Outerside and Barrow
Walk date – 28th February 2025
Distance – 6.9 miles
Weather – dry and sunny, gradual build up of cloud, light but chilly breeze
Yesterday the sun shone out of a cloudless blue sky all day. We had a lazy day as it was my birthday and rounded it off with an evening meal in a local pub. We were hoping that the weather would hold into today as we had decided to take a walk through Coledale and then up to Outerside by a route that we hadn’t tried before. Today’s weather was just as good as yesterday’s so off we went. We had a slower start to our journey than we had anticipated as we were held up by roadworks on the A6. There was a convoy system in operation plus chaps with Stop/Go poles. An unnecessary performance when traffic lights would do just the same job, on the other hand it provides employment for a few chaps so its swings and roundabouts really. Knowing that there were also roadworks further along the A6 with a diversion in place directing traffic over to the A66 to the east side of Penrith, once we were allowed through we used the back roads to get to Pooley Bridge and from there drove up the A592 to the A66 west of Penrith. We eventually arrived in Braithwaite hoping there would still be somewhere to park. At the lay-by at the bottom of the Whinlatter Pass road was a notice informing us that the road was closed, although this didn’t affect us as we weren’t intending using it anyway, and managed to park up in the lay-by just above the notice. Having collected our gear together we walked up the hill to the parking area. full as usual, and began our walk along the good track leading to the Force Crag mine. Quite a few people were out walking or running and enjoying the good weather today
Route
Braithwaite – Coledale – Birkthwaite Beck – High Moss – Outerside – Barrow – Barrow Door – Braithwaite
From the walk up from the car park the track eventually levels out and we get our first view of some of the fells which form part of the Coledale Horseshoe. The familiar knuckle like top of Causey Pike leading over to Scar Crags on the skyline are part of that horseshoe, but the two fells just in front of them, Barrow and Outerside, are not.
A closer look at the fells named in the first shot as we walk along the track.
Looking back along the track at some of the northern fells group with the Skiddaw group on the left and the Blencathra group over on the right.
Its a lovely morning although there is a light, but cool, breeze blowing directly in our faces so eyes and noses were already watering. Even so we had to stop to remove our mid layer jumpers as we were overheating. Our jackets went back on though as the breeze was a little too chilly to walk in just a t-shirt. The big hump over on the left is Outerside and on the skyline ahead of us are Sail and Crag Hill.
Sail and Crag Hill dwarf the old buildings at Force Crag mine which are just coming into view. We met several individual runners doing their morning run as we walked along.
The view down to the Coledale Beck crossing where we can see the route we are intending to take. Once over the beck we will cross over the grassy path and climb up to the path leading to Coledale Hause, indicated by the dark line going over to the right. Once on that path we will be looking out for a cairn at a path junction where we will turn off and continue on up to Outerside.
The stepping stones across Coledale Beck which were a little wet today but not overflowing with water. Definitely rock solid and no wobbly ones!
Once across we begin the climb over the grassy path up to the Coledale Hause path. A look back down to the buildings of the former mine indicated that one of their tour days had been taking place as we had seen a large group of people wearing bright orange hi-vis jackets returning to the mine. It looked as though the last of them were getting ready to leave now that the tour has ended.
Force Crag is just above the mine and from which the mine gets its name.
Now high above the mine and walking along the Coledale Hause path. The mine is owned by the National Trust and it is they who operate the tour days. I haven’t checked but I would assume that their web site would indicate the dates when tours take place. The mine closed in 1991 having been worked for lead from 1839 until 1865 and for barytes from 1867 until it closed. The mine still retains its processing equipment which would have been used to separate out all the different minerals when the mine was in operation.
When we reached the cairn marking the path junction we left the Coledale Hause path and turned up to follow the Outerside one. It was grassy all the way which was kind on the feet and ankles but it was quite steep as can be seen. I was standing just a few feet below J yet he was already a lot higher than me. It got steeper.
A look back towards Kinn, nearest the camera, and the Skiddaw group when the gradient eased off a little. The cloud has been building for a while but it isn’t spoiling the views and its fascinating to watch their shadows as they move over the landscape.
We’ve just crossed Birkthwaite Beck so I took a look back at our route so far. The mine buildings are now very small and a long way below us. The path is now following a zig-zag route as the climb becomes steeper. Behind me is a steep wall of grass into which previous walkers have gouged footholes. Over time these have deepened and have become like a set of stairs. These are very helpful but when you see them you know what you are in for. The shot before this one was taken somewhere along the path line below the obvious bend.
The last of the very steep part of the path is now behind us and the gradient has eased as the path traverses High Moss. As its name implies, its wet at the best of times and given the amount of rain we’ve had lately it was holding on to even more. At last Outerside is in sight and within reach.
