TWO Wainwright walk: Black Fell and Holme Fell
Walk Rating:⭐⭐⭐
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Parking: at Skelwith Bridge - free roadside parking in the low season next to the Talbot Bar.
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| Holme Fell from the road to Tilberthwaite |
Both Black Fell and Holme Fell stand only just a little over 1000 feet in height, in the lower-lying countryside near to the beauty spot of Tarn Hows, but both provide excellent views of much higher Lakeland peaks.
The Wainwright Guide to the Southern Fells suggests a number of routes to their tops. In a previous post, I suggested treating them as two separate walks but this post proposes a circular walk over both fells, while also visiting both Tarn Hows and the quarry lakes at Hodge Close.
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| Strava estimates a total walking distance of around 16km / 10 miles |
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| Park Fell, beyond the river, as you cross the bridge |
1. Starting at Skelwith Bridge, walk south to cross the River Brathay on the road bridge. The main road soon bends to the right but you should continue ahead along the minor road that continues southwards towards the higher ground of Park Fell beyond.
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| Follow the footpath sign up the track ahead |
2. Look for a sign ahead of you as the minor road bends to the left saying "Unsuitable for motors". Head up the lane beside this sign, to the right of a beck coming down the hillside. When the lane soon turns right to become a stony track (decidedly unsuitable for motor vehicles!), continue on the path uphill alongside the beck.
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| The path uphill crosses over to the other side of the beck |
3. The path crosses the beck and continues uphill alongside a fence until it reaches a tarmac road. Go up the steps and turn right onto the road.
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| Go up onto the road and head right |
4. Walk along the road for just a couple of hundred yards, recrossing the beck, and then look for the path to the left that heads into the woods and back uphill towards Park Fell.
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| Look for this path just before the road bends to the left |
5. Follow the path through the trees until it reaches a metal gate. Go over the gate and then head left along the path that winds up the hillside, now over more open ground.
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| Go over the gate and then left on the footpath |
6. As you walk uphill, sometimes over boggy ground, you will be able to see Windermere to your left and, behind you, Loughrigg Fell and the hills of the Fairfield Horseshoe beyond it.
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| Loughrigg behind you as the path heads uphill by a stone wall |
7. The path ascends up a grassy groove, alongside a stone wall, until it reaches a small - and photogenic - tarn, about one mile from the start of the walk.
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| Taken from the slope heading up to Park Fell |
8. It's worth taking a short detour up the slope to the right of you to climb up to the top of 'Park Fell'. There are good views over towards Bowfell and the Langdale Pikes.
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| The view from the top of Park Fell |
9. If you've taken the 'detour', retrace your steps back to the little tarn and carry on around its right edge, following the path uphill towards Black Fell itself.
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| Looking back over the tarn towards Helvellyn |
10. Follow the clear path up the open fellside until you reach a well-maintained stone wall coming up from the valley below, perpendicular to the way you have been walking. |
| Coniston Water appears in sight shortly before you reach the wall |
11. Head steeply left up the turf, beside the wall, heading to the top of Black Fell.
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| Head steeply uphill, alongside the wall |
12. A ladder stile takes you over the wall to take in the views from the top of the fell (at just 1056 feet - but it does 'count' as one of the 214 Wainwright Fells!).
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| The ladder stile takes you to the top of Black Fell |
13. There's a trig column built on the highest point with its National Trust sign saying 'Black Crag', and there's also another well-built cairn on a lower peak, a little below towards Windermere.
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| The view towards Windermere and the distant Howgills |
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The view towards Crinkle Crags, Bowfell & the Langdale Pikes
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14. Once you've taken in the views, head south - away from the ladder-stile - down the slope towards Tarn Hows and Coniston Water. You are now about 2 miles into the walk. |
| Head away from 'Black Crag' towards Coniston Water |
15. Follow the path until you reach a wide track heading through a gate into the trees of the 'Iron Keld' plantation.
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| Go through the gate into the 'Iron Keld' plantation |
16. Follow the main track gently downhill until you reach the gate at the other side of the plantation. Go through it and turn right along another wide track, towards Wetherlam.
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| Head right along this new track, with Wetherlam behind |
17. You will see the water of Tarn Hows in the hollow below you to the left. After the track has taken you downhill to the right - about 3 miles into the walk - you will see another gate in the stone wall to the left of the track. Go through the gate and along the path that takes you down to the tarn.
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| Head through this gate and down to Tarn Hows |
18. Turn right to go along the track around the perimeter of Tarn Hows, no doubt accompanied by many others visiting this beauty spot.
