6: The North Western Fells (Page One)

1. The EASTERN FELLS
2. The FAR EASTERN
FELLS
3. The CENTRAL FELLS
4. The SOUTHERN FELLS
5. The NORTHERN FELLS
6. The NORTH WESTERN
FELLS
7. The WESTERN FELLS

Wainwright's North Western Fells

Book Six of Wainwright's Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells covers the North Western Fells, an area which comprises the fells between Borrowdale and Buttermere. It was first published in 1964.

Each of the guides has a dedication:

Book Six is dedicated to those unlovely twins, MY RIGHT LEG AND MY LEFT LEG, staunch supporters that have carried me about for over half a century, endured much without complaint and never let me down.

The North Western Fells • 1

THE FELLS IN THIS AREA:

ARD CRAGS • BARF • BARROW • BROOM FELL • CASTLE CRAG • CATBELLS • CAUSEY PIKE • DALE HEAD • EEL CRAG (Crag Hill) • GRASMOOR • GRAYSTONES • GRISEDALE PIKE • HIGH SPY • HINDSCARTH • HOPEGILL HEAD • KNOTT RIGG • LING FELL • LORD'S SEAT • MAIDEN MOOR • OUTERSIDE • RANNERDALE KNOTTS • ROBINSON • SAIL • SALE FELL • SCAR CRAGS • WANDOPE • WHINLATTER • WHITELESS PIKE • WHITESIDE

ARD CRAGS
Height: 1906', (581m); (Wainwright has the summit as 1801' approx.)
Grid Ref: NY 207198

Arg Crags is usually climbed together with Knott Rigg, with which it forms a well-defined ridge running NW from Newlands Hause. The ridge rises to a small neat summit which is quite steep on two sides, and carpetted with heather.

On the summit of Ard Crags

BARF
Height: 1536', (468m)
Grid Ref: NY 215268

When approached by the A66 from Keswick, the rugged pyramid of Barf gives the impression of being almost impregnable, a steep no-man's land of scree and rough vegetation. However, closer inspection reveals an anomaly in the landscape which immediately suggests the hand of man. This is the Bishop of Barf, a small pinnacle of rock which is painted bright white and the fell's most famous attribute. The Bishop can be visited on the direct route to the summit from the Swan Hotel at the base of the mountain, though this is quite a hard climb involving some scrambling. The ascent via the wooded Beckstones Gill on the southern side of the fell is a little easier. The effort is worthwhile as the summit may be the finest north of the Whinlatter Pass, with excellent views of the Skiddaw massif across Bassenthwaite Lake. From the summit, it will be seen that Barf is really part of a ridge which comes down from Lord's Seat, the highest of the Whinlatter Fells.

BARROW
Height: 1494', (455m)
Grid Ref: NY 227218

The small heathery summit of Barrow is situated at the end of the short ridge which descends east from Outerside, enclosed by the higher fells of the Coledale Horseshoe. It is separated from the minor top of Stile End by Barrow Door, a pass which is often used to reach Braithwaite from the higher Coledale Fells to the south west. The pass is the source of Barrow Gill, which runs through quite a deep ravine in its lower reaches.

The name Barrow occurs often in Cumbria, and is an Anglo-Saxon word for a hill or hillock. (It can also mean a burial mound or tumulus).

BROOM FELL
Height: 1676', (511m)
Grid reference: NY194272

AW describes a grassy summit, without any features other than the wall which comes straight as an arrow up the southern flank of Broom Fell and ends abrubtly at the highest point, enclosing nothing. However, since Wainwright's day someone has used some of the stones from the broken end of the wall to erect a fine column cairn of the type more often seen in the far eastern fells.

The cairn on Broom Fell

CASTLE CRAG
Height: 951', (290m)
Grid reference: NY 249159

Generally speaking, the only criterion Wainwright applied when choosing which fells to include in his books was that they were 1000' plus. However by his sixth book he let the figure drop just below that to include Castle Crag in Borrowdale. There was no official height for the summit given on OS maps at the time, and Wainwright arrived at an approximate figure of 985', though later survey settled on the 951'.
Whatever the height, it was certainly worthy of inclusion having many of the features of the greater fells in a small package.
Though easily accessible from Rosthwaite, my preferred route would from Seatoller, taking a high level path referred to as the Allerdale Ramble on the map. When this path is left, the route continues through the remains of a small slate quarry to arrives at the summit, perched precariously over an artificial crag. Apparently there was once an British fort here, and now there is fine memorial to the Borrowdale men lost in the First World War.

Castle Crag with the Skiddaw range beyond

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