Now we’re on the summit of Outerside our legs can relax for a while and I can take a look round. Here’s a closer look at Sail without snow, as far as I can see, and Crag Hill which has a dusting of snow on it after another round of rain/snow during Wednesday night …..
….. across the Coledale valley, from right to left, are Grisedale Pike, Hobcarton Crags and Hopegill Head …..
….. Sail, Crag Hill, behind which Grasmoor has just appeared, and Coledale Hause …..
….. the flattish area over on the left is Scar Crags and to its right is Sail. The path traversing the slopes of Scar Crags leads up to the hause between the two. The path in the lower left hand corner of the shot leads over to …..
….. Causey Pike, but its knuckly top is not visible from this angle …..
….. the view north eastward is of the Skiddaw range and Blencathra …..
….. and a look north westward at Kinn, in front of the Lord’s Seat group with just a smidge of Bass Lake visible …..
….. below us are Stile End and Barrow with Keswick and Derwentwater below them and the Vale of Keswick stretching on into the distance …..
….. above Derwentwater is Walla Crag and behind that are Clough Head and Great Dodd. After all the sightseeing we dropped down just a little way so we had some shelter from the nippy little breeze and this shot was the view we had from our coffee and sandwich stop.
After our coffee break we took the rough and rocky descent path across Low Moss leading to Stile End. We didn’t intend going over Stile End so we cut off to the right a little further along to pick up the path for Barrow Door. The initial descent from Outerside has many awkward rock steps and the path across Low Moor is now so deeply grooved that I think our progress would have been quicker and easier had we descended from Outerside to the Stoneycroft Gill path and joined the Barrow Door path via that route.
A look back along Stoneycroft Gill to Outerside, Sail and Crag Hill as we make our way along the Barrow Door path …..
….. and a look down to the path alongside Stoneycroft Gill from the high level path to Barrow Door as we made our way along it.
We’re climbing the gentle approach paths up to Barrow summit now so a look back towards Stile End above which is the Grisedale Pike ridge line. Below Stile End is the path we will use on our return leg back to Braithwaite.
A few shots from Barrow summit….. here’s Binsey and Bass Lake with Braithwaite directly below us …..
….. the Ullock Pike/Long Side/Carl Side ridge directly in front of Skiddaw and Skiddaw Little Man …..
….. Skiddaw Little Man dropping down to Lonscale Fell with Blencathra, beyond the Glenderaterra valley, at the far end …..
….. Catbells catching some sunlight …..
….. Bleaberry Fell and High Seat across the middle foreground and behind them from L to R are Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, White Side and Catstye Cam. The Helvellyn group is draped with cloud although Browncove Crags has escaped the cloud for the time being …..
….. the view across Derwentwater to Walla Crag, with Clough Head, Great Dodd, Watson’s Dodd and the snowy Stybarrow Dodd on the skyline …..
….. looking back towards Barrow Door and the fells around it …..
….. and lastly the scrape of rock which forms the summit of Barrow.
As there was a fair amount of cloud around I risked a couple of shots in the direction of the sun which didn’t turn out too badly. Here’s the knuckly silhouette of Causey Pike with Scar Crags at the end of it …..
….. Maiden Moor and High Spy beyond Rowling End …..
….. Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson, also beyond Rowling End. The views became progressively murkier as I turned more towards the sunlight, but on the whole they didn’t turn out too badly and at least we could see them as the cloud was high above them all.
We’re back at Barrow Door now and about to begin the walk back to Braithwaite. We’ve just had a longish chat with a young man carrying a large pack who was just finishing his week’s camping trip with his final walk up Barrow. He had spent the week walking all the fells in the Coledale area and had camped out whenever and wherever the fancy took him. A very pleasant young lad he was too.
Wending our way down the Barrow Door path now which comes to an end when it meets the tarmac lane which curves around in front of the Coledale Hotel. Thanks to the scudding cloud we had ever changing views of the Skiddaw group all the way down.
A final look at Skiddaw and Skiddaw Little Man above the Braithwaite rooftops and then in no time at all we are back in the village and …..
….. about to cross the little bridge over Coledale beck followed by a left turn which plonks us back on the Whinlatter Pass road. We walked back up the hill to the unofficial lay-by where we had parked the car noticing that the ‘Road Closed’ sign was still in situ. How come we had to dodge so much traffic going up and coming down if the road is closed, or is it open and someone forgot to take the sign away? Anyway its been a lovely day, the sun shone and the clouds were high enough not to spoil the views. Even the light but nippy breeze was tolerable despite all the eye watering and nose blowing. A grand day out, eh Gromit?