Mardale Head

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Route: Mardale Head, The Rigg, Swine Crag, Rough Crag, Caspel Gate, Long Stile, High Street, Mardale Ill Bell, Nan Bield Pass, Harter Fell, Little Harter Fell, Adam Seat, Gatesgarth Pass, Branstree, High Howes, Selside Pike, Selside End, Old Corpse Road, Brown Howe, High Loup, Mardale Head

Date: 12/11/2016
From: Mardale Head

Parking: Mardale Head
Start Point: Mardale Head
Region: Far Eastern Fells

Route length: 10.4 miles (16.7 km)
Time taken: 05:00
Average speed: 2.1 mph
Ascent: 1,051m
Descent: 1,076m

Wainwrights on this walk:
High Street (828m), Mardale Ill Bell (760m), Harter Fell (778m), Branstree (713m), Selside Pike (655m)

Additional summits: Rough Crag (628m), Little Harter Fell (681m), Adam Seat (666m), High Howes (673m)

This walk is another one from the growing list of 'walks that I'd like to do'. In fact, I had thought about doing it a couple of years ago but it never materialised but I'd final get around to doing it today.

My attention has long been drawn to the mountainous surrounds of Mardale Head, specifically the ridge of Rough Crag and Long Stile that lead more or less directly to the summit of High Street. It's not an area I know well and seeing some friends complete the route recently only made me want to do it more.

In an attempt to get some better photos of the neighbouring Branstree and Selside Pike (as well as Mardale Head itself), I plotted a route that would climb Rough Crag before circuiting the head of the valley - crossing the passes of Nan Bield and Gatesgarth en-route.

I had put absolute faith in the weather forecasters, hoping that a band of heavy rain would have passed by the time I arrived in the Lake District early on Saturday morning. The drive hadn't been promising with rain accompanying the entire journey and numerous small floods encroaching on the road through the Yorkshire Dales. Remarkably, and somewhat surprisingly, the cloud and rain disappeared almost instantly as I passed over the Shap summit on the M6; the day was already looking up.

Arriving to a clearing sky in Mardale

A long road leads along the shores of Haweswater to a parking area at the southern end. Up until the 1930s, this would have been the valley of Mardale which was unceremoniously flooded to provide water for Manchester. The road was provided as a compromise to reach the valley head and allow access to the surrounding fells. When the reservoir levels are low, as they were today, the stone walls of Mardale Head can still be seen.

I geared up and set off across the top of the reservoir, making for The Rigg, the protruding end of Rough Crag that gives Haweswater its distinctive kink. Instead of having to reach the very tip of the ridge, a steep path cuts off a corner to reach the crest before beginning a steady climb up towards Rough Crag.

Clouds swirl around Harter Fell

Mardale Beck

The old walls of Mardale village

Beginning the climb up Rough Crag

The path tends to favour the Mardale side of the ridge but occasionally it crosses to the Riggindale side, affording a superb view of Haweswater stretching out to the North. The ridge rises to the summit of Rough Crag before dropping down to Caspel Gate, a boggy depression prior to the final pull up Long Stile.

Looking down the ridge to The Rigg

The path follows the wall up Rough Crag

Haweswater makes an appearance

Harter Fell

Approaching Rough Crag

Rough Crag's summit

Blea Water

Long Stile

A veil of cloud was capping the summit of High Street as I began the climb, only for it to break up and disappear as I made my way onto the summit. High Street gets its name from the Roman Road that crossed the summit, linking forts in Brougham and Ambleside. High Street's summit is also called Racecourse Hill, as it was once used as a venue for summer fairs - the last of which is thought to have been in 1835.

Blea Water and Long Stile

Long Stile

Looking back down at Rough Crag

Kidsty Pike

With the clouds parting and the view of the Eastern Fells revealed, I set my sights towards Mardale Ill Bell before noticing one of the great mountain spectacles - a cloud inversion. Though a bit messy and escaping around the edges, a bank of cloud was most definitely trapped in the valley of Kentmere so I quickened my pace to see if I could get a better view.

Harter Fell, Blea Water and Blea Water Crag

Mardale Waters with Branstree beyond

Approaching the summit....

