Harrop Tarn and Blea Tarn
Walk date – 6th March 2025
Distance – 4 miles
Weather – dry, very sunny, clear skies, mild, breezy
We only had a limited time to spare so we opted for a short walk today. We woke up to a clear blue sky and glorious sunshine which was in keeping with the weather forecast, although the wind was much less than had been predicted. We decided to drive over to Thirlmere and take a walk up to Harrop Tarn and Blea Tarn. We haven’t been up there for several years mostly because United Utilities, who own the land, closed the road running along the western side of Thirlmere in November 2021 following Storm Arwen. The storm blew down many trees, some of which had damaged Rough Crag. United Utilities therefore deemed the road to be unsafe and promptly closed it. They dragged their corporate heels until a mass demonstration and the start of legal action by the local council prompted them to get their collective finger out and do something about it. The road was finally opened in May 2024, although it is still only accessible from the Wythburn end as the access road at the dam end is still closed off. The ground just about everywhere is still very wet and knowing that our destination has a reputation for being on the damp side anyway we had our gaiters on from the start.
Route
Out and back to Harrop Tarn and Blea Tarn from Dobgill car park
This was the scene at Dobgill Car Park when we arrived. No idea what’s being undertaken or why but we could see that a new trackway through the forest had appeared. The machine part way up the slope was busy scraping up rocks and stones and heaping them to one side at the time. The trackway it was on appeared to turn upwards towards to the left and when we returned one of the orange machines had been moved onto it and was busy thumping away with a hydraulic hammer. The white machine on the right had also been brought into service by then and was busy doing something or other higher up the slope. Will it be a permanent track or one that has been put in temporarily while the work is under way? We’ll keep checking and report back!
Just a few paces back from the entrance to the car park is Dobgill Bridge beneath which flows Dob Gill and …..
….. two or three paces further on is the gate leading to the path going alongside Dob Gill. There is a path going directly from the car park but it takes walkers through the forest and on such a lovely day it seemed a shame not to take advantage of the sunshine. The route up is laborious, and that’s putting it mildly, consisting as it does of rocks, stones, water, fallen branches and very soggy ground and most of our time was spent in deciding which bit of rock, stone or soggy bit to avoid or which could be safely stepped on. On the plus side there is a tall fence, installed to keep out deer, which became very useful from time to time.
Eventually we reached the top of the path and although the old ricketty stile has been removed there is now a tall gate allowing access. Harrop Tarn and Tarn Crags are shown in the shot above and, although its difficult to get a really good shot of the tarn, the sunlight illuminated Tarn Crags wonderfully.
The path from the tall gate leads over to the footbridge across Dob Gill. Anyone who is prone to even the slightest bout of vertigo is advised not to look down when crossing over it as the bridge spans quite a deep chasm between the two sides.
The outflow of Harrop Tarn as it drops down sharply to become Dob Gill. The footbridge we’ve just crossed is over on the left between the trees but I was concentrating more on the skyline view of Dollywaggon Pike and Fairfield over on the right of the skyline. Behind us is the forest track leading us around Harrop Tarn and …..
….. we hadn’t gone very far along it when we came across this new forest track coming over to join the main one. We don’t know whether it leads to another track or whether it will be a permanent feature but it doesn’t seem to be one of the established forest tracks.
A look back as we take to the Watendlath path and continue climbing alongside Mosshause Gill. Lots of storm damage visible all the way along.
We’re almost at the end of the forest section of the track now and the open fellsides begin to appear ahead of us.
More storm damage and a very hazy view towards the northern end of the Helvellyn range as I take a look back along our route from the same spot.
Standing Crag beyond the deer gate and fellsides bathed in sunlight. It will be great to be in the sunshine again after our walk through the forest.
The remains of an old building on the forest side of the deer gate but there is no indication of what it was once used for.
A look back along the path now that we’ve gained a bit more height. Long distance views were very hazy today so our views of Dollywaggon Pike, Fairfield and Seat Sandal lacked detail today.
Blea Tarn looked fantastic today so we dropped down a little way, found a sunny, sheltered spot out of the lively breeze and enjoyed the views while we had a coffee break. The skyline view from L to R is of High Crag and High Stile over in Buttermere, followed by Dale Head, Hindscarth, High Spy and Maiden Moor. On the extreme right behind Maiden Moor are Grasmoor and Crag Hill. The long views were very hazy today and it was difficult to distinguish one fell from another so I hope I have correctly identified the fells that we could see in our coffee stop view.
No problem with this though as Bell Crag is close enough to see clearly. There would be more of an all round view from the top of that but we didn’t have the time to go over there today. Maybe next time.
Bell Crag again this time with Brown Rigg, Helvellyn Lower Man and Helvellyn appearing on the right skyline with not a sign of even one ‘plane trail anywhere in the sky today!
Low Saddle on Coldbarrow Fell. This was on the left of the tarn from our viewpoint …..
….. and looking to our right we could just see the tops of Skiddaw and Skiddaw Little Man beyond High Tove and High Seat. We are on what we call the Central Ridge which stretches along from Bleaberry Fell all the way across to Ullscarf and Greenup Edge.
A silhouette shot of Standing Crag which drops down towards Tarn Crags over on the left.
After our coffee break we walked back to the gate in the fence line to begin our return journey with the Helvellyn range continually in sight until we entered the forest once again.
Another shot of Bell Crag as we walk back along the path. There isn’t another soul up here, just us, a few birds and the ever present squidgy ground where we were constantly hopping from one dry(ish) part of the path to another.
Another silhouette shot, this time of Standing Crag, Ullscarf, and High and Low Saddle on Coldbarrow Fell.
On the skyline are all the fells making up the Helvellyn group. From L to R are Brown Rigg, Helvellyn Lower Man, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike. Nethermost Pike was still clinging on to a very small patch of snow in one of its north facing hollows.
J criss-crossing from path to path to find the driest possible route down.
We came across another heap of stones which may possibly have been some kind of building in the past. It might once have been a shepherd’s bothy or just somewhere to shelter in bad weather.
Not far to go now until we are back at …..
….. the deer gate where the ruins of the former building can be seen just behind it.
We begin our walk back through the forest noticing an abundance of uprooted trees …..
….. all the way down. I wonder if United Utilities will ever get around to sawing them up and removing them. If they hum and hah about it as they did with the west road then I think its unlikely to happen any time soon.
We’ve just descended the path on the right and are back on a much wider one now. Both of the signs indicate the Watendlath path and the path we are now on eventually peters out and disappears deep into the forest.
The main forest track is now in sight just below us in the sunlight. We then turned right and made our way back to Harrop Tarn.
A signpost at the path junction tells us where we’ve been and where we’re going to!
The footbridge crosses the ford running over the forest track. I use the bridge and J just splashes straight through.
Back at Harrop Tarn where I took a shot looking southward along Tarn Crags towards the Wythburn fells.
I think I’ve already mentioned that the deer fence came in handy from time to time. During the summer you have to fight the shoulder high bracken as well!
The final photo for today’s walk is of the Binka Stone which is situated off to one side of the initial grassy path. We’ve never investigated its many nooks and crannies so perhaps that’s another one for the short walks list on low cloud days. Well that’s it for today’s walk and although its been on the short side it has been a walk in wonderfully sunny weather. Best of all there were no ‘plane trails anywhere at all today which made me wonder if the whole geo-engineering thing (man made weather control to me and you) has run its course or have they just run out of money now that USAID has been curtailed. We’ll have to see what happens when the next sunny day comes along although that’s not today (Friday) as its very cloudy and raining again!