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There is an old saying that states Caldbeck and the Caldbeck Fells are worth all England else. When I first heard this I mistakenly thought it was some local indulging in some hyperbole about his back yard but of course it refers to the mineral wealth of the area. Lead, Silver, Wolfram (tungsten for the none romantics) and up to two hundred minerals, some unique to the area, have been found here. To ignore this history on a walk would be to miss the point of the place so I decided that round two's visit to the Caldbeck fells would take in a bit of the areas industrial history.
Following a detour around the back roads thanks to the closure of the A66 I turned up later than planned and parked just outside of Mosedale. Until I started looking at this walk I had no idea that the road up through Mosedale was tarmacked and accessible by car, this did lead to thoughts of parking along the end and walking from there but this would have required a return over rough pathless ground from Carrock Fell summit, something I decided I could do without.
Mosedale is said to mean dreary or boggy valley, this valley is neither. Even on an over cast morning with the tops in clag it's very picturesque and full of interest. The clue to the mineral riches lies the the stark difference in the terrain on either side, Bowscale's smooth grassy slopes To the South and Carrock Fells tangle of Gorse, boulders, heather and scree to the North. Carrock fell is one of the few places in England where Gabbro can be found and it's obvious to the untrained eye that it differes in character greatly from its near neighbors.
Heading down the road through Mosedale by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Mosedale Trees by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Roundhouse by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Dramatic Light on the River Caldew by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
River Caldew and Coomb Height by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Once the road runs out there are two options; carry on up the smooth slopes of Coomb Height, or continue up the valley past the old mine workings, the Coomb Height way would undoubtedly be the quicker but as I want to have a look at the old mine we go that way. The scars are fairly well healed but the buildings still form substantial ruins. I did consider a peak up Brandy Gill but decided I better crack on. Considering this is the route of the Cumbrian way it's fairly rough and even given the dry conditions a bit boggy. The path soon gives out and I decided to stop for breakfast while we still had views to admire, as the morning clag was lingering.
Carrock Mine by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Looking back down Mosedale by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Grainsgill Beck by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Grainsgill Beck Close Up by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Old Sluse Gate by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Upper Grainsgill Beck by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Breakfast Stop by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Roar Little Lion Man by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Given the lack of path I decided to just make a bee line( well my version anyway) for the top of Coomb Height from my breakfast stop and trudged up the open fellside and into the clag which fortunately wasn't too thick enabling very misty views down to the valleys. Coomb Height proves to be just another unimpressive Birkett top that probably wouldn't be particularly improved by clear weather. The way to Knott from here is a very simple(boring) walk over what would be boggy ground. On this day it's a dry as a bone and we soon join another walker on the top of Knott. The fell has fine views on a clear day but on this day very little was seen. I had a brief chat with my fellow wanderer who stated he was heading for the Lingy fells next and promptly set off in the direction of Coomb Height
Mosedale from Coome Height by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Coombe Height Summit by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great Calva by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Dead Crags and Cockup from Knott Summit by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
I didn't make the same error and headed in roughly a North Easterly direction down the simple slopes. Going the wrong way and missing out the Lingy fells soon started to look like a good idea as we ran into much rough ground and Peat hags
This would have been very difficult in the wet to say the least, but following a brief struggle we made it to Little Lingy Hill, or so Birkett called it and had a little sit on what proved to be a pleasant top.
With the worst ground covered and the clouds now clearing the higher tops it was a cheerful plod over Great Lingy Hill and Hare Stones on the way to the second Wainwright of the day, High Pike. On the way up I noticed the fellow I'd spoken too on Knott making his way up the Cumbrian Way, he passed me as I stopped to take in the views on High Pike and greeted me with a rueful wave but didn't stop, perhaps a little embarrassed at his directional error earlier.
Roughton Gill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
High Pike from Little Lingy Hill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Looking down to Dale Beck by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great Lingy Hill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Worth all England Else by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
High Pike Summit by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
What? by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
The last time I'd traversed the ground between High pike and Carrock Fell it had be thankfully frozen solid but It was plain for all to see it would be a bog fest once it thawed. This was not to prove a problem today as scarcely a drop of moisture was to be found as we made our way comfortably over Miton Hill and onto Round Knott (a nice little top) over the bone dry yellowing ground. A final pull up the pleasingly rocky slopes of the days final target and it was time for lunch.
Skiddaw Now Clear by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Milton Hill by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Round Knott by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Hughie takes a Breather by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Carrock Fell is a splendid top even with the views still being a touch hazy. Add to this the significant history of the pre-roman hill fort and it's no wonder it made it to AWs top six. We had the top to ourselves and found a comfortable spot among the rocks to eat and take in the sights as the sun came out to raise spirits even further.
I could have spent longer here but the sound of approaching voices broke the spell so I headed off in the direction of Stone Ends.
Carrock Fell Summit by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
The Edge of the Lake District by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Blencathra by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
I was fully aware that the path up from Stone Ends was steep but I must admit to foregeting just how steep and lose it is. I avoided the top section but this helped little as I spent just about half the descent on my backside. Hughie with his four paw drive was fine but following a very unstable 20 minutes I was back on good ground and heading along the road. This is a very popular place for bouldering it would seem it many rock acrobats hanging at precarious angles above crash mats and this provided a bit of interest along the road.
Looks a little Steep! by
Anthony Young, on Flickr
Great Mell Fell from Stone Ends by
Anthony Young, on Flickr