Sale Fell
Walk date – 8th January 2025
Distance – 5.6 miles
Weather – dry, sunny, no wind, very cold
We woke up on Sunday morning to find that several inches of snow had fallen overnight with further snow showers occurring throughout the day. During Monday the snow covering the minor roads was beginning to melt away and by Tuesday J had no problem driving down to Kendal for his volunteering afternoon. He did return somewhat earlier than usual because it began to snow again in Kendal and driving over Shap when snow is falling is not something any driver looks forward to. The forecast for a very cold but sunny week seemed to be holding so we planned for a walk in the snow today. Walking the high snow covered fells was not considered given that we are not yet back to full ‘fell fitness’ so we headed west, to get some more ‘up’ in our leg muscles, and took a walk around Sale Fell. After much windscreen scraping to remove the thick layer of frost we set off, in a – 5C temperature, for the western side of the county. I didn’t expect Sale Fell to have anything more than a dusting of snow so I was surprised to see that it had just as thick a layer as everywhere else. Gaiters and spikes were obligatory today, as were woolly hats, gloves, thick jumpers and jackets. All in all a brilliant day on the fells.
Route
St Margaret’s Church, Wythop – Sale Fell summit – Rivings – Lothwaite – Lothwaite Side – Chapel Wood – Kelswick – upper path below Dodd Crag – north facing path on Sale Fell – St Margaret’s Church, Wythop
No problems parking on the roadside just below the church on the little lane between The Pheasant Inn and Wythop Mill village. The biggest problem was sitting in the car and putting on gaiters and spikes, which was accompanied by lots of cursing. Once that was accomplished we gathered together the rest of our gear and set off along the short and very icy path up to the bench on the flatter area at the end of the path. From there we took the path leading to the break in the wall and onwards to the path we would use to reach the summit of Sale Fell. The above shot, of a snow covered Binsey and the northern end of Bass Lake, was taken as we climbed up to the broken wall. If it looks very cold that’s because it was! We only came out of the shadow of Sale Fell after passing through the broken wall and rounding the bend in the path a little further on. Now the sun was directly in our faces so we warmed up a little although by the same token neither of us could see where we were going. Some folks are never satisfied, are they?
On reaching the gate we passed through it and turned up the direct path alongside the wall. The path has now turned from icy to powdery but still had a satisfying crunch to it. Here’s a look back after I had wiped the sweat from my face and de-misted my specs.
Another look back as we reached the gate in the wall where another pair of walkers were just about to pass through it. The white line below the walled off tree plantation is the path leading over to Lothwaite which we have used several times in the past.
Having given the pair of walkers enough time to get on their way we follow them through the gateway and begin our climb up to the summit. From top to bottom there were signs of sledging having taken place. Another face mopping session for me about three quarters of the way up. My built up body heat has no other means of escape given that the rest of my skin is covered by hat, gloves, jacket, trousers and gaiters. I’m wrapped up like a suet pudding against the freezing temperature .
The wind scoured rocky top of Sale Fell from where the view of the Skiddaw group and the rest of the northern fells in their new winter coats was just breathtaking. Just below the Skiddaw group even lowly Lothwaite looks good, although to be fair all the fells looked fabulous in today’s sunshine.
We walked a few paces across from the summit for a view of the lower slopes of Sale Fell and Ling Fell right behind it. A solo walker is approaching the summit via the path below us who eventually joined us. We stayed on the summit of Sale Fell for quite a while just enjoying the surrounding views. Notice that the coastal plain in the distance doesn’t have as much snow cover, it often seems to miss out on any snowfall which might be the result of its proximity to the sea and the effects of the Gulf Stream.
The flattish mound just below us is Burthwaite Heights, the lighter brown area beyond it is Wythop Moss, an extensive wet/soggy area, and to the right of both is Ling Fell. The fells on the centre skyline belong to the western and north western groups.
Back on the wind scoured summit of Sale Fell for a view of the northern group of fells, often referred to as the ‘back o’Skiddaw’ group. This group of fells never seems to get overwhelmed by visitors so walkers are usually able to enjoy a reasonably peaceful time over there. We always enjoy walking those fells for the peace and quiet they provide.
Looking south eastwards from Sale Fell gives a distant view of Clough Head and The Dodds together with the Helvellyn group. We didn’t know it at the time but Helvellyn is where the fell top assessors were today. Their photo from the summit was taken at 14.21 when the sky had turned rather cloudy. I think we were back home by that time.
A close up view of Lothwaite, above Lothwaite is Ullock Pike and the connecting ridge to Carl Side, and towering above them all is Skiddaw. The low sun is casting many shadows but all of it looks fabulous.
Once down from Sale Fell top J strides out purposefully towards the huge cairn on Rivings. On the way across we pass …..
….. snowdrifts and snowmen …..
….. with a close up of the leaning snowman in the previous picture. Several other snowmen were dotted around, one with appendages which I thought it better not to take a shot of!
