Kirk Fell from Honister, Cumbria. Wed 28 July 2004

This time it's Whittle Wanderer (singular). Eric is on his holidays.

I arrived at the Honister Slate Quarry car park just after 8am. I looked for a scale of charges to pay my dues but couldn't find one. I was on my own as Eric is away on holiday. The good weather he sometimes brings to the walks had arrived without him. It was warm and sunny as I headed west up the line of the old tramway that goes over the Fleetwith moor. At the summit I paused to take a few photos then turned south to follow the easy trail that heads for Brandreth and Green Gable. But they weren't my objectives for the day; I was going a bit further a field, over to Kirk Fell. Keeping to the lower path I headed for Stone Cove and up to Beck Head pass just below the west side of Great Gable. The distant views were a bit hazy but the walk had given me some nice views down Buttermere, Crummock and over to Mellbreak and further on super views down Ennerdale.
At Beck Head I stopped for a coffee break and sat on a large rock that seems to have been placed there for just that purpose. I'd never been over Kirk Fell before so decided to climb it from the Black Sail Pass side. That meant getting round the mountain somehow and the path via Boat How was the perfect way to do it. This brought me to the top of Black Sail Pass and the route up Kirk Fell followed a bit of scree before winding through a steep rocky climb that also followed the old line of the metal fence posts. In bad weather these posts are the perfect way marks as they continue right over the summit. The first steep climb is deceptive as it only get you part way up the fell. Once the gradient eases there is still quite a way to go to the summit shelter stones. Then Great Gable is seen to the east, a massive black hump with steep sides as picturesque as slagheap.
There is a short descent to Kirkfell Tarn before a rise up to another summit, though lower than the main one. The Tarn is interesting as it is clear and seems to have water moving through it preventing stagnation, though there is no obvious inflow. The descent on the east side is much easer than the climb from the west and I definitely did it the right way round. Back at Beck Head I retraced my route back to the car.

Great Gable in the distance with Kirkfell Tarn in the foreground.

Dramatic skies over Buttermere