The Kentmere Horseshoe

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Route: Kentmere Church, Crabtree Brow, Garburn Pass, Sallows, Buck Crag, Yoke, Ill Bell, Froswick, Thornthwaite Crag, High Street, Racecourse Hill, Mardale Ill Bell, Nan Bield Pass, Harter Fell, The Knowe, Brown Howe, Kentmere Pike, Shipman Knotts, Withered Howe, Hallow Bank, Low Lane, Kentmere

Date: 30/06/2019
From: Kentmere

Parking: Kentmere Church
Start Point: Kentmere Church
Region: Far Eastern Fells

Route length: 12.6 miles (20.2km)
Time taken: 07:13
Average speed: 2.2mph
Ascent: 1,157m
Descent: 1,153m

Wainwrights on this walk:
Yoke (706m), Ill Bell (757m), Froswick (720m), Thornthwaite Crag (784m), Mardale Ill Bell (760m), Harter Fell (778m), Kentmere Pike (730m), Shipman Knotts (587m)

Other summits:
Goat Scar (626m)

The Kentmere Horseshoe is one of the longest of the classic Lake District valley horseshoes and one of the quietest when you compare it to Fairfield or Newlands. This is likely a result of it starting from the tiny hamlet of Kentmere, in the valley which bears the same name. There's only room for a handful of cars to park and no public transport, which keeps the crowds at bay. Today, however, the weather would also contribute to its quietness with a strong, cold wind and low cloud forecast for much of the day. Not ideal conditions but one of those interesting days where anything could happen.

The small Kentmere church

We set off from the church along the lane which passes through the cottages and quickly degrades to a stony track as it starts its climb west towards Garburn Pass. The track climbs through the delightful combe at Stunfell Howe to the summit of the pass at Garburn Nook.

A long lane leads to Kentmere Hall

Cottages at The Nook

Sallows stands over the Badger Stone

Looking down on Kentmere village

Buck Crag

The path at Stunfell Howe

Troutbeck and The Hundreds

A path leads off to the north, beginning the long, gradual ascent of Yoke. Now we were out of the shelter of the valley, the wind was feeling particularly cold. The clouds were also hanging around on the summits still and, on the whole, things were looking quite unappealing. Prior to the final section to Yoke's summit, we sought some shelter behind a drystone wall to get some extra layers on.

Yoke

Windermere appears below the clouds

Herdwicks enjoying the weather

Heading into the cloud, a steeper length of path leads to the summit of Yoke. Yoke’s most interesting feature is Rainsborrow Crag on the Kentmere side of the fell, hidden from view from the summit. The 300-metre precipice falls away to the valley floor while the little known Rainsborrow Tarn stands on the edge of the crags. Yoke is the southern extremity of the ridge leading up to High Street and its name is thought to derive from the Old English word "geoc" meaning, correctly enough, mountain ridge.

Yoke's summit tocks

From Yoke, the fun really begins (if it can be called fun). A series of descents and climbs over Ill Bell, Froswick and Thornthwaite Crag. In turn, each requires a 60m or so climb to the summit before descending back down and starting it all over again; naturally the next being higher than the previous one.

Ill Bell

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Yoke and Star Crag

The ridge of Smallthwaite Knott stands over Kentmere Reservoir

Ill Bell's summit 

The path from Yoke

Ill Bell, the second Wainwright on the walk, looks like a perfectly symmetrical bell shape when viewed from most angles and it's thought its name may be derived from 'Hill Bell' thanks to this. Ill Bell has a fine view north towards Froswick and Thornthwaite Crag and, luckily for us, the clouds had started to lift so we could enjoy it.

Ill Bell

Froswick is almost a carbon copy of Ill Bell, albeit being smaller in stature. Once again, the path is easy to follow and climbing to its summit reveals the small cairn that marks the highest point.

The clouds drift over Thornwaite Crag

Panorama from Ill Bell as the clouds swirl overhead

Froswick, Thornthwaite Crag, High Street and Mardale Ill Bell - the head of Kentmere

Froswick

Nan Bield and Harter Fell

Froswick seen from Wander Scar

Sun in Kentmere

Froswick's summit

Kentmere Reservoir

Sun on the slopes of Hallow Bank Quarter

Another descent and climb is required to walk between Froswick and Thornthwaite Crag, an outlier of High Street. Sighting the impressive cairn on Thornthwaite Crag, we climbed up with the objective of having lunch when we reached it. Motivation enough to get up there sharpish.

