Mungrisdale, Bowscale Fell, Bannerdale Crags, Cumbria.
[12.3 km] Tue 06 Aug 2013

OS Grid Ref: NY 3648 3001
Lat/Long: +54.661240, -02.986177

It was a traffic free drive to Mungrisdale. I parked by the road just to the south of the Village Hall. I set off along the road to the hall which is called Mungrisdale Recreation Room and a date stone of 2004. I had a quick look at the old lime kiln behind then continued to the Church of St Kentigern. The church dates from 1747 and I wanted to photograph the interior. I’d even brought my tripod to cope with the low light levels.

Unfortunately it was locked so I hoped they’d open it later in the day. I wanted to make a direct ascent of Bowscale Fell directly from the village but no path is shown on the map. I could see what looked like a path higher up Raven Crags but there didn’t seem to be one lower down. Behind an old small quarry there was a sheep track heading up the way I was heading. I followed it and it eventually became a proper path.

Higher up the path levelled off and the ground was still firm and dry. I wanted to get a view of Bowscale Tarn below but had to descent for a while to get it. Then it was back up to rejoin the path to Bowscale Fell summit stone shelter. I continued south towards Bannerdale Crags but after a while the path became rather indistinct. It became more defined as it traversed the top edge of Bannerdale Crags.

On the summit it vanished completely. My plan was to descend White Horse bent to the SE and join the main path by the River Glenderamackin. I’d assumed there wouldn’t be a path but today is the first time on the Cumbria fells with Open Street Maps loaded on my Garmin GPS. The map showed a couple of paths descending the way I wanted to go. I was near the first one so navigated my way over to it.

There was no sign of a path on the ground. So I headed for the second path shown and there was no sign of that either. I gave up and picked my own way down to the main path. As I descended to the north I met the first people of the day. The path was well engineered though had a lot of standing water in places.

It would probably have been the main access track to the Lead Mines further up the valley. After the wooden footbridge I was back in Mungrisdale. Although there would have been parking available near the call box there is a request for £2 to do so. At the Recreation Room there was also parking available opposite, but that was £2 as well.
I drove back to St Kentigern’s church and found it was now open, so went in to take a few photos.

St Kentigern's Church