Trip 8: Around Ennerdale Water
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TRIP 8: AROUND ENNERDALE WATER As far as I can tell, Ennerdale is even less visited than Eskdale. This is partly because there is nowhere to stay beyond the western end of Ennerdale Water, the lake that plugs the mouth of the mountainous part of the dale, unless you are happy to hostel-it (there’s a hostel at Gillerthwaite, 5k into the dale, and another at Black Sail, a further 5k into it). Apart from that, there’s a sprinkling of b&bs and pubs around the western end of Ennerdale Water but most of them are at least 2k from the lake and the mountains. Of course, nowadays most people drive to the start of their walk but that’s another problem with Ennerdale – you can’t drive beyond Bowness Car Park which is a long way (roughly 7k) from the most attractive mountains near the head of the dale: Pillar, High Stile, Steeple and Haystacks. A third reason for Ennerdale’s lack of visitors compared to the rest of the Lake District is that its floor is besmirched by a carpet of conifers. Here is Wainwright in 1965 (10): “Afforestation in Ennerdale has cloaked the lower slopes….in a dark and funereal shroud of foreign trees, an intrusion that nobody who knew Ennerdale of old can ever forgive, the former charm of the valley having been destroyed thereby….Far better the old desolation of boulder and bog when a man could see the sky, than this new desolation of regimented timber shutting out the light of day.” (The Western Fells, Pillar 3) Although there are now attempts to ameliorate this affliction by planting different trees and preventing further growth with grazing cattle, Wainwright’s complaint still applies – and nobody wants to walk through 10k of conifers. I have always steered clear of Ennerdale for this reason. Given all this and having previously climbed all the well-known peaks at the head of the dale, I wanted to explore the much less-frequented area around the western end of Ennerdale Water. This choice was also forced upon me by a dodgy left leg incurred during my summer exertions in Norway and Eskdale which meant that I couldn’t manage a walk of more than 12k. So I’m going to describe for you four short walks of no great length or height that nevertheless lead to exceptional spots, three providing some of the best views over Ennerdale and one affording unusual views towards Grasmoor and Robinson. Here is a map of Ennerdale to give you the general lay-out of this ‘dale less travelled’ (Photo 1700). Incidentally, if you are using public transport, the 31 bus from Whitehaven goes to Cleator Moor and Frizington (January 2015). Both places are 4.5k from Ennerdale Bridge, where I was staying, but the walk along the road from Cleator Moor is much easier and quicker than the cross-country route from Frizington. Please note: With the exception of Crag Fell, I have not marked the trails I followed on these maps of Ennerdale as they are so obvious. Photo 1700: Map of Ennerdale and surroundings (Crown copyright 2015, Ordnance Survey FL-GV 166842) 102: Crag Fell From Ennerdale Bridge, you could take the direct route up Ben Gill to the top of Crag Fell and return the same way but I prefer, whenever possible, to go up one way and come down another. So I took the roundabout route via Blakely Moss and Grike and came down Ben Gill. You start with 2k of pleasant road-walking, passing the Kinniside Stone Circle on Blakely Moss. This is not marked on OS maps because it has been ‘re-engineered’. The twelve stones had been removed but their holes were measured and the original stones recovered and replaced, having been used by local farmers as gateposts and cornerstones. Soon after the circle, turn left on an old mine track (preferable to the tarmac forest road which turns off lower down). Follow this to just below the summit of Grike. Two incidents relieved the monotony of this 2.5k uphill trudge (actually the views are quite good towards Lank Rigg, Whoap and Boat How). First, there was a herd of horses being driven somewhat haphazardly down the fellside by a farmer on a quad-bike and on his mobile phone. The horses kept escaping but he eventually got off his phone, rounded them up and pushed them down the road. Then there was the distinct yelping of dogs passing through the forest. I passed a ‘sentry’ on the track and asked him what the dogs were so excited about. His terse reply: “Fox”. So much for legislation. Photo 1717: Map for Crag Fell trail (Crown copyright 2015, Ordnance Survey FL-GV 166842) A stile takes you over a forest fence to a path leading up to the summit of Grike, where a welcome wind shelter awaits you. The views are not that great but you can see past Crag Fell to Great Borne (Photo 1585) and the western end of Ennerdale Water is visible from just beyond the shelter. Further afield you can catch the summits of Grasmoor, the High Stile Ridge and the Pillar Ridge. To the west lies the coastal plain around Whitehaven. Tear yourself away from the wind shelter and head across the col to Crag Fell – it can be a bit squelchy in the dip. The top of Crag Fell is a series of little humps with a cairn on the highest. However, my spot is considerably lower than, and to the north of, the cairn, in sight of Angler’s Crag far below. From here, you get one of the best views of Ennerdale: Photo 1585: from the wind shelter on Grike to Crag Fell and Great Borne South-West – along the length of Upper Ennerdale with the eastern half of Ennerdale Water shimmering in the foreground; towards the south is the ridge leading past Haycock and Steeple to Pillar; Pillar Rock stands out on the northern slope of Pillar; beyond the forests of Ennerdale, the valley ends in the disappointing bump of Grey Knotts (where is Great Gable when you need it?) West – across Ennerdale Water is the High Stile Ridge from Haystacks to Starling Dodd; this is the less attractive side of the ridge but it still rises impressively above the skirt of forest around its base North-West – in the foreground, the top of Angler’s Crag; on the other side of Ennerdale Water lies its partner, Bowness Knott, twin sentries guarding the entrance to Upper Ennerdale; above Bowness Knott rises the peak of Great Borne with its shoulder, Herdus, falling down to Floutern Pass (Photo 1588) North – a bunch of lower fells that Wainwright calls the Loweswater Fells with Gavel Fell and Blake Fell prominent and ending with the perfect breast of Knock Murton; in the foreground, the western end of Ennerdale Water backed by the green fields around Croasdale North-East – the coastal plain fading away towards the sea East and South-East – the slope of Crag Fell you have just descended (the only poor view) South – the summit of Crag Fell with its cairn This is an exhilarating spot with the added frisson of an almost sheer drop nearby but try to come here on a balmy summer’s day, not as I did on a blustery midwinter’s one, when the wind was playing havoc with my efforts to record the merits of the spot. Photo 1588: looking down over Angler’s Crag to Bowness Knott and Great Borne To descend via Ben Gill, climb back up the slope and take the first turn right along a path that follows a line above Revelin Crag and then continues beside an embankment that leads to Ben Gill. If you detour to the right near the top you get a view of Crag Fell Pinnacles directly below you. The path turns right in front of a stile then crosses Ben Gill and goes down through a plantation to Crag Farm House and the car park at Bleach Green. From there it’s a 2k road walk to Ennerdale Bridge, a walk I soon got fed up with at the end of every day’s expedition. 103: Floutern Tarn Even the most ardent guide-book writer could not pretend that the walk to Floutern is an exciting one, whether from Ennerdale or Crummock Water. However, it’s worth the boring trudge for what is there to greet you – the four Flouterns: Floutern Pass, Floutern Cop, Floutern Crag and Floutern Tarn. The route from Crummock Water crosses the very boggy upper reaches of Mosedale which is the reason why Floutern Pass is a ‘trail less travelled’. The approach from the Ennerdale side is quicker and much less boggy. It starts at Whins (Photo 1631) where a bridleway leads up the hillside between hedges and walls for about 600m before it emerges on the open fell. This early stretch can be boggy in winter and after rain. Then an obvious track climbs beneath the steep slopes of Herdus to Floutern Pass. As you approach the pass, the top of Floutern Cop appears ahead. My remedy for boredom on a path such as this is to concentrate on the ever-changing scenery underfoot: the rocks, ridges, lakes and valleys that make up the average path. It’s just a question of adjusting to a smaller scale. Photo 1631: Whins with Floutern Pass and Herdus behind As you descend from the pass, Floutern Tarn is hidden over the ridge to your right.