Lat/Long: 54.585676, -02.940820
OS Grid ref: NY 39296 21571
The weather was gloomy for
my drive to Dockray. I passed the car parks near Aira Force
which were charging £7/day and continued to Dockray and the
small (free) car park by the bridge. I walked back down the road
to the pay car park. |
Dockray
art
cabin |
Aira Beck |
|
I took the well-used path down to Aira Beck and although the
light was low took a photo by holding the camera on a rock. The
path then took me down to the memorial stone bridge with an
inscription that reads: |
Memorial Bridge |
 |
Top Plaque-THIS BRIDGE WAS BUILT BY FRIENDS/ IN MEMORY OF/
STEPHEN EDWARD SPRING RICE C.B./ 1856-1902 Bottom Plaque-HE
WOULD HAVE LIKED HIS BROTHER GERALD, WHO 14 YEARS AFTER HIM/
ALSO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY, TO BE COMMEMORATED ON THIS
SPOT
==
Stephen Edward Spring Rice, CB (28 March 1856 – 6
September 1902) was a British civil servant and academic. |
|
I followed the path east through the trees then out onto the
fellside below the south side of Gowbarrow. It climbs steadily
up and gives good views of Lyulph’s Tower below. It was built in
the 1780s by Charles Howard, the 11th Duke of Norfolk, as a
hunting lodge. The name comes from Lyulph, a Viking settler who
is reputed to have given his name to Ulph’s Water which then
became Ullswater. |
Lyulph’s Tower |
‘A Thank - Offering Oct 1905’ |
Ullswater |
|
Higher up the path I came to the stone Memorial Bench with the
inscription ‘A Thank - Offering Oct 1905’. It is in a
spectacular viewing position but nobody knows anything about it.
Wainwright mentions it in his Eastern Fell book but no
information. Nearby is a promontory and cairn giving an even
more spectacular view of Ullswater. The path then heads north to
the site of the old stone shooting hut. It is shown on the map
and wainwright has a drawing of it in his book but now it is
just a pile of rubble. |
The path turns NE through the dark Swinburn Park. I noticed
a couple of stone carvings on the way called the ‘Herdwick
Stones’. Apparently there are 3. At the gate I left the path and
headed up the open and pathless fell to the high point above
Underwood and Priest’s Crag. |
Herdwick stone |
Place Fell in the distance |
|
It is a very nice grassy summit and I’m surprised the map
doesn’t give it a specific name. I descended to the road,
crossed over and up the path to the summit of Little Mell Fell.
It is short and steep but son gives more good views. |
Little Mell Fell |
I descended to the west where there is a faint path to the
locked gate then nothing thereafter except a faint sheep track.
An old zig zag track took me down to the narrow road where I
turned left and through Lowthwaite. Then by road to Ulcat Row
and the track and path back to the car at Dockray where the
small car park was now full. |
Road to Ulcat |
Royal Hotel Dockray |
|
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