Mosedale, Skiddaw House, Bannerdale Craggs, Bowscale Fell, Cumbria.
[ 17.0 km] Fri 12 Dec 2008

Drove to Swinside below the south side of Carrock Fell. The valley was deserted as I drove to the end of the road. The weather was overcast and a bit snowy but the forecast said it should brighten up later. Once again the meteorological office was wrong. I parked next to the River Caldew and set off west to join the track which is also the Cumbria Way. The bridleway sign says ‘Skiddaw House 3 ½ miles’. The temperature was just above freezing but fortunately the ground was still frozen hard. A few patches of ice were around but no muddy patches. Several ponies were roaming around and I’m not sure if they are wild or owned. There was a reasonable view up the valley but the cloud still lingered around the high fells.

Skiddaw House in the mist.

Below Great Calva I was in thick mist and didn’t see Skiddaw House until it was just a few metres away. A generator was on the go round the back and a vehicle parked up at the side but there were no footsteps in the snow so nobody had been out that morning. I continued along the path over Sailhow Beck to the next gate. There was some shelter from the wind behind the wall so I stopped for a coffee. I then headed due east following a faint path then up the fellside to the Cloven Stone. The visibility was still bad but at least it wasn’t raining. I then crossed Mungrisdale Common where the snow was thin and the going was easy. I came to a very old sheepfold which has fallen down to ground level.

I then descended to the saddle across to Bannerdale Crags and took the path towards Bowscale Fell. It was flat and easy walking but still there were no views. Passing the stone wind break on the summit I crossed to the edge of Bowscales Fell at Tarn Crags but didn’t get a view down into the Bowscale Tarn valley. Taking a steep descent down into Drycomb I eventually came out of the cloud and could see the main valley below and the Roundhouse, which seems an odd name because I’ve not seen any round houses there. At the valley bottom I crossed the wooden footbridge and passed the buildings where there was no sign of life. After joining the road I was soon back at the car and hadn’t seen or heard a single soul the whole way. Everybody else must have more sense than me.
 

The cloven stone