Gowbarrow
Walk Date – 22nd October 2025
Distance – 3.5 miles
Weather – mostly cloudy, several rain showers, some sunny spells, hardly any breeze
Heavy cloud and plenty of rain describes the weather since our last outing and today was not much better although we did see some blue sky, mostly where we weren’t! Anyway, we needed to get out for a walk and Gowbarrow is one of our ‘go to’ fells when the weather continues to be unreliable so that’s where we went. Its only a short walk over a not very high fell, although it does have its moments of steepness here and there, and its handy for us as it doesn’t require a long drive to get to it from the Eden Valley.
Route
Quarry car park – High Cascades bridge – Gowbarrow summit – Green Hill – path above Aira Beck – High Cascades bridge – Quarry car park
A glance across at Gowbarrow as we set off down the path towards Aira beck. The cloudy sky didn’t look encouraging.
The trees are doing their best to provide some autumn colour, a splash of sunshine on them would really make the colours stand out, but not today.
Down beside Aira beck now and just below the High Cascades bridge.
Looking upstream from the bridge. It had to be a quick shot only as there was a group of people already on the bridge all talking loudly to each other. Only two of them were suitably clad for what they were about to undertake, the rest weren’t.
It began to rain as we emerged from the wooded area above the bridge and onto the open fell. The group, who had been on the bridge talking to each other, had decided to move on and we could hear them, still talking, as they moved through the woodland a little way behind us.
Anyone who has used this route up Gowbarrow in the past will know that the route going up towards the gate in the wall across the grass was always very wet. Now there is a well compacted gravel path across the grass which is firm, dry and much better. We were only up here in February 2024 and it wasn’t here then.
When we stopped to take a shot looking back at the junction, where the new path begins, the walking group from the bridge caught up with us and turned up it after being directed by one member of the group. We waited until the stragglers had gone past us before taking the shot which, in addition to showing the path junction, looks towards Parkgate farm and Watermillock Common. When we reached the gate there were three workmen on the other side of it who were attempting to manoeuvre some wooden fence posts and long sections of wood. We didn’t stop to ask what they were doing as they were already having a struggle with it and the last thing they would want would be a couple of walkers stopping them and asking what they were doing.
We first mentioned on our walks in March and November 2021 that workmen had begun laying a new path. The path is now finished and more or less follows the line of the one which existed previously. Above is the view back down it. I found that some of the steps up have been placed a little too high for those of us with shorter legs!
However, what used to be a quite steep section over the grass alongside the wall has now been turned into a series of zig-zags complete with fences which end at the wall. By ending the top rail of the fencing at the wall perhaps the hope is that it will prevent walkers from walking beside the wall. See our walk of 11th November 2021 to understand what this area used to look like. We thought that the workmen down at the gate who were dealing with the fence posts and long planks of wood were either removing the unused posts and planks, or were about to haul it up the fellside to strengthen the fence line. It certainly looked quite flimsy and we wondered how long it would last. Gowbarrow is a popular walk and many walkers will use the fence as a handrail to haul themselves up with.
The murky view along Ullswater as we reach the top of the new path where it joins with the existing path across the fellside up to the trig column. All the way up the path we have had light rain occasionally falling and by the look of it another shower is making its way along the water.
The chatty group of walkers have made it to the trig point so it was quite busy when we arrived just after them. I noticed several of them were wearing shorts so they must be a lot hardier than we are, we’re in our winter weight trousers.
Other walkers began arriving at the trig point and it became quite crowded for a while. This shot, across Ullswater towards Heughscar Hill, was taken as we waited for the crowd to thin out.
A view of Great Mell Fell during a sunny spell …..
….. but Little Mell Fell, just across from it, was only able to manage a bit of dappling at the time.
The walking group eventually moved off towards the terrace route path, the bloke who propped his walking poles against the trig point eventually removed them and went the same way so I was finally able to take a shot of the trig point and Great Mell Fell.
A huge line of cloud was hanging over the northern fells, Blencathra’s top was covered over, its neighbouring fells were in shadow and only Souther Fell, the long fell on the right, remained in the sunlight. This was taken during a sunny spell while we were at the trig point.
The view across Matterdale to Great Dodd (R) and Clough Head (L) when both fells and Matterdale were also illuminated by a sunny spell.
Great Dodd is now over on the right, opposite it and a little further to the left is Birkett Fell with Hart Side just behind it. Watermillock Common is occupying most of the middle foreground.
A little further to the left where the fells became a tad murkier and less recognisable. The sunny patch has landed on the Brown Hills area but the fells in shadow alongside it are harder to see. Its only because we know what’s there that we can identify them as Sheffield Pike and Birkhouse Moor, behind them is the Hellvellyn range and Catsty Cam.
