Lakeland Walking Tales

Low and Levers Waters — Low Water and Levers Water

Pike O Stickle — Pike O’ Stickle, Langdale Pikes

Harter Fell Herdie — Herdie on Harter Fell

I love a good yarn almost as much as I love a good fell walk. I live in a small hamlet in the beautiful Cumbrian Lake District. My kitchen window looks out over the fields to the Coniston fells with Dow Crag centre stage. Whenever I can, I get out hill walking to explore these wild peaks that were forged by volcanoes and glaciers hundreds of millons of years ago. What intrigues me nearly as much as their rocky crags and sweepings vistas is their rich history and mythology.

In this blog I describe memorable Lake District walks and recount the tales that surround them. This is not a conventional walking site, full of detailed directions about which stile to cross or at which cairn to fork left or right. There are plenty of those already. If you need one, may I recommend walklakes.co.uk. However, each post on here should furnish you with sufficient detail to sit down with an OS map and plot the route.

What I hope they will do is to inspire you to pull on your walking boots and explore these remarkable hills and dales. If you need no such encouragement, then perhaps they will, in some small way, enrich your experience by giving you fresh insights into the men and women, real or mythical, who trod these paths before you. If you lack the energy or inclination to haul yourself up to these demanding peaks, then I hope these stories will allow you to experience some classic hill walks from the comfort of your armchair.

