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Whittle Wanderer|
Keld, Swindale Common, Scam
Matthew, Haskew Tarn, Seat Robert, Cumbria. |
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The weather forecast had been miserable but when I arrived at Keld, near Shap, the sky had partly cleared. I set off towards Tailbert and was rewarded with a bit of a sunrise but the clouds soon rolled in. It was still early and I’d started walking at 7:40am. Even so there were still some locals out walking their dogs along the deserted roads. I continued along the tarmac road to the Tailbert entrance and then headed south up the track heading onto the fells. My first objective was to check out some cairns shown on the map by White Raise. |
 On Fewling Stones. |
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The area I was entering is called Ralfland Forest on the map, though there isn’t a single tree in sight. The original definition of forest is an uncultivated area legally set aside for hunting by feudal nobility. Sometimes it had trees and sometimes it didn’t. This time it didn’t but there was game about. In the distance was fine looking red stag. When I came to the cairn it was a large are of stones like others I’d seen through Cumbria and was probably of a great age. I then headed SW towards Waite Howes. There were no paths now so it was a case of finding the best sheep track to follow. |
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I crossed Gouthercrag Gill and followed the wall along the top of Gouther Crag. Some interesting outcrops and names followed. I walked over Beastman’s Crag and Fewling Stones on my way to High Wether Howe. The rocky outcrops were interesting and probably not visited very often. Scam Matthew is worth visiting just to say you’ve been there. The summit is of no merit but the name is. The next point on my list was Haskew Tarn which I’d never visited. I had some open ground to cross before getting my first view if it. I had to make some detours because of wet ground but got to the outlet area OK. |
 Haskew Tarn. |
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The cairn on Seat Robert was very prominent in the distance so I made a direct line to it. On the summit I came to one of the few circular Ordnance Survey trig points. It was becoming more difficult to avoid wet ground and my feet were now wet though. I continued by Great Ladstones to Keld Gill where I picked up a faint track but it petered out before reaching the road just outside Keld. There had been a little drizzle but generally the weather was OK. I was back at the car by 12:30.T |
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