Murthwaite, Harter Fell, Knott, Grere Fell, Adamthwaite, Cumbria. Wed 16 Aug 2006

I arrived at the small car park adjacent to Rawthey Bridge on the A683 Sedbergh – Kirkby Stephen road about 7:15am. Shortly after arriving I watched the 564 bus pass on its way to Kendal. It was no surprise to see that it was empty of passengers. The last time I used the service there was only me and one other person on it. I followed the path through dew sodden fields on the north side of the river and then turned NE up through the woods to Murthwaite. As I left the trees a deer bounded across the field. The views back down the Rawthey valley were quite picturesque but the distant haze prevented really nice views.

Murthwaite is a working farm but when I passed there was nobody about. I headed north towards Harter Fell but the track soon became indistinct, then improved again as another farm track joined it from the right. I didn’t stay with the official track for long as I cut up to the right to follow an old green track diagonally up the side of Harter Fell. After a while I left this and took a steep direct route up the west side. Once the gradient had eased I was able to wander easily towards the summit cairn in the distance. Looking back I could clearly see the farmstead of Adamthwaite, which Wainwright’s Howgill Fells book describes as attractive. Maybe it was when he saw it but now it has a look of neglect with many new outbuildings which weren’t there when Wainwright made the sketch for his book. Near the Harter Fell cairn was the remains of a large bonfire and judging by the rusting hoops of wire it was originally made from tyres.

Harter Fell cairn
with Yarlside in the distance.

Monolith near Adamthwaite.
Yarlside and Kensgriff in the distance

On a clear day this would be a superb vantage point, but not today. I descended to the NW towards the Adamthwaite access road. Just before reaching it I came across a fenced off automated weather station, or more accurately a rain gauge. After crossing the road I took a direct and steep route up Knott and over to the NW to pick up the old track marked on the map. I could see it winding its way towards Long Gill and Green Bell. I didn’t follow it all the way but turned to the left to the saddle between Grere Fell and Adamthwaite Bank. There is nice old drove road here and I followed it part way before descending a gulley towards Adamthwaite. By the path was a large stone monolith which doesn’t appear on the map. A closer inspection showed a lot of digger bucket scars on it which indicated it was probably erected fairly recently, maybe when the adjacent new-ish barn was constructed.

I descended to Adamthwaite Farm and followed a very muddy farm track along the east side of Wandale Hill. The track soon improved and was a pleasure to walk along. The views of Wandale Beck were impressive and then the wide valley of the Rawthey came into view. After passing some ruined barns I came to the sad ruin of the farmstead of Wandale. These substantial buildings used to be the home for 12 people according to the 1851 census.

The ruins of Wandale

Yarlside and Kensgriff from Narthwaite

Further on the farmtrack became impassable as water erosion had cut a deep rut down the middle. Walkers have to divert into the field adjacent and a new path is starting to form. At Narthwaite I walked through the farmyard where a man was doing some building maintenance and followed the farm’s access road down to Handley’s Bridge and over the River Rawthey. A short walk along the A683 took me back to the car.