The view back to Sale Fell top from the big cairn on Rivings. The wall section to the right of it is where the path we used to reach the gate opening is situated. There is a path on the summit side of the wall too but it wasn’t as well trodden as the one we used. A couple of walkers are descending from the summit but they weren’t walking together.
The same view but minus the cairn now with one of the walkers about to approach the gate in the wall.
Ling Fell from Rivings cairn. The snow around the cairn was quite deep and I kept sinking into it whenever I got closer to it.
Looking towards Lothwaite and its various paths from Rivings. It doesn’t really matter which path you choose, eventually they all lead over to Lothwaite.
From the path to Lothwaite the view across the Wythop valley to Lord’s Seat, the rounded hump on the skyline.
The eastern fells have already had a mention but the lower ones in the shot haven’t so, the low, snow covered mound surrounded by trees is the diminutive Lady’s Table standing at 971 feet (296 m). Behind and to the left of it is the tree covered Dodd standing at 1647 feet (502 m). They look as if they are more or less side by side but Bass Lake stands between them. Only a smidge of Bass Lake is showing in the photo.
Looking south west along the snowy and sunny fields of the Wythop valley.
More sunny and snow filled fields below us while the skyline shows the ridge line between Lord’s Seat (L) and Broom Fell (R).
Towards the bottom of the shot a line of sheep can be seen. They are making their way over to a delivery of fresh hay which the farmer has just put out for them. A zoom in will show them heading towards it plus the wheel tracks left in the snow by the quad bike and trailer.
J observing the deep footprints and different spike patterns left by previous walkers as we make our way over to Lothwaite.
Many of the hollows on Lothwaite and Sale Fell have been filled in by wind driven snow, some of them were quite deep too.
There are some good views of Bass Lake from Lothwaite. I got to wondering why the flood plain below the Skiddaw group didn’t have any snow covering, particularly as everywhere else around it has some but I didn’t come up with an answer. The sunshine is being dimmed now and again by that sheet of light white cloud in the top right corner of the shot.
Having gained a little more height its plain to see that Dodd and Lady’s Table are on opposite sides of Bass Lake. That band of cloud has moved across the sun and dimmed the light a little.
Looking to the west from Lothwaite across the Solway Firth. With a zoom in it might be possible to identify the snow covered top of Criffel over in Dumfries and Galloway.
A look back to Ling Mell, Rivings and Sale Fell across the snow laden grasses of Lothwaite and noticing that the sheet of cloud is slowly advancing towards us.
The Skiddaw group of fells from Lothwaite, what a fabulous sight they are today.
Some of the deep footprints we noticed as we traversed over Lothwaite.
J making his way towards our descent path, the one going over to the right, as we reach the end of the path across Lothwaite.
Back in the sunshine again as we pick up the path descending along Lothwaite Side …..
….. plus some of the snow laden gorse bushes alongside the path. Moving their overhanging branches with a walking pole to avoid being scratched generally resulted in getting splattered with snow. Some battles you just can’t win!
Back in the dim light as the sheet of cloud covers the sun again and the sheet seems to be getting thicker as we look ahead.
More dimming as we walk down the valley although the area around Lord’s Seat still looks bright enough.
We had a hot tomato soup stop somewhere along here and, as there was no handy bench or boulder to perch on, we just scooped the snow out of the banking on our right and put the sit mats in the resulting hollow. The sheep were still tucking into the hay delivery.
The path through Chapel Wood was deeply rutted, churned up mud which had frozen solid but the spikes made short work of it. Even so we were glad to be out of it when we reached the deer gate at the end of the wood. The site of the old Wythop Chapel is just beside the deer gate.
A short distance from the site of the old Chapel is Kelswick farm tucked in beneath the lower slopes of Sale Fell …..
….. which I’ve never had an uninterrupted view of before today, there has usually been some farm or other vehicle blocking the view. Nice to have a clear view of it today.
From the farm road we took to the rising path along the side of Sale Fell. The tarmac lane from the farm is below and carries on past Brumston Bridge heading for Wythop Mill and Embleton. Ling Fell is on the skyline and the cloud has thickened and covered the sun.
We took a final look back across the Wythop valley towards a very misty Broom Fell and then …..
….. we carried on to the top of the path from where we could look across the Embleton valley and begin our descent back to the car.
The descent path, a green grassy path in the summer, is very straightforward and we are soon back …..
….. at the bench on the flat area at the top of the short path from the lane where we are parked. Its only just gone one o’clock but the sheet of cloud above us is making everything look very dull and gloomy so it looks like the sunshine is over for the rest of the day. It will only take us a couple of minutes to walk back down the path to the car, that’s the easy part. Divesting oneself of all the other stuff required for a walk in the snow and packing it all away will take a bit longer than a couple of minutes so perhaps its just as well that there is a flask of hot coffee waiting for us in the car. We can sit in the car and enjoy a drink of coffee before starting the drive back home. We’ve really enjoyed our walk in the snow, its been such a glorious day in the sunshine, especially after being cooped up indoors during weeks of poor weather.