A road trip around the Northern Outlying Fells June 2012

In June I was desperate to bag more of Wainwright's Outlying Fells in the Northern and North Western sectors.  I used the car to hop from walk to walk. The distances walked on the "six walks in a day" were quite easy apart from the climb from Flat Fell and across to Dent, which was fairly arduous.

So I set out solo at 5.55am with our terrier Treacle on a mission to do as many of the outstanding fells as I could and make some contacts for WOTA and SOTA. 

Treacle enjoying the fresh air on the cairn on Fauld's Brow LDO-060

So there I was by 8.45am, sat on top of Fauld's Brow chatting to my ham radio friends in Cumbria. The summit was a very short walk from a car park on common land north west of the main Caldbeck Fells. 

Twisted tree deformed by wind on St John's Hill LDO-078

From there I motored a short distance north of Bassenthwaite Lake to bag St John's Hill and Caermote Hill. These two could be walked together, a round trip from the car of less than two miles.  Some cattle with young calves had to be passed. I was concerned, for my own safety so Treacle was secured to a fence while I went across the two fields and back to visit Caermote Hill. 

Back to the car now and a 7 mile drive to the village of Blindcrake.  From there I walked up a track near Allison House Farm to the summit of Clint Crags. The right of way took me up a large field of grass which had recently been dusted with some brown substance - probably fertilizer.  My boots and treacle's feet and legs were covered in the stuff. 

Another drive now - I was motoring in an anticlockwise manner across the north of Cumbria. My route took me to a lane north of Cockermouth and I parked on the edge of woodland on Setmurthy Common.  A steep climb in the woods took me up to two more of Wainwrights Outlying Fells - Watch Hill (Setmurthy Common) and Watch Hill, which is 1 Km west from the previous summit. 

I was soon back at my car after more radio contacts and on my way south through Cockermouth and Ennerdale Bridge to park near to Flat Fell. I climbed this easy fell after crossing the Coast to Coast route at Nannycatch Beck.  From there I took the shortest route I could to the top of Dent, and then followed the C2C route back to my car. That section of my trip took two hours. 

Treacle - Lakeland/Border Terrier on Flat Fell LDO-082

From there is was back to the car and a drive south via Calder Bridge where I joined the A595 to reach the track leading to Muncaster Fell. A summit I had visited before, but worth calling again for a SOTA point.  It took me an hour to reach the summit, make a few contacts and return to the car. 

Heading down on Wainwright's C2C route off the summit of Dent  to Nannycatch Gate 

My drive home to North Yorkshire was interrupted by a meal stop in Kendal from some food and drink courtesy of the KFC there - I much prefer the Penrith outlet but I was starving. 

It was 10.15pm before I arrived home.

Distance walked: 12.15 miles

Height climbed: 2840 feet

Distance driven: 305 miles