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Recent Posts

	Murder in Paradise The Brutal Beauty of Dovedale Named for a tragedy & rocked by a murder, Brother’s Water hides its secrets beneath the majestic cliffs of Dove Crag. I walk up to the Priest Hole & share its secrets.
	The Poet & The Romany Queen Stone Arthur to Seat Sandal The romance of the Mail Coach, a Lake Poet’s near miss, a lost crown and a prescient prediction. Grasmere Tales from Lakeland’s finest forgotten writer, W.T. Palmer
	North of the Fateful Sands A Cartmel Peninsula Round The Cartmel Peninsula is a landscape rich in contrast, but ever close are the perilous sands of Morecambe Bay. I embark on a 24 mile round and recount two historic Bay tragedies.
	The Awesome Power of Pillar Rock Lakeland’s Mountain Cathedral First scaled by a shepherd and eulogised by Wordsworth, Pillar Rock is a mountain cathedral with a potent allure. I enlist a mountaineering & climbing instructor to get me to the top.
	Troubled Waters The Unquiet Graves of Coniston The ghosts of two murdered loves haunt Yewdale Beck; the spirit of a smuggler disturbs a smuggler; & a Druid condemns a raven to live for millenia on Dow Crag.
	The Savage Temple In Search of Awe on Scafell Wainwright described Scafell Crag as a great cathedral where a man may lose all his conceit. I go in search of awe on Deep Gill’s West Wall Traverse
	Shades of Winter A Highland Mountain Adventure Over the snowline in the Scottish Highlands to put winter skills into practice with Lakeland’s Hayley Webb Mountain Adventures
	Whiskey Man Lanty Slee – a Langdale Legend Langdale was once home to a notorious bootlegger, famed for his ingenuity and audacity. I walk from Tilberthwaite to Tarn Hows on the trail of Lanty Slee.
	Thorstein A Viking’s Adventure in Lakeland Thorstein of the Mere blends bloody history & ghostly legend in a compelling picture of Dark Age Lakeland. I visit a Giant’s grave in search of Celts & Vikings.
	Sailor, Spy The Revolutionary Roots of Swallows & Amazons Could Arthur Ransome’s experiences in revolutionary Russia underpin his classic story, inspired by childhood holidays on Coniston Water
	Over The Edge The Soaring Majesty of Pinnacle Ridge Pinnacle Ridge on St Sunday Crag is a head-rush of adrenaline and wonder. I sign up for a guided scramble over this iconic arête
	A Bustle in the Hedgerow Cartmel Valley Diary A nature diary charting one year in the life of the hedgerows and low hills of the Cartmel Valley.
	Loweswater Gold The Remarkable Mysteries of Mellbreak Beguiling lakes, stiff scree slopes, a champion ale, a superlative waterfall eulogised by a Lake Poet, and a tragedy with a supernatural twist.
	Walk Out to Winter: New Skills Winter Skills in the Cairngorms In the snow-capped majesty of the Cairngorms, I learn winter skills and meet some remarkable people with inspiring stories of courage, devotion, and survival
	The Lost Kingdom of Mardale Haweswater and Hugh’s Cave In 1936, the Manchester Corporation consigned two centuries-old villages to the bottom of a reservoir. I go in search of a lost kingdom.
	Four Great Books about Lakeland or Walking Fell Farms, Watersheds, Forbidden Britain, & the Best Gin I review books from James Rebanks, Chris Townsend, John Bainbridge, Beth Pipe & Karen Guttridge
	Strange Tales from the Kentmere Riverbank Hall Cove & the Source of the River Kent As I follow the River Kent to its source in Hall Cove, high in the fells that ring Kentmere Head, I discover old tales of tragedy and criminal cunning.
	In the Footsteps of Wainwright Striding Edge to Catstycam A precarious negotiation along craggy crests and plunging precipices to bag my final Wainwright, and a look at what it is that makes Wainwright himself such an inspiration.
	Wonderwall – The Hidden World of Crinkle Gill Crinkle Crags via Crinkle Gill A breathtaking scramble on to Crinkle Crags, through the ravines & rock pools of Crinkle Gill, is nearly blocked by a waterfall known as “The Wall”.
	Skiddaw Stories Skiddaw House, Great Calva, Bakestall, & Skiddaw How Skiddaw spawned the world’s first rock band and why England’s loneliest hostel sparked a constitutional crisis.
	Faeries Wear Boots Green Crag, Harter Fell, & Hard Knott A dramatic waterfall; an outpost of Wainwright country; two tragic deaths; and a faery Court of Forlorn Hope, lurking in the shadow of the Scafells.
	Paint It White Barf via the Bishop Wainwright’s direct route up Barf feels like an epic quest through a landscape steeped in legend.
	The Skiddaw Hermit A poignant tale of Victorian Lakeland In the 1860’s, Skiddaw took one troubled soul to its breast. He lived wild on the fell and was known as the Skiddaw Hermit. This is his story.
	Secrets of the Screes Illgill Head, Whin Rigg & Miterdale Two ghost stories, an old corpse road, a hidden valley, a homicide, and a tragic vanishing: I discover the secrets of the Screes.
	Song From the Wood High Dam & Rusland Heights A stunning walk taking in High Dam, Rusland Heights, & Finsthwaite, and featuring a ghost story and a charcoal burner who kickstarted a conservation project.
	Green Mind Dow Crag & Wordsworth’s Eco Message A post-lockdown walk up Dow Crag passes a magnificient waterfall, born of childhood mischief, and inspires a rumination on Wordsworth’s green message.
	Thorn of Crowns The Rites of Spring & the Secret of Crummock Water In 1988, divers pulled the body of Sheena Owlett from Crummock Water. On a walk over Great Borne & Red Pike, I recall her story.
	Rhiannon A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Dixon Heights With its ruined tower, Bay views, and wild ponies, Dixon Heights is a Wainwright Outlier, rich in enchantment.
	Whisky in the Jar Great Gable via Grey Knotts, Brandreth & Green Gable A walk in the footsteps of smugglers, bootleggers, & a Victorian climbing pioneer who lost his lunch on Gable Crag.
	Sheep & Wolf’s Clothing Eagle Crag From the valley, Eagle Crag looks unassailable, but Wainwright isn’t fibbing when he says there’ s a single line of weakness in its defence.
	The Fell King High Rigg & the Poet Stonemason of St John’s in the Vale I visit the grave of a Victorian stonemason turned poet, who captured the comedy & romance of Cumbrian life like few others could, and revel in the landscape that inspired him.
