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Whittle Wander|
Cotterdale, Hugh's Seat, The High Way, Yorkshire. Tue 31 Jan 2006 |
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The weather report indicated dry weather for Tue and rain on Wed. So I thought I'd try Tue, even though cloud was forecast. I left the car in Cotterdale, between Sedbergh and Hawes and set off in cold mist towards Cotterdale Common to the north. This is the way I came off the moors last week and I thought I'd start off by heading towards the Shooting House. The thick mist continued and the sub-zero weather caused the fell to be coated in a carpet of ice. I could only see a few meters in front so my compass was at the ready. A track is supposed to run all the way to the Shooting House so I though that following it would be foolproof. After a while the compass indicated I was heading too far to the NE when I should be heading more to the north. The track must have been diverted in recent times and a quick check with the GPS meter confirmed this. It took a difficult wade through frosty rushes to find the house. I was now crossing West Gill Head but had no visibility to help me. I just kept plodding on, using the compass to point me at Hugh's Seat summit, which is where I was heading. It seemed to take ages, as the going was very slow. Eventually I came across a fence, which I followed all the way to the summit. I was still in thick freezing mist but directly overhead it was a bit brighter and bits of blue sky could occasionally be seen. Over the summit I descended to the NW, still in mist. |
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I found the river valley I was looking for and followed it down until the visibility improved slightly. Then below I saw the line of the high level green track above Mallerstang. |
| It was a delight to walk on and I must return to experience it again in better weather. The track and Bridge at Hell Gill were interesting, there was a deep gorge below but no safe access to photograph it. |
 The Buildings of Hellgill |
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Dejected I pressed on to High Hall. The buildings were surprisingly intact. The House had a complete roof and slates and the internal rooms were still there, including the fireplace and range. The byre in the barn was still complete with stone slab separators. |
| I would estimate that it was last lived in about 20 years ago but the access must have been difficult. Continuing south I passed a nice limekiln then the track became more rutted due to motorbikes having been through. By the damage done it looks as though it is a popular route for them. |
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| The track is also the Lady Anne Clifford way path. She was a formidable lady from the 17th century who owned large estates and buildings in the area and also did many good works. The mist swirled in again and the final part of the descent was almost viewless. It was 2:20pm when I got back to Cotterdale. | |