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| Tarn Hows |
19. At the far end of the lake, instead of going up to the main Tarn Hows car park, look for the footpath sign pointing you to the right, along the side of 'Tom Gill', the stream draining from the tarn down into the valley below.
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| Head right to walk alongside Tom Gill |
20. Take the beautiful path down through the woods alongside the gill. You are now about 4 miles into the walk.
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| Head downhill through the woods |
21. You'll pass the Tom Gill waterfalls - will you be tempted to put your head under?!
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| The Tom Gill waterfalls |
22. The path eventually emerges at the side of the main road, next to the Glen Mary Bridge car park. Holme Fell stands ahead of you on the other side of the road.
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| Holme Fell - your next destination - across the road |
23. Turn left to do a short stretch of road walking (look out for traffic!) before you soon reach the entrance to Yew Tree Farm. Turn right towards the farm but don't go into the farm itself. Instead, take the public footpath through the gate to the right of its entrance.
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| Head through the gate to the right of Yew Tree Farm |
24. Take the track that goes up behind the farm, then turn right along a smaller public footpath that heads between Yew Tree Tarn and Holme Fell.
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| Turn right to take this path to the east of Holme Fell |
25. Follow the path along the eastern flank of Holme Fell - you may pass some of the farm animals too.
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| Continue along the flank of Holme Fell |
26. After about 5 miles into the walk, the path bears left and uphill to climb up the side of Holme Fell, away from the main road and Yew Tree Tarn in the valley below.
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| The path then starts to climb the side of the fell |
27. The stony (sometimes muddy!) path climbs up towards a col known as the 'Uskdale Gap'.
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| Heading up to the 'Uskdale Gap' |
28. When the path emerges at the top of the climb, a prominent cairn marks the path up to your left that takes you up to the subsidiary peak of 'Ivy Crag'.  |
| Heading up to Ivy Crag |
29. From Ivy Crag there are good views north towards the Helvellyn range and south towards Coniston Water - particularly if you walk south beyond the main cairn.
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| The views from Ivy Crag |
30. From Ivy Crag, you need to descend into the little valley below, then steeply up to the parallel ridge which marks the true peak of Holme Fell itself (if at just 1040 feet). This will be about 6 miles into the walk. Again, there are fine views to the north and south, as well as west towards Wetherlam.
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| On the top of Holme Fell |
31. Rather than tackle the steep path back into the valley between the two ridges, its easiest to head north from the main ridge and look for paths that take you at least slightly more gently down towards the little reservoir/tarn below.
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| Head down the fellside towards the reservoir below |
32. Walk around the main reservoir (once part of the quarrying operations below), either to its left or right, then head downhill through the trees along increasingly wider tracks.
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| The track down to Hodge Close Quarry |
33. Evidence of the area's industrial heritage becomes more obvious as you get closer to the tarmac road at Hodge Close, not least the deep hole of the main quarry that you reach just before arriving at the Hodge Close Car Park. As you walk north along the road, head right to peer carefully over the edge into the flooded main quarry (at about 7 miles into the walk) - and also into a second tree-filled quarry soon after.
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| The main flooded quarry at Hodge Close |
34. The rest of the hike back to Skelwith Bridge is along clear tracks and paths. First, head along the road between the buildings of Hodge Close and then continue onwards, following the byway signposted to 'Stang End'.
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| Walk along the road towards Stang End |
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| Continue along the clear track |
35. At about 8 miles into the walk, the track reaches a tarmac road and the buildings of 'Stang End'. Turn right and walk along this road.
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Stang End
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36. When you reach the next set of buildings at 'High Park', look for the gate where the well-made path of the 'Cumbria Way' takes you across a field and then into the woods above Colwith Force. |
| The Cumbria Way at High Park |
37. You can either takes the path down to the waterfall at Colwith Force or - and it's probably quicker - stick to the higher new path to the right of the woods.
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| Taking the higher path |
38. Whichever route you take, you will emerge onto the tarmac road to Elterwater. Look for the gate stile just to the east of the road bridge over the river (at about 9 miles into the walk). Now follow this footpath for the last mile or so between the farms and homes (including a tea room at the Elterwater Park Guest House!), before arriving back at Skelwith Bridge.
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| Follow the sign for the last mile back to the start |
Worth knowing: Hodge Close Quarry, worked for its slate from the 19th century, is worth visiting in itself. There is a route which takes you down into the quarry - a route that can be found by searching other walking and caving websites.
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| Looking down to "Skull Cave" |
