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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