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Chapelfell Top & Westernhope/ Three Pikes & Great Stony Hill

Chapelfell Top & Westernhope/ Three Pikes & Great Stony Hill


Postby Broggy1 » Wed Jul 01, 2015 11:02 am

Hewitts included on this walk: Chapelfell Top, Great Stony Hill, Three Pikes, Westernhope Moor

Date walked: 27/06/2015

Time taken: 3.5

Distance: 21.19 km

Ascent: 730m

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Although I was working on Saturday, the decent forecast and the long days made it a good opportunity to head up to my parents place in Appleby and make some more inroads into the North Pennines.

Arriving at Swinhope Bridge at 3pm, first on the agenda was Chapelfell Top and Westernhope Moor.


our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



After following the Swinhope Burn for a while it's a steep and pathless ascent besides a ruined wall up to the ruins of Cockran's Cabin where I made a rough and again pathless crossing over to the two cairns marking the top of Chapelfell Top.

Swinhope Burn.JPG
Swinhope Burn


Following old wall up.JPG
Following the old wall up


Cockrane's Cabin.JPG
The ruins of Cockran's Cabin


Chapelfell Top.JPG
The two cairns on Chapelfell Top - both looked pretty similar in height.


Pretty soon I picked up the boundary ditch and the fence line which I followed over some very peaty ground indeed over towards the Nuttall top of Fendrith Hill. The ditch at times (but not always) provided the easiest walking here but recent dry weather had made a lot of the peat quite dry and walkable on.

Boundary Ditch.JPG
The boundary ditch offered easier walking at times


Fiendrith Hill ahead.JPG
Fendrith Hill ahead


Fiendrith Hill Trig.JPG
Fendrith Hill Trig Point looking to Cow Green Reservoir and Meldon Hill


After Fendrith Hill there were more peat hags to negotiate as I passed the ski area and the slight rise of Dora's Seat before hitting the minor road at Swinhope Head from which Westernhope Moor looked a long way!

More hags.JPG
More peat hags


Ski Area.JPG
Ski area


Westernhope ahead.JPG
Westernhope Moor ahead


The out and back to Westernhope Moor was easy from here and the ground is somewhat easier to walk on than that on Chapelfell Top with the fence and faint tracks aiding me all the way to the Trig Point - which is nearly two miles from the road.

This bit of the walk was however easily the most boring and does become a bit of a never ending plod over grass - whereas the hag hopping on the earlier hills had at least kept me engaged and interested. It was with some relief that I eventually got back to the road and followed it down the beautiful Swinhope valley.

Westernhope Trig.JPG
Trig Point on Westernhope Moor


Fiendrith and Chapelfell Top.JPG
Heading back to Swinhope Head with Fendrith Hill and Chapelfell Top ahead


Swinhope Valley.JPG
Descending into Swinhope


With some daylight left and well aware that conditions underfoot were pretty good, I decided to prolong the day by driving round to Lingy Hill to do two more Hewitt's before nightfall.


our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



After following the road up from Lingy Hill I eventually struck off up the pathless moor to the skyline until I reached the cairns on Three Pikes.

Heading up Three Pikes.JPG
Heading up pathless slopes from Lingy Hill


Summit in view.JPG
The summit of Three Pikes comes into view


Cairn overlooking the valley.JPG
This good cairn overlooking the valley is not the actual top but can't be far away


summit.JPG
To the East is another cairn which marks the true summit of the hill


I've heard bad things about the walk from Three Pikes to the good track at Coldberry End but today it wasn't too bad with the peat pretty dry and the bogs avoidable by slight detours.

As always on this kind of ground the effort is never really reflected on the map as it doesn't show all the slight up's and down's into the hags or the diversions around wet areas.

Eventually I hit Coldberry End and from here Great Stony Hill was an easy short pull away and marked the best top of the day with a big cairn and freshly painted Trig Point (must have something to do with the ease of access).

I decided not to follow the obvious track back to the road as this would have meant a longer road walk at the end of a hard afternoon and instead decided to follow roughly the line of the right of way marked on the map over Grasshill Common.

There's no obvious path but the going is easy enough and before long I'd hit the disused mine and worked my way back to the road and car.

Great Stony Hill ahead.JPG
Great Stony Hill now ahead


Great Stony Hill summit.JPG
The good summit (by North Pennine standards) of Great Stony Hill


Descent.JPG
Descending


Two decent walks these on very remote and quiet hills although it has to be said the enjoyment factor could go right down if you went up them after a prolonged spell of rain!
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Broggy1
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Re: Chapelfell Top & Westernhope/ Three Pikes & Great Stony

Postby ChrisW » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:11 am

Looks like you picked the perfect time to do these two Broggy, good weather all day and nobody else around to spoil the view :wink: This one would have been right up my street back home :clap:
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ChrisW
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Re: Chapelfell Top & Westernhope/ Three Pikes & Great Stony

Postby Broggy1 » Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:47 am

Thanks Chris

I've learned (quickly) that the back of Cross Fell moors are best attempted in good weather and I have to admit to quite enjoying them so far - even if they do lack the obvious charm of other areas!
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Broggy1
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Posts: 1172
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Re: Chapelfell Top & Westernhope/ Three Pikes & Great Stony

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:07 am

Looks like you certainly picked the best of times for these. Can I ask you if you saw any signs regarding dogs on your Chapelfell/Westerhope walk?
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johnkaysleftleg
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Location: County Durham

Re: Chapelfell Top & Westernhope/ Three Pikes & Great Stony

Postby Broggy1 » Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:27 am

johnkaysleftleg wrote:Looks like you certainly picked the best of times for these. Can I ask you if you saw any signs regarding dogs on your Chapelfell/Westerhope walk?


I didn't see any signs about dogs at all in fact I never saw another human being! I think you'd be fine to take yours :D
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Broggy1
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 1172
Munros:111   Corbetts:19
Fionas:5   Donalds:20+7
Sub 2000:8   Hewitts:274
Wainwrights:214   Islands:1
Joined: Jul 22, 2013

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