	Before the Flood Raven Crag & the Flooding of Thirlmere When Thirlmere was turned into a reservoir, it flooded the valley, submerging a shoreline rich in beauty and folklore. I go in search of the ghosts of a lost world.
	An Unkindness of Ravens How Castle Rock of Triermain got its name Castle Rock of Triermain was named for a local superstition and an Arthurian legend. I go in search of Merlin in the Vale of St John.
	This Is My Church Scafell: Lord’s Rake & West Wall Traverse Wainwright declared Scafell Crag, “the greatest display of natural grandeur in the district”. I climb the Lord’s Rake & West Wall Traverse to see for myself.
	Pedestrian Verse St. Sunday Crag, Fairfield & Grisedale Tarn A walk over Fairfield to Grisedale Tarn, a place of lost Celtic crowns, spectral armies, and a Lake Poet’s poignant elegy to his shipwrecked brother
	To the Shores of Lake Placid Landscape of Liberty: from Auschwitz to Ambleside A wintry walk over Lingmoor Fell to the Merz Barn, and the story of 300 children who survived the Nazi death camps to start a new life here beside the lake.
	Hit the Rake Jack Jack’s Rake & Dungeon Ghyll Force Jack’s Rake is a tough scramble on Pavey Ark that Wainwright claims is “just about the limit” for a fell walker. We put hand to rock to discover for ourselves.
	Postcard from the Edge Blencathra via Sharp Edge Sharp Edge is a razor sharp arête on Blencathra and something of a challenge for fell walkers. Is it as terrifying as some claim, or the finest day out in Lakeland? I set off to find out.
	Ocean Rain Red Screes, Mountain Bagging & Memories of War I join the Mountain Bagging group for a memorable scramble up Red Screes and meet a Falklands veteran who’s written a thought-provoking book
	Underworld Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Greenside Mine & Operation Orpheus A Greek legend connects an old lead mine & and a Cold War initiative to curb the nuclear arms race. I trek over Sheffield Pike to find out why.
	A Big Day in the North Blencathra via Doddick Fell Blencathra via Wainwright’s third best route: the exhilarating ridge of Doddick Fell; and a ramble over Mungrisdale Common, Bannerdale Crags, Bowscale Fell & Souther Fell
	Riddle of the Sands Humphrey Head Historic home of England’s last wolf and holy waters celebrated by Romans and modern day celebrities, we investigate the mysteries of Humphrey Head.
	Fire & Water Sunset Over Morecambe Bay, in Snow Climbing Hampsfell in snow to watch the sun set over Morecambe Bay turns into the most magical of fell walks.
	Mountains & Margarine Bonington, Beatrix, Kurt & the Borrowdale Caveman Castle Crag in autumnal splendour and the museums of Keswick and Ambleside spark a train of thought about four Lakeland luminaries and the landscape that inspired them.
	Here’s Where the Story Ends Path of the Plague Dogs II News reports, artillery fire & Sellafield help evoke the atmosphere of Richard Adams’ novel as I follow the dogs’ path through Dunnerdale and out to the sea.
	Whitecoats: Path of the Plague Dogs I Coniston to Seathwaite Tarn via Levers Hause In Richard Adams’ 1977 bestseller, Plague Dogs, Rowf and Snitter escape from a vivisection lab into the Coniston Fells. I put on my boots & follow their route.
	The Beauty of Buttermere Buttermere, Haystacks, Blacks Sail & The High Stile range A journey around the hills and hostelries of Buttermere reveals rich history and astounding natural beauty.
	This Deer Hunter The Nab & The Rut It’s antlers at dawn as Britain’s largest land mammals fight for the right to party, and I pay a tribute to a sly old fox for inspiring me to walk The Far Eastern Fells.
	This Land is Your Land A Dragon’s Back & a Right to Roam An away trip to the iconic Chrome Hill, in the Peak District, provokes a rumination on the right to roam and the mass trespass of 1932
	Reconstruction of a Fable The Fairfield Horseshoe & the Calgarth Skulls The fine mountain ridges of the Fairfield Horseshoe and the spooky story of the Calgarth Skulls
	Away from the Numbers Grey Friar, Great Carrs & Dow Crag from Seathwaite After a farcical start, the disarming beauty of the Duddon valley sets the scene for a stunning ridge walk up Grey Friar and around Seathwaite reservoir.
	Jimmy Hewitson and the Howitzer Coniston, Tarn Hows, Black Fell & Holme Fell A poignant tale of courage, compassion and the redemptive power of the Cumbrian landscape
	Back to Black Sail Great Gable, Black Sail Hut, Pillar & Steeple Sex, fictional drug dealers and plenty of rolling rocks. Tim and I climb Great Gable & spend a very entertaining night at Black Sail hut.
	White Winter Hymnal The Old Man & The Raven After days wrapped in a Christmas cocoon of lethargy and overeating, I head up the Old Man to savour the snow-capped splendour of the Coniston fells.
	Born To Be Wild Millican Dalton and Castle Crag A Borrowdale cave played home to a Professor of Adventure. On a walk up Castle Crag, I visit the cave & recount a Christmas story I’m sure he would have loved
	Summer’s Almost Gone The Kentmere Round The Kentmere Valley is a slice of heaven and the horseshoe of high fells that surround it make for a long but exhilarating adventure.
	In My Time Of Dying Haystacks and Wainwright On a walk over Haystacks, I recount how I swapped the music venues of Newcastle for the hills of Cumbria and found an unlikely new hero.
	A Walk on the Wild Side The Mosedale Horseshoe A real life crime drama; a challenging hike over savagely beautiful mountain terrain & a night at England’s remotest youth hostel
	All That Glitters The Newlands Horseshoe The wild scenery of the Newlands valley is spectacularly fine and surprisingly famous.
	Ghosts of Canadian Airmen Wetherlam, Swirl How & Great Carrs via Steel Edge An Andy Goldsworthy sheepfold and the wreck of a wartime bomber bookend a thought-provoking walk over the Coniston fells.
	Axis: Bold As Love Bow Fell Via The Climbers’ Traverse The summit of Bow Fell feels like the centre of the world and this ascent via the Climbers’ Terrace and the Great Slab is simply breathtaking
	Sympathy For The Devil Blencathra Via Halls Fell Ridge We climb Blencathra via Halls Fell Ