Watermillock Common
Walk date – 29th January 2025
Distance – 5 miles
Weather – early cloud but with sunny spells, cold with a lively breeze on summit
A spell of mainly sunny and settled weather is with us at present and as today’s forecast showed no change in that situation we decided to drive over to Dockray and take a walk over Watermillock Common. Anyone who has taken a walk up Gowbarrow Fell can’t have failed to notice it because it occupies pretty much all of the view to the south west although, as it didn’t feature in AW’s guides, its name may not have been familiar to them. Both of its prominent tops are a little higher than those we’ve walked so far this year so we’re gradually getting our fell fitness back in shape after the Christmas/New Year/poor weather interruption. We were surprised to be greeted by an empty lay-by when we reached Dockray as its a popular dog walking spot and local residents often park there for a while when taking their dogs for a morning run out. We were only just in time though and the car engine had just been switched off when a second car pulled in beside us, followed a few minutes later by a third leaving only two empty spaces for any latecomers.
Route
Dockray lay-by – Common Fell – Swinside Knott – Brown Hills – Descent path above Glencoyne Park via Round How & Bracken How – Dockray lay-by
The lay-by is behind us and is directly opposite the beginning of this short lane (and a green shed with a pink door!) so there isn’t a long walk in. Ahead of us is the vast bulk of Watermillock Common and we’re heading for one of its high points, Common Fell, which has a sunlit patch of snow just below it. Our gaiters are on as this is squelchy place to walk, and the Common is especially wet across its lower reaches.
Its a dry sunny morning although there are a few clouds around, some are small and fluffy while others are large sheets, one of which is covering the sun at the moment which explains why Gowbarrow is in the shade while we are in bright sunlight. The main path, leading over to the one beside the wall overlooking Glencoyne Park, branches off to the left just before the beck crossing. We have used that path previously so we cross the beck and follow the one I’m standing on. We followed it until it began turning away from Common Fell and took an off path route instead.
The ground was uneven and tussocky and, being somewhat similar to walking through sand dunes, made for slow going. Just as well we weren’t in a hurry then! Gowbarrow is still in the shade although Little Mell Fell behind it does seem to have a bit of a glimmer across it.
The top of Great Dodd appears as we make our way upwards on the Dowthwaitehead side of the common. Most of the snow has gone from Great Dodd but the north facing gully above Randerside still has a fair amount.
A brief pause allowed our leg muscles to get back to normal when we reached a flatter area and from where I took this look back across Matterdale towards Great Mell Fell.
The buildings of Dowthwaitehead farm appear at the head of the valley below. As you look at the photo, to the left side of the farm are the deep gullies at the end of the lower slopes of Birkett Fell, rising up steeply to their right is Dowthwaite Crag and above them is Randerside and Great Dodd.
Looking across the valley towards Dowthwaite Crag (L) and above it, more or less on the centre skyline, is High Brow. A much more familiar named feature, running along the valley but hidden by the trees at the bottom of the shot, is Aira Beck. Aira Beck flows down to Dockray, then drops down beneath the lower slopes of Gowbarrow, creating lovely cascades and waterfalls as it does so, before it eventually discharges itself into Ullswater. A walk alongside the beck can be taken from the National Trust car park below Aira Force, or from several other parking spots close to its route.
We came across a sheep trod which we followed around to the snow filled gully and then continued alongside the gully before turning up and heading towards the snow patch in the hollow below the high point. We had a shaded walk over thanks to a large sheet of cloud which had drifted over.
Almost at the top now so I took a look along towards the small cluster of rocks marking the summit of Common Fell from this bigger boulder which doesn’t mark anything.
The snow covered and sunlit Helvellyn group caught my eye so I took a shot of that from the same viewpoint. The darker fells in front are Sheffield Pike (L) and Green Side (R).
Turning around gave us a view of Ullswater and some of its surrounding fells. The sheets of cloud above them only allowed a faint glimmer of sunlight to land on them but we could see the tops of Arthur’s Pike, Bonscale Pike and Loadpot Hill well enough. The speck of white below us on this side of Ullswater is a private residence known as Lyulph’s Tower.
The view west from Common Fell summit. Randerside and Great Dodd on the right skyline with Hart Side and Birkett Fell on the left.
The view to the northwest is of Blencathra and some of its neighbouring northern fells. Not much snow left on any of them from what we could see. Across the middle of the shot is Matterdale Common and in the bottom of the valley is Aira Beck.
To the south west we have another view of the Helvellyn group and Raise has now appeared over on the right behind Green Side.
Another shot of Hart Side, Birket Fell and Great Dodd from Common Fell summit. Over on the left skyline is the snowy top of Stybarrow Dodd.
A zoom in might be necessary here but I think the fell over on the left skyline is Red Screes. The almost snowless hump of Birks Fell comes next which rises up to become the very snowy Saint Sunday Crag with its secondary peak of Gavel Pike to its left. Behind Saint Sunday is Fairfield which must mean that, although they are blending in with the cloud and hard to make out, the two fells just behind Birks are Hart Crag and Dove Crag.
