Narthwaite, Kensgriff, Randygill Top, Grere Fell, Adamthwaite, Cumbria.
[ 13.8 km] Wed  29 Apr 2009

Start/finish OS grid ref:SD 6982 9694
While driving to the start of my walk I passed through Sedbergh. I needed some potatoes for tonight’s tea. It was 7am and the Wednesday market was set up and a grocer was open on the main street. I’ve mentioned this before but if you pass through many big towns at 7am there is nothing open. I reached the Cross Keys Inn at Cautley and crossed the Rivet Rawthey by the footbridge. A good track took me to Backside Beck and a small ford then up to Narthwaite Farm. I’ve never seen abyone about when passing by the farm but it is occupied and there are always vehicles about. I turned left lhen along the old track towards Mountain View farm buildings. This is not the main public footpath but I had a reason for coming this way. I’d heard that some scened from the 1998 film B. Monkey were filmed here. I managed to buy a copy of the film on DVD and watched it last week. It’s a crime thriller and is reasonably good, but not great. It doesn’t appear to have been released in the UK and I had to buy the DVD from the USA.

Mountain View

Summit cairn on Kensgriff

It was a pleasant walk along the one way track which only leads to the farm. I’d seen the farm from a distance on previous occasions but this is the first time I’d been up close. Some of the roof slates were blow off some years ago so I was expecting the interior to be in a bad state. When I arrived I immediately recognised some of the scenes from the film and wondered about the logistics of getting a film crew and actors up here where there are no facilities or power supply. The surrounding scenery is certainly stunning and the film made the best of this. One of the windows was partly open and it was easy to get inside. I took a few photos before descending down to backside Beck and up the other side of the valley to a small path on the east side of Yarlside.

As Ireached the saddle below Kensgriff the wind was getting up and I’d wanted to stop for a cup of coffee but the wind was too strong and there was no shelter. I walked up the steep path to Kensgriff summit and managed to find some shelter on the NW side. A nice dry green path continues over the top and down to a small tarn on the saddle that connects to Randygill Top where I continued straight up the hillside to the summit at 626m (2054ft). it was exposed and windy so I didn’t hang around. The views are excellent and it give a wonderful 360deg panorama.

Small tarn below Randygill Top

I headed towards the distant Green Bell with its prominent summit trig column. I took a minor path to the right which took me past Spengill Well which the point where a nice clear spring issues from the hillside. An even fainter path took me towards Grere Fell, indicating the lack of walkers in the area. The summit is unmarked; not even the smallest of cairns. I started my descent and soon joined a substantial track descending towards Adamthwaite. Adamthwaite is a strange place. A farm of many building and many old and rusting vehicles and machinery. The first part of the track which by-passes the farm was very muddy but soon improved. I followed it south towards Wandale ruins. I came across a man working on fitting a new gate and supporting post. He was on his own with his quad bike and was digging a deep circular hole to take very large wooden gate post. We chatted for a while then I left him to his work. I stopped briefly at the Wandale ruins then continued on to Narthwaite where still no one was about. I knocked on the door but there was no reply so I continued down the track to the ford across Backside Beck and back to the car near the Cross Keys.