.... just in time for the weather to improve

Trig pillar on High Street

Fairfield seen from High Street

High Street's summit

Sun sparkles on the summit of High Street

An elusive cloud inversion

The path falls easily over Mardale Ill Bell to Nan Bield, the pass between Kentmere and Mardale (before it was flooded of course). A large shelter sits in the pass with the two valleys etched into a stone plaque, guiding the way. There should be no excuse for descending into the wrong one.

Looking towards Mardale Ill Bell and Harter Fell

The cloud inversion in Kentmere

Mardale Ill Bell's summit

Froswick

Small Water and Haweswater

The shelter in the Nan Bield Pass

The stone sign

The Nan Bield shelter

Another climb follows, this time on to Harter Fell, the path hugging the fellside above Black John Hole as it winds its way up to the summit. There are fine views of High Street and Small Water, the small tarn that nestles on the slopes of Mardale Ill Bell. Disappointingly, the sun had disappeared behind a low bank of clouds, bringing the morning's brightness to an end.

Small Water, Piot Crag and High Street

Harter Fell

The summit of Harter Fell

Showers were now threatening as I crossed the broad summit of Harter Fell, pausing momentarily for a bite to eat at the shelter at the northeast end of the ridge. From here, the ridge falls gracefully to Adam Seat, whose summit is marked by a boundary stone. The route continues down into Gatesgarth Pass.

Crossing the top of Harter Fell

Rampsgill Head and Kidsty Pike

Clouds swirl around Tarn Crag

Haweswater

Branstree

The boundary stone on Adam Seat

Gatesgarth Pass and Branstree

I wouldn't blame you if you decided to end the walk here as descending the Mardale side of the pass would take you directly back to the car park. The route from here departs the rocks and crag of High Street and enters the boggy, grassy territory of the Shap Fells - very much more Pennine in character.

Looking back down towards Sleddale

After crossing the bog below Branstree, the route follows the boundary fence on a relentless climb up the featureless slopes of Branstree, eventually reaching the modest stone ring that marks the summit.

Drama in the skies over Sleddale

Branstree's summit

Continuing on, two tall cairns are passed before reaching a depression and the swelling of High Howes - the northeast top of Branstree or the separate fell of High Howes if you're that way inclined. In the depression, next to a small tarn, is the remains of a peculiar column - a relic dating back to the construction of the Haweswater Reservoir.

Cairn on Artle Crag

Selside Pike

The route to High Howes

This unusual stone and concrete construction is cleft at the top to provide a sightline and was originally surrounded by a wooden frame, now decayed. This is one of four such pillars built during the construction of the Haweswater aqueduct. Below Branstree, Tarn Crag and Great Howe is the first section of the pipeline carrying water from the reservoir toward Manchester. The tunnel, some 1,300 ft below this point, required 250 tons of gelignite for blasting, and when constructed in the 1930s was the longest such pipeline in Britain. It emerges into Longsleddale below the southern end of Great Howe, where the spoil can still be seen.

The survey pillar above Haweswater

The survey pillar

Moss growing on the pillar

Onward to Selside Pike

More grass follows as well as a crossing of Captain Whelter Bog. To their credit, Captain Whelter Bog is not too bad but sticks in the mind thanks to its unusual name. Up ahead is the summit of Selside Pike, the point at which the Lake District starts to fade into the Eden Valley.

Captain Whelter Bog

The summit of Selside Pike

Descending Selside End

Swindale

The walk ends with an easy stroll down to the old corpse road that used to join Swindale and Mardale, bodies being carried to the church in Mardale before it was flooded. You'll be glad to know the bodies were removed prior to the creation of the reservoir. Crossing Brown Howe, the route falls steeply to the road where an easy walk leads back to the car. This leg of the walk really is a feast for the eyes as the next series of photos demonstrates.

Swindale Common

The summit of Brown Howe

Showers over Riggindale

Kidsty Pike

Remains at High Loup

Mardale Head

Kidsty Pike

The Rigg, Rough Crag and High Street

Harter Fell and Mardale Ill Bell

Descending the Old Corpse Road

Unfortunately, the lakeshore path was closed

Rowantreethwaite beck

The road back to the car park

Rough Crag

Another superb day in the Lake District, at a time when it really looks incredible. The shades of autumn are a sight to behold and, if you can put up with the changeable weather, there are rich rewards to be found at this time of year. Make the most of it - winter is on its way....