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First mountain of the year!
I finally got a day with a good weather forecast when I wasn't busy doing something else so I drove up to the North Pennines to bag Murton Fell via High Cup Nick. I parked in a free car park just outside Murton, at the foot of Murton Pike.
- Murton Pike from the car park
As I wanted to approach High Cup Nick from the valley, I went back through the village and across to Harbour Flatt farm. After you go through the farm yard, there's a path leading up to Middletongue Crag, which guards the entrance to High Cup Gill valley.
- Middletongue crag
- High Cup Gill
It's a steep ascent but nothing too difficult - there's a bit of a boulder field to cross, then a steep grassy slope, with a short easy scramble just as you reach the top.
- Boulders
- Back down the valley
- Final ascent
On reaching the top of High Cup Nick, I stopped to admire the views before leaving the dramatic scenery behind and heading out into the big boggy plateau of the North Pennines.
Not far from High Cup Nick there's a hill top with two cairns on it. This is almost the highest point on the fell. Unfortunately, the true summit is about 2 metres higher, and it's nearly a mile away across some of the worst bogs you'll find anywhere.
The ground was relatively dry on this occasion, but it was still hard work climbing up and down peat hags and trying to guess which bits of half dried mud and marshy grass would be solid enough to stand on.
- Great Dun Fell (zoomed)
- Little Fell
- Bog
Eventually I reached the top of Murton Fell - not the most exciting summit, but it's another one ticked off the list.
- Summit of Murton Fell
- View to the north
I then headed towards Murton Pike, until I found the dirt track which leads back down to where the car was parked. On the way I took a detour to climb Murton Fell's smaller but better looking neighbour.
- Murton Pike
- Murton Pike summit, looking south
- Back to the car park