The view south from the trig point towards Saint Sunday Crag on the centre skyline. The middle foreground is taken up by a rock tor just slightly below Airy Crag and which we plan to visit next.
The rock tor and the path leading to it from a slightly different viewpoint on Airy Crag.
Cloud and rain showers obscure the views to the south east but we can make out Sleet Fell and High Dodd, across the middle foreground, which are a couple of high points on Place Fell. Just beyond them parts of Beda Fell are also just visible.
Another rain shower approaches on the right of the shot. This one arriving between Beda Fell and Steel Knotts.
As we were leaving the now deserted trig point I caught this glimpse of the column and its surrounding rocks.
We followed the very wet path below Airy Crag to our next viewpoint, the rock tor. Along the way I took a look back at the crag and its trig column which was now bereft of walkers.
Up on the rock tor now and the splendid view along Ullswater towards Clenridding. It would be even more splendid with a splash of sunlight on it. Unfortunately the only high fell to get such a splash was Saint Sunday Crag in the centre of the skyline.
With the brown plateau area of Gowbarrow below us I took another shot looking across Watermillock Common with Birks Fell and Great Dodd on the skyline to its right.
A little further round to the right for the view of Great Dodd again but this time with Clough Head. The Skiddaw group on the extreme right of the shot looked quite dark and brooding in contrast.
Descending from the rock tor I noticed another group of walkers had arrived on Airy Crag …..
….. and this is a shot of the rock tor from which the previous four photos were taken. There is a well trodden path up there which we only found when we were descending. The route we took to get up there from the established path below it was over rough grass and tough heather, need I say more?
J puts the satnav away having checked that its functioning as it should, I turned around to wait for him and decided to take a shot of where we’d just been. It will take a zoom in to notice them but on the skyline, just above J’s head, the group of walkers are still on Airy Crag but have since spread themselves out along the top of it.
Sunlight is still on Saint Sunday Crag and now Arnison Crag, below and to the left of it, also has a patch of sunshine. The area around Glenridding is also looking a bit brighter. Hope things stay that way.
Now making our way over to Green Hill although that’s not it below us. When we reach the flat path below it we’ll turn left and follow that path over to …..
….. the cairn on Green Hill with its backdrop of the Loadpot Hill ridge
….. although by now the views had deteriorated. This shot is looking towards Watermillock Common and The Dodds behind it where rain showers seem to be coming our way …..
….. and sure enough, as I took another look down to Ullswater, we began to feel the rain landing on our jackets, hoods went on accordingly.
Despite the rain I thought I noticed figures on the skyline as I looked back towards Gowbarrow’s summit area. It will need a zoom to see them though and even then they might not be at all clear. I checked the larger sized originals when downloading them from the camera and there are definitely at least two walkers and possibly a third person close by.
The rain shower is now upon us so with a final look along the water from the cairn we began to make our way back down.
Aira Point below from our descent path which, because it was raining, seemed to go on forever. On a dry sunny day you’re down almost before you realise it.
Lyulph’s Tower below us, its still raining.
Despite the rain I had to have a shot of one of the ‘steamers’ making its way over to Howtown. We had been remarking that we hadn’t seen one so far so when one appeared I took the shot. A body of water without a boat of some sort on it seems somewhat lifeless.
Oh, for the want of some sunshine the colours are lost. Still descending, still raining.
Keep straight on and turn left at the gate for the Aira Force car park. We aren’t parked there so its a right turn for us and the path high above Aira beck back to the High Cascades bridge.
We could hear the water rushing down the beck and when the opportunity arose I managed to get a few shots of the various falls …..
….. this was quite a big fall just a little way below the bridge …..
….. with the water about to flow into the falls squeezing its way through the rocks just above them …..
….. a smaller fall just below the High Cascades bridge and where we come full circle as we reach the end of today’s walk. After we crossed the bridge all that was left to do was walk back up the slope and cross the A5091 road back into the old quarry car park. We peeled our wet jackets off and I hung mine from the head rest on the passenger seat to give it a bit of drying time during the drive back home. Its only been a short walk today but the weather conditions weren’t really favourable for anything longer. The higher fells were usually covered in cloud so views were limited and we were rained on a handful of times, but at least we were out for a couple of hours. We’re back to dull skies today and the wind is stronger than it was yesterday. J informs me that another named storm, Benjamin apparently, is due to arrive and if that occurs we’ll have to batten down the hatches again and stay indoors until its over and done with, darned weather!