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Bowscale Tarn + Fell and Souther Fell,
Mungrisdale, |
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The new Village Hall in Mungrisdale had only recently been finished.We parked opposite and I set off with Eric in the morning gloom towards Bowscale to the north. |
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We were on our way before 8am and it hadn't come properly light yet, but by the time we reached the building at Bowscale the light had improved but cloud still hung over the fell tops. The track to Bowscale Tarn continues to be a mystery to me as it is well engineered, follows and even gradient and is wide enough to take a vehicle. But it doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than give easy access to Bowscale Tarn. There is no evidence of quarry or mine working along its route, which is what you'd expect for such a track. It was still only 9am when we arrived at the tarn so we sat awhile and enjoyed our fist coffee of the day. |
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Boyd and Eric by Bowscale Tarn. |
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To the west we followed the steep trail up the fell side and as we approached the top got the full blast of the cold westerly wind that the slope had sheltered us from. We ducked down again into shelter to put on our water/wind proofs before battling through the gale to the summit of Bowscale Fell. Though overcast the cloud was still higher than we were and only the summit of Skiddaw was covered. To the north was Carrock Fell, which had been covered in wet mist during our visit the other week. The wind felt cold but the temperature was still above zero, just. My thermometer showed 2deg C. |
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Bowscale Fell towards Blencathra. |
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| A light dusting of snow covered the ground and some cornices had formed on the western rim of the corrie surrounding Bowscale Tarn. We battled on south towards Bannerdale Crags and took the lower trail towards Mungrisdale Common and the head of the valley above the River Glenderamackin. Two trails descend the valley but we took the southerly one to try and maintain some height. Quite a bit of snow lay on the ground and at one point we had to cross some avalanche debris. | |
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Eric negociating the avalanche debris. |
| A light dusting of snow covered the ground and some cornices had formed on the western rim of the corrie surrounding Bowscale Tarn. We battled on south towards Bannerdale Crags and took the lower trail towards Mungrisdale Common and the head of the valley above the River Glenderamackin. Two trails descend the valley but we took the southerly one to try and maintain some height. Quite a bit of snow lay on the ground and at one point we had to cross some avalanche debris. By now we were not alone and many walkers were coming up the trail on Scales Fell, some had even gone up Sharp Edge, but that is not a route I would have taken in windy conditions. At the saddle to the east of Scales Fell we continued NE and over Souther Fell. No path is shown on the map but a well used path follows over the summit. We descended the NE ridge down towards Mungrisdale and a fine descent it is too. Though not particularly high the views are very fine until reaching the wall just above the Mill Inn only, to see the sign 'Keep Out' A short way to the south a couple of gates took us to the old road and a short walk back to the car. |
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| Our exploring hadn't finished. We drove NE for about 4 miles to investigate the Church of St Kentigern. This one was near Sowerby Hall and turned out to be another gem of a small church. Being in the middle of nowhere we wondered where the congregation would come from. | |
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