
The group of four, on the left, walking along the Cumbria Way just ahead of us. Its a bright morning but there’s a lively breeze and the cloud is already beginning to creep up on us
We arrived at the ford crossing Charleton Wath which the group of four have just crossed. They didn’t turn up the path to walk alongside Charleton Gill so we assumed they were heading towards Longlands Fell. The ford was a little too full to cross today but we found a crossing point over on the right where the gill turns into a narrow and meandering stream. Having crossed over we made our way through the soggy greenery back to the path. Once up the slight rise we left the Cumbria Way and turned left along the path alongside Charleton Gill.
Brae Fell beyond the gullies of Charleton Gill. The blue sky has disappeared and has been replaced by a layer of thin white stuff.
Little Sca Fell on the skyline as we make our way along the Charleton Gill path. Everything was very peaceful until the silence was broken, and I was startled by the sudden appearance, right behind me, of a panting dog which had come bounding down the hillside. Its owner was walking the path just a little above us and a couple of loud whistles from him was all it took for the dog to turn tail and rejoin its owner. When you’re walking along deep in thought an excited dog galloping up behind you is not quite what you had bargained for.
We reached the path coming over from Longlands so after a quick shot looking towards Lowthwaite and Longlands Fells we turn right and follow the path for Brae Fell. As we climbed higher we noticed the group of four walkers we saw earlier descending Longlands Fell and wondered if they would be coming over to Brae Fell. That fuzzy white cloud in the distance seems to be spreading out more and more.
Brae Fell in the distance as we negotiate a boggy section along the way.
The Skiddaw group gets a sunny spell at last.
J crossing the source of Charleton Gill, a very spongy area with dribbles of water everywhere, seeping out of the ground and eventually making its way down the fellside. In the distance is a solo walker with two dogs, one on a lead and the other running freely around and bothering the sheep. Fortunately the sheep did not have lambs with them or things might not have turned out quite as well as they did. Much cursing from J as he sank into the soggy mire as he crossed over it.
The path to Brae Fell stretching into the distance and towards the summit. It looks a long way away but I timed it from this point and …..
….. ten minutes later we were on the summit. Very breezy up here so our lightweight windproofs went on and we sat with our backs to the cairn to avoid the worst of it while we had a coffee stop (and the Mars Bar) for five minutes.
Another sunny view of the Skiddaw group from Brae Fell summit. Across the middle foreground from left to right are Frozen Fell, Meal Fell and Great Cockup.
High Pike under a mass of cloud from Brae Fell summit.
The Skiddaw group from Brae Fell. While we were up here we could see that the group of four walkers we had seen descending Longlands Fell were now on Little Sca Fell. They eventually disappeared and we didn’t see them again so Brae Fell wasn’t on their route today.
From Brae Fell we walked over to Little Sca Fell. Three people were occupying what passes for a shelter so the only shot possible was this one looking towards Binsey and Over Water …..
….. and this one looking back at the path between Brae Fell and Little Sca Fell. We moved on to …..
….. Great Sca Fell and the usual puddle around the summit cairn. On seeing the dark mass of cloud above Knott we decided against walking over to it and we made this our turn round point instead.
Looking east from the cairn and a view of High Pike on the left and Carrock Fell on the right …..
….. looking west where the top of Binsey is just visible …..
….. and a view of the Skiddaw group to the south west. Two young women came along the path on the right and began making their way over to Knott via the path on the left of the shot. They were wearing leggings and sleeveless vest tops and seemed oblivious to the very breezy conditions up here. Meanwhile the two of us were still huddling in our windproofs, takes all sorts I suppose.
We walked back to Little Sca Fell where the three walkers were still occupying the shelter so we carried straight on down the path with a quick look across to Over Water and Binsey on the way.
Further down with Lowthwaite and Longlands coming into view, we’re heading for the path, in view just below, which will lead us over to Lowthwaite Fell to begin with. Somewhere along the way we are hoping to find a sheltered spot in which to take a break and have something to eat. The constant breeze is a nuisance and it will be a relief to get out of it for ten minutes or so.
We had a sunny spell during the walk down which landed on us and Meal Fell in the middle of the shot. To the right of Meal Fell is Great Cockup, to the left is Frozen Fell and behind that is the Skiddaw group. The sky has turned flat white again.
Walking straight into the breeze as we head for Lowthwaite Fell so our tissues became even damper.
We found the required sheltered spot in the dip between the end of the path from Little Sca Fell and the start of the path over to Lowthwaite Fell. This was the sunny view of Little and Great Sca Fells, plus Frozen Fell on the right skyline, that we had from our lunch stop spot.
On the path again and heading up Lowthwaite Fell after our break …..
….. with a look back at the route the path takes. The path we’ve just walked across goes over the top of the rise and then disappears from view, the dip beyond the rise is where we have just taken our lunch break. The heavy grey cloud seems to be breaking up a little.
Up on Lowthwaite Fell after a very short climb where we have a view of Over Water and Binsey as we cross over it …..
….. and descend the other side of it with Longlands Fell, the last fell of today’s walk, directly ahead of us.
Up to Longlands and its summit cairn with another view of Over Water and Binsey. Some blue sky did appear now and then but the sky remained mostly white.
The descent path from Longlands which is almost at the northern limit of the Lake District National Park. Beyond this point the land contains only gentle undulations all the way to Carlisle and the Solway Firth.
J making his way down the path towards the greener patch on the right …..
….. where we go off path and cross over to the one seen in the shot which we used on the outward leg …..
….. and which eventually drops us back on to the Cumbria Way and the ford at Charleton Wath. I didn’t have the patience to ferret about in the undergrowth so I waded straight across while J went along the stream below it and found a dry route across. My boots are still drying out. I didn’t take any more shots after this one, it only takes just a few minutes to walk back to the parking area from here and there wasn’t anything very interesting to take a shot of either so I didn’t bother. The weather today is back to normal with a constant breeze, leaden skies and not a glimmer of sunshine anywhere. How long will we have to wait until some summer weather turns up and we can get out on the hills again? Unfortunately the weather outlook for the weekend and beyond doesn’t seem to be all that promising. Ho hum.