Froswick

A post on the path provides a focal point of  the view back along Froswick and Ill Bell

Approaching Thornthwaite Crag

Approaching the summit of Thornthwaite Crag, we got our first real sight of Thornthwaite Beacon, a 14ft columnar cairn that, given its size, makes you wonder how they built it in the first place. Nineteen beacons were listed in Westmorland and Cumberland in the 15th century and is claimed they 'formed a complete system of communication, giving in most cases alternate lines'.

Thornthwaite Beacon

The rolling slopes of High Street

With High Street popping in and out of the cloud we decided to give it a miss, keeping to the true head of the Kentmere Valley at Bleathwaite Crag. The path gives a brief glimpse down towards Hayeswater as the ridge narrows to the east of Thornthwaite Crag.

The valley of Hayeswater

Mardale Ill Bell

Yoke, Ill Bell and Froswick

Thornthwaite Crag

Heading to Mardale Ill Bell, the path gives a proper view of the trio of mountains on the western ridge that formed the morning's workout as it sweeps along the head of Kentmere. Mardale Ill Bell is a short diversion off the path.

The pile of stones on Mardale Ill Bell

The southern end of Haweswater with Selside Pike beyond

Harter Fell over the Nan Bield Pass

Following Mardale Ill Bell, you are required to drop a significant distance to the top of the Nan Bield Pass, the connecting route between Mardale and Kentmere until the formation of Haweswater Reservoir in the 1940s submerged the village of Mardale. The pass is still extensively used by fell walkers and mountain bikers.

Yoke and Ill Bell

Small Water and Haweswater

Nan Bield Pass

The steep climb up Harter Fell from the pass gives some of the best views of High Street and Riggindale. Mercifully, the steepness flattened as we reached the summit and the wind picked up once again. Harter Fell is another fell with a wide, flat summit which forms the head of three valleys; Mardale, Longsleddale and Kentmere. The cairn in the summit contains many pieces of ironwork salvaged from nearby fences. Wainwright described these as resembling pitchforks and that approaching on a misty day has a faintly nightmarish effect. Fortunately, there would be no such trouble today.

Piot Crag on Mardale Ill Bell

Climbing Harter Fell

Small Water

High Street, Piot Crag and Small Water

Harter Fell

Two more Wainwrights remain after Harter Fell, the first being Kentmere Pike which we could see in the distance. Unlike the western ridge, the eastern ridge falls away steadily with little in the way of significant ascents. Sadly, we'd been sheltered from the worst of the wind for a couple of hours but I think it's fair to say the next hour or two were pretty miserable walking directly into it.

Aiming for Kentmere Pike

Kentmere

Climbing Kentmere Pike

Looking back to the rolling slopes of Harter Fell

Cairn on Kentmere Pike

Crossing Kentmere Pike, the path is obvious as it descends to Shipman Knotts. We opted to walk in the shelter of the drystone wall, which eased the wind for a short while until it ran out, requiring another battle to get to Shipman Knotts.

Despite being an outlier of Kentmere Pike, Wainwright devoted a chapter to Shipman Knotts thanks to its 'characteristic roughness' though much of the view is obscured by higher fells nearby. A quick detour to Goar Scar does, however, give a superb view of Buckbarrow Crag on the opposite side of Long Sleddale.

A trig pillar can be found on the other side of the wall

Beams of sun 

Descending upon Shipman Knotts

Kentmere

Gatesgarth Pass from Goat Scar

Buckbarrow Crag and Tarn Crag

The head of Long Sleddale

Tarn Crag

A shower approaches over the western Kentmere fells

The summit of Shipman Knotts

From Shipman Knotts the path becomes a little less distinct but still follows the line of the fence and dry stone wall which run the length of the ridge. Spots of bright sun had started to appear by the time we'd reached the low pass below Hollow Moor and we were thankful to be finally out of the wind. Bearing in mind it was July, I ended up with four layers on for our ridge crossing, including a light insulated piece.

The Kentmere valley

Long Sleddale

The rugged Shipman Knotts

Hollow Moor

Kentmere and Sallows

Barns at Stile End

With around 1km to go, we descended to the road at Brockstones and then cut across the fields to reach the narrow Low Lane. The interesting walled paths through the fields of Kentmere led us back to the village before we made a quick trip to Staveley for a well-earned beverage.

Kentmere

The path at Rook Howe