Met Office forecasts have been unusually consistent this week in nominating Thursday as the day when it wouldn’t rain. And it didn’t. In fact, it was fairly warm, or at least, relatively warm, so me and superdawg shrugged off a spot of lassitude and navigated our way to the foot of Blaze Fell.
Blaze Fell is a HuMP (Hundred metre prominence), about ten miles North of Penrith and on the Lake District side of the River Eden. It has, to it’s credit, or , at least, somebody’s credit, a pair of permissive footpaths to the top. The local Nordview Stables are also encouraging walkers along the Northern slopes and, it would appear, that you can walk almost anywhere on the pastures on that side.
So we trundled off up the Eastern side through, what suddenly appeared to be a lambing field. This was evidenced by two very new lambs and their mother who was putting up a brave show in stamping and snorting at Bruno who was ignoring her. I wouldn’t normally take the dog through a lambing field with sheep in this advanced state of pregnancy, but it was too late and we plundered on as quietly as possible.
The top of Blaze Fell has a currently disused quarry of very attractive sparkly red sandstone and a trig point, plus cracking views of the Pennines and the Cumbrian fells.
We returned to lunch in the car by a roundabout route.
Next up was a pair of Eycott Hills – Little and , wel just Eycott Hill. These don’t appear as very promising walking country on the map, but the reality is different.
I parked fortunately beside an unmarked permissive path which leads through a sheep field to the open fell. A cracking walk along an occasionally rocky edge with superb views of Blencathra and Carrock Fell and more fells to the South. A couple of kilometres saw both Eycotts bagged.
And that was that.
I drove home at an appropriate speed (!)
We did about six miles altogether.
Can’t be arsed with maps…..
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7 comments:
I've not been up/on either of these small hills, although I have driven past em often enough! and me a cumbrian an' all, I should be ashamed of myself. I'll have to put that right as soon as the light nights get here. The views towards Blencathra look great.
Give yourself at least an hour for the Eycotts, Al!
I suspect that only Birkett baggers and locals go up these hills.
I couldn't photograph Blencathra cos thats whee the sun was - an early morning walk in summer might be better for views.
Sorry, Mike, but the sheep in that photo look artificial to me. The one on the left looks distinctly "Damien Hirst"
I am beginning to suspect that you don't actually do all these walks, and, like the American moon landings, it's all mocked-up(the "m" is important here)in an empty hangar at Catterick.
This may, of course, be the product of my fertile imagination, as I am full of, well, fertiliser.
Hi Mike, Been trying to post a comment for a while but the internet is on holiday i think.
Seems funny reading posts without the white stuff playing a part.
Lambing so soon! That is early for a hill farm, maybe we are in for a good spring.
Hope so.
I havn't plodded these hills either.
They are indeed, mocked-up, OM - the irony being, of course, that the studio is actually on what you earthlings call "the moon". Other moons are available, of course.
I suspect an early release of a ram, Alan. Ive seen this happen before. It only takes a minute, apparently. Seems quite a long time to me, by the way...
I must look this one up as I seem to remember seeing it in a log book of Lake District hills I've got. It sounds like it's near Hutton Roof. Mind you, I've always been a bit doubtful of this area as I once had an argument with a barbed wire fence coming down an alternate route from Little Mell Fell.
Eycott Hill is between Greystoke and Mungrisdale. Its good if you're short of time, or determined to do a lot of sitting around.
Blaze Fell is quite close to the A6 about half way between Penrith and Carlisle. Again, not a lot to it....
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