Over Fairfield and Helvellyn • 1
Page One • Page Two
The Priest's Hole on Dove Crag
The original motivation for this trip was to spend the night in a cave which I knew of on Dove Crag in the Eastern Fells. I also wanted to visit Ruthwaite Cove, a large hanging valley situated below Dollywagon Pike and Nethermost Pike, one of the few valleys I hadn't visited in this area. The map showed a body of water, Hard Tarn, which looked like it might have potential as a campsite. With these two spots in mind, I planned a three-day backpack that would cross Fairfield and the Helvellyn range as far as the Sticks Pass.
These campsites were off the main Helvellyn - Fairfield ridge so my route wasn't the conventional one, but my aim was not to bag the peaks (all of which I'd climbed several times), but to have two interesting high camps in the mountains. A more conventional route for the backpacker which can be done over two longish days would be to go a little further on the first day, avoiding the cave and possibly camping at Grisedale Tarn, then continuing over Dollywagon Pike and perhaps carrying on over the Dodds range as far as the A66.
Friday, 12th May, 2000
I started off from Ambleside and headed down the lane which leads to High Sweden Bridge. It was a warm sunny day and I was surprised that there weren't many people about. High Sweden Bridge is a stone arched packhorse bridge, typical of many found in the upper reaches of Lakeland's valleys. It's a lovely spot, very photogenic, and I stopped here longer then I really should have. I had plenty of time to reach my first destination, the cave on Dove Crag, but I find longish stops early on a walk upset my pace.
From the bridge, the route to Low Pike could be seen quite clearly - essentially following a wall west till it met another wall which goes over all the summits as far as Dove Crag. The path itself does not cross the actual highest point of Low Pike, but it only takes a minute or so to scramble up and down and then carry on.
The route to the next summit, High Pike, was straightforward enough, though a slight steepening of the ground made for hard work in the heat of the afternoon. But eventually I found my pace and after a short rest on the top I carried on to Dove Crag. This summit is relatively uninteresting, apart from a turn in the wall which, all said and done, is still relatively uninteresting. In fact, the name Dove Crag technically refers to the cliffs which drop sharply a few hundred yards to the north east, a popular destination for rock climbers. This is where the Priest's Hole cave is situated, which was to be my first camp.
I headed to the col which links Dove Crag with Hart Crag, then descended eastward into Houndshope Cove, turning right towards a small tarn. It's shown on the map, though it was dry when I passed it. A little further on I stopped to see if I could locate the cave. Though it is marked on the map, the limitations of mapping such an area of converging contours makes the cave notoriously hard to find, and unless you've been there before I would advise not to try looking for it in mist. The approximate grid reference is NY 376109, I say approximate because the same grid ref also covers areas were only rock climbers venture. Even with a GPS a few metres of error in the immediate area of the cave would be the difference between standing on grass and being on the wrong side of a substantial precipice.
However, in clear visibility reaching the cave is quite safe and I managed the mildly exposed scramble with a full backpack in a couple of minutes. The cave isn't very deep, about 14 feet or so, and it I found it was only possible to stand up fully in one or two spots. A low wall affords a little shelter at the opening.
The Priest's Hole cave
At the back of the cave was a bag containing a couple of blankets, and a large metal box containing various supplies, such as candles, toilet roll, a pop quiz book and a box of matches, but the most interesting thing was the guest book. Reading through it's pages one can see that the Priest's Hole is used as regularly as any bothy.
After unpacking a few things, I descended back down into Houndshope Cove to collect a few litres of water from the small beck, then climbed back to the cave to start cooking my tea. It was a beautiful evening, and though the east-facing cave meant no sunset, it was very pleasant sitting at the entrance eating my meal, looking out across Dovedale towards the High Street range.
After dark, I lit quite a few candles just to give some extra light for a couple of photographs, but once that was done I went back to my usual two or three candles, which with a head torch provided plenty of light to read by.
The cave by candle light
Before turning in for the night, I placed all my food in a bag and hung it from a stick that was wedged into the roof - someone in the guest book had written that there was a mouse living in the cave. I slept very well as it was quite a warm night and there was no wind.
Saturday, 13th May, 2000
I woke at dawn, just in time to see the sun rise over the High Street range to the east. It was easier to get away than most mornings because my tent was already packed, and there plenty of room in the cave.
I retraced my steps back to the col below Hart Crag and was shortly on the summit. It was getting hot again and there was no breeze. So far I hadn't met anyone on the path, but things changed at Fairfield were there was a checkpoint for a Long Distance Walker's Association event. I don't think it was a race, though people were arriving and leaving the summit at the rate of about two or three a minute and not one stopped for a rest to take in the views. I couldn't quite see the point, but then I'm not really into organised events on the fells, with the possible exception of mountain rescues. The walkers were carrying on over Cofa Pike towards St Sunday Crag, and I wanted to descend to Grisedale Tarn over Cofa Pike. All the other walkers scrambled down the steep direct route to the pike, though I remembered that there was an easier path a hundred yards or so to the north which I took.
Cofa Pike
HOME PAGE
WILD CAMPING
LAKE DISTRICT FELLS
TRIP REPORTS
PHOTO INDEX
LINKS