A zoom in won’t be needed to recognise the long snowy ridge line leading over to High Raise and Rampsgill Head beyond Place Fell, even though the sheets of cloud have cast a subdued light over them.
It was somewhat draughty on the top so we made our way over to Swinside Knott hoping to get some respite from the breeze. We didn’t so jacket hoods went up.
Another view of the Helvellyn group as we splashed and squelched along the waterlogged path …..
….. an another view of snowy Saint Sunday Crag and Fairfield as we cross over to Swinside Knott. We haven’t met any other walkers so far although we have seen a few people here and there in the distance.
On Swinside Knott now and the classic view of the head of Ullswater and the surrounding fells. We found ourselves a sheltered spot out of the breeze and warmed ourselves with a coffee break. Lots of fells on view from this spot so I won’t bother with a long list of their names. That darned cloud is casting gloom over everything.
After our coffee break and before leaving Swinside Knott I took a few more shots. This one looks across Brown Hills towards Sheffield Pike and the Helvellyn group …..
….. this is looking towards Raise, Green Side and Stybarrow Dodd on the left, with Hart Side and Birkett Fell over on the right …..
….. a look across to Place Fell with the snowy ridge line to High Raise right behind it …..
….. and then back for another look over Ullswater now that the view has brightened up a little. The snow covered top of High Street can be seen as it curves around to Thornthwaite Crag which then drops down to Gray Crag. The two little humps sticking up between Thornthwaite Crag and Stony Cove Pike/Caudale Moor, over on the right of the shot, are likely to be Froswick and Ill Bell.
We take to the soggy path again to take a short walk over to the Brown Hills area in the hope of getting a peek into Glencoyne. A look over to a sunny Hart Side and Birkett Fell as we walked over.
Heading across Brown Hills with Raise, Green Side and Stybarrow Dodd on the skyline and cloudless skies in that direction.
We had a similar juicy walk over Brown Hills where patches of frozen snow were still lying around though easily avoided. The Helvellyn group and Raise on the skyline and across the middle foreground are Sheffield Pike and Green Side.
Glencoyne Head from Brown Hills. Only one photo from here as most of Glencoyne was in the shade. Can’t put that down to cloud though, its just that the sun doesn’t get high enough at this time of year. However it does give some idea of the depth of the Glencoyne valley.
From the same viewpoint a look over to the east towards Rampsgill Head and High Street where the sheets of cloud seems to have broken apart at last.
Suddenly the sunshine turned up and things became a whole lot clearer: the snowy skyline sweep from Rampsgill Head to Caudale Moor. Rest Dodd, Brock Crags and Angletarn Pikes below it on the left and Hartsop Dodd and Arnison Crag on the right, I forgot all about the mushy path we had walked to get to this point.
We re-traced our steps from Brown Hills and are about to join the path running alongside the wall high above Glencoyne Park. There’s a great view of Ullswater from this point …..
….. and Place Fell too.
Starting the walk back alongside the wall …..
….. which had frozen snow patches still lying across it in several places, all were easily avoided although walking above it on the left hand slope did start making J’s plated ankle ache.
A close up looking back to Place Fell, High Street, Gray Crag and Thornthwaite Crag.
A splash of sunshine on Hallin Fell.
A close up skyline view, from L to R, of High Street, Gray Crag, Thornthwaite Crag, Ill Bell, Froswick, Stony Cove Pike, Caudale Moor, St Raven’s Edge and Arnison Crag, plus the green fields of Patterdale below them all. I don’t even mind the clouds now that they’ve broken apart.
Granted, this is not as detailed a view as the previous one, showing as it does only the wide open moorland of Watermillock Common and its high point, Common Fell. There was just something about the view that appealed to me, maybe it reminded me of the dales of my native county or perhaps it was simply the clouds drifting over it and creating patterns as they went along.
A look back along Ullswater …..
and a look back along the path to Swinside Knott.
Gowbarrow in full sunshine …..
….. and below us one of the Ullswater ‘steamers’ making its way to Howtown and Pooley Bridge. Every time we’ve had a view of the water we’ve remarked that we hadn’t had sight of at least one of the steamers, then we look down and there one is. We wondered if there was only one in service as they will be operating a winter timetable at the moment. I checked when we were back at home and it looks as if they are only operating one boat and its sailing times seemed to coincide with the time we were out walking.
Below us are Round How, nearest the camera, with Bracken How (covered in dead bracken) behind it. Gowbarrow is behind them and getting a good dollop of sunshine by the looks of it …..
….. as is the village of Dockray and the two of us as we approach the end of the path in bright sunlight.
At the path junction we bear right and walk towards the little lane we started out on earlier. Everything is in bright sunshine now …..
….. its even bright enough to have J squinting against it as he holds open the gate. After we pass through it it will only take us a minute or so to get back to the car so that’s the end of our walk today. We haven’t walked a great distance but the climb up over the rough and pathless side of the Common more than made up for that. By the way, J’s ankle ache eased off as we gradually descended over the grassy paths closer to the village and by bedtime it had gone completely. All’s well that ends well, as the saying goes.