Dunnerdale, Lake District Weekend

This weekend has been my first real opportunity of the year to get out into the hills. The weekend started with a shared lift up to the lower part of the Dunnerdale Valley with members of one of my local mountaineering clubs. The accommodation was in club hut which provided an excellent base for getting into an area of the Fells I haven't been to before.

Dunnerdale Fells
Saturday presented us with bright skies and interesting light to view the fantastic views. The walk was not overly ambitious and took us through the coniferous forests at Ulpha Park along a forestry track past freshly felled trees. The low temperatures meant that in the main the churned up ground was rather crispy, otherwise it would have rather less pleasant. The Dunnerdale Fells looked rather promising and we could clearly pick out our target, Stickle Pike in the distance.

Looking towards the Dunnerdale Fells

A short section of road took us to Ulpha Bridge where we could get into our first area of Open Access land. The route up to Stickle Pike was a bit non-descript in places but it was easy to pick out a route to its cairned top. Passing Stickle Tarn on our descent we headed off downhill and eventually found ourselves on the banks of the River Duddon. Two places to cross were marked on the map but the large stepping stones were rather unappealing. A brief attempt was made at crossing but the flow and slippery nature of the stepping stones looked likely to lead to a dunking in the sub-zero water.

Stickle Pike, Dunnerdale Fells

Retracing our steps we headed back to Ulpha Bridge along the bridleway which rejoined our original route at Birks Wood. The latter part of the walk took us through numerous fields bounded by drystone walls. Each had protruding stones to enable you to walk up and down the other side of the wall, however the low angle of the light made spotting them rather problematic. By the time we reached our destination the light was rapidly failing but it had been a refreshing day.

Harter Fell
The logistics of Sunday meant we only had time for a short walk, so we decided on a quick assault of Harter Fell. Parking up at the Forestry Commission carpark at Birks Bridge in Dunnerdale Forest we route marched up along the forestry tack to its termination point. Here it joined a rather boggy and frozen bridleway along the south western flank of Harter Fell. The final 300 or so metres up were a bit of a slog, especially after Christmas festivities and inactivity.

On Harter Fell

The view was well worth it and low angle of the sun added an autumnal glow to the scene. The descent down its south-eastern flank eventually led us back to the forest track by Birks and then onto the carpark. An interesting few hours spent in the company of a Fell what described by Alfred Wainwright as "beautiful."

Looking towards Green Crag

Overall a good weekend walking in the Lake District with weather you would not normally expect at this time of year. Hopefully the next trip to North Wales will be as much fun.