Old Crown Round (circuit of Lake District Northern Fells)
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:51 pmThis walk was started by The Old Crown Pub in Hesket Newmarket several years ago. Walkers had to visit four summits, (Carrock Fell, Blencathra, Skiddaw and Great Cockup) whose name had been given to four beers produced at the Hesket Newmarket brewery behind the pub. They could start anywhere on a route of their choice (no need to include the pub in their route).
However, a couple of years ago, they brewed another ale, High Pike, and the walk was revised to include that fell and also to start and finish at the pub. This added about 3 miles to the original route. There is a book in the pub to record your attempt and I believe a free pint is available to finishers.
The fastest time is something ridiculous (a fellrunner friend of ours ran it in less than 4 hours), but our friend Lynda and I took our time to enjoy the day (really we couldn't walk any faster!).
An early start is required in order to finish in daylight and more importantly to arrive back at the pub before last food orders at 9pm. So we were ready to go at 6:15am.
A couple of miles of roadwalking at the start towards Calebreck with a view of our first hill Carrock Fell ahead.
It is possible to leave the road here, but we carried on over Carrock Beck then struck off cross country up Carrock Fell and soon arrived at the summit.
We turned West towards Round Knott before heading downhill to the River Caldew and had to walk a little way upstream to find a suitable crossing point. In retrospect I think I should have kept my shoes on whilst crossing!
A steep pathless climb followed aiming just West of Tarn Crags with a view of Bowscale Tarn below.
On to the summit of Bowscale Fell with a view back to Carrock Fell.
Our next objective Blencathra in the distance.
And later still, Skiddaw.
An easy walk from Bowscale Fell before the shale path up Foule Crag on Blencathra, Lynda getting to the top before me as usual!
Onto Blencathra summit where there were plenty of people to ask to take our photo, showing Skiddaw behind.
Headed North-West off the back of Blencathra towards Mungrisedale Common and soon arrived at its summit!?
Next objective was Skiddaw House, now a Youth Hostel, via the Cloven Stone.
We stopped to refill water bottles at Salehow Beck just before Skiddaw House in the trees behind.
The sun started to come out warm now making it a real slog up over Sale How onto Skiddaw.
Then North to Bakestall and along the top of Dead Crags before a very steep pathless descent to the track below where the pain was clearly showing in my face! (glad to be down that one).
Turned right off the track towards Dash Farm then up and under Brocklecrag and headed onto Great Cockup.
A descent into Trusmadoor and a steep climb onto Meal Fell followed. Walking poles were definitely needed at this point to help drag us uphill and the jellybabies were starting to run out! Up onto Great Sca Fell and across to Knott left us just one more fell to climb. It had turned into a beautiful sunny evening with hardly any breeze as we sped past Lingy Hut and onto High Pike (Blencathra and Skiddaw behind).
It was by now gone 7pm and we thought all was going well for finishing in good time for a meal at the pub. But you know how it goes, you get tired, you get lazy about navigation thinking you're nearly there and it's all downhill from here, what could possible go wrong! Well, with lots of old mine workings and tracks, one place looks much like another, and having to rely on the single win turbine behind Hesket Newmarket to aim at, we were getting desperate. We came to a large ladder stile at the fellside wall still not knowing exactly where we were. We should have gone over it to start with and found the name of the farm, but instead we went half a mile west along the wall to find no way, and came back again. So over the stile it was and we soon arrived at Wood Hall for another mile on tarmac back to the pub for 8:45pm. Just in time to order some food and a very welcome pint.
I can really recommend this walk when the daylight hours are long and preferably the weather forecast is dry. It is possible to do it in trail shoes as I did and travel fairly light.
However, a couple of years ago, they brewed another ale, High Pike, and the walk was revised to include that fell and also to start and finish at the pub. This added about 3 miles to the original route. There is a book in the pub to record your attempt and I believe a free pint is available to finishers.
The fastest time is something ridiculous (a fellrunner friend of ours ran it in less than 4 hours), but our friend Lynda and I took our time to enjoy the day (really we couldn't walk any faster!).
An early start is required in order to finish in daylight and more importantly to arrive back at the pub before last food orders at 9pm. So we were ready to go at 6:15am.
A couple of miles of roadwalking at the start towards Calebreck with a view of our first hill Carrock Fell ahead.
It is possible to leave the road here, but we carried on over Carrock Beck then struck off cross country up Carrock Fell and soon arrived at the summit.
We turned West towards Round Knott before heading downhill to the River Caldew and had to walk a little way upstream to find a suitable crossing point. In retrospect I think I should have kept my shoes on whilst crossing!
A steep pathless climb followed aiming just West of Tarn Crags with a view of Bowscale Tarn below.
On to the summit of Bowscale Fell with a view back to Carrock Fell.
Our next objective Blencathra in the distance.
And later still, Skiddaw.
An easy walk from Bowscale Fell before the shale path up Foule Crag on Blencathra, Lynda getting to the top before me as usual!
Onto Blencathra summit where there were plenty of people to ask to take our photo, showing Skiddaw behind.
Headed North-West off the back of Blencathra towards Mungrisedale Common and soon arrived at its summit!?
Next objective was Skiddaw House, now a Youth Hostel, via the Cloven Stone.
We stopped to refill water bottles at Salehow Beck just before Skiddaw House in the trees behind.
The sun started to come out warm now making it a real slog up over Sale How onto Skiddaw.
Then North to Bakestall and along the top of Dead Crags before a very steep pathless descent to the track below where the pain was clearly showing in my face! (glad to be down that one).
Turned right off the track towards Dash Farm then up and under Brocklecrag and headed onto Great Cockup.
A descent into Trusmadoor and a steep climb onto Meal Fell followed. Walking poles were definitely needed at this point to help drag us uphill and the jellybabies were starting to run out! Up onto Great Sca Fell and across to Knott left us just one more fell to climb. It had turned into a beautiful sunny evening with hardly any breeze as we sped past Lingy Hut and onto High Pike (Blencathra and Skiddaw behind).
It was by now gone 7pm and we thought all was going well for finishing in good time for a meal at the pub. But you know how it goes, you get tired, you get lazy about navigation thinking you're nearly there and it's all downhill from here, what could possible go wrong! Well, with lots of old mine workings and tracks, one place looks much like another, and having to rely on the single win turbine behind Hesket Newmarket to aim at, we were getting desperate. We came to a large ladder stile at the fellside wall still not knowing exactly where we were. We should have gone over it to start with and found the name of the farm, but instead we went half a mile west along the wall to find no way, and came back again. So over the stile it was and we soon arrived at Wood Hall for another mile on tarmac back to the pub for 8:45pm. Just in time to order some food and a very welcome pint.
I can really recommend this walk when the daylight hours are long and preferably the weather forecast is dry. It is possible to do it in trail shoes as I did and travel fairly light.
...(before anyone gets upset by that I am a Yorkshireman so your argument is void 