High Seat and Little Fell (Dales)

[Broggy1]

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Back to England and back to work but with fishing on the horizon for the weekend and dodgy weather forecast, it seemed rude to not use a good forecast for the Thursday for a bit of flexi time and a trip to the Northern Dales.

The only other report I'd really seen for doing these two together was poppiesrara on here so I looked to follow a similar route to him (thanks mate ) . I'd really enjoyed Wild Boar Fell when I climbed it a few years ago and I was hoping for a walk similar to that.

I arrived in Outhgill around 3pm and parked just outside the village and headed back towards the village and towards the hill on a public footpath. The footpath didn't last long and it was pretty pathless over bogs and long grass at first with insects everywhere in the heat.

The Nab on Wild Boar Fell looking very pointed from near Outhgill

High Seat and Mallerstang Edge

It was with some relief that I finally reached the foot of the climb to Mallerstang Edge and, although steep and pathless, progress was then quick to the plateau with the summit of High Seat now visible.

Four small cairns seemed to mark different areas of the fell and I visited them all as there seemed to be very little difference height wise between them all.

Long grass and bogs followed by a steep climb

High Seat summit in view

One of the small cairns

Progress was now easy enough on the summit ridge over to the Nuttall tops of Archy Styrigg (although I did start descending from this one on the wrong path before realising my mistake) and Hugh Seat before I hit a very boggy pitch on route to the second Hewitt of the day - Little Fell. This required a leap over the other side of the fence and back to negotiate and soon enough I was standing at the Northern Top of the Hill. Again, I couldn't be certain which was higher so I made the short detour to the Southern Top marked by another cairn and what appeared to be the remains of an old Trig Point.

Cairns on Archy Styrigg

Looking to Little Fell from Hugh Seat with the three peaks i the background

Little Fell Northern (and higher) top

Cairn on Southern Top

Old Trig Point on Southern Top?

The descent was rough at first until I hit Hell Gill, then progress was much easier along the pleasant grassy track Lady Anne's Highway back to the car.

Heading down Hell Gill

Lady Anne's Highway with Mallerstang Edge in view

Water Cut Sculpture with the Cross Fell Massif behind

A rougher than expected few hours - especially the initial walk through the fields - and while Mallerstang Edge is impressive in it's own right, the hills beyond it don't match up and it's easy to see why nearby lower heights Wild Boar Fell and Nine Standards Rigg remain more popular.

[poppiesrara]

Nice photos, Broggy. I remember these quite fondly really, but - since everything you say about the rough and boggy parts is definitely true - I can't quite think why! I had a beautiful day for it though - like yours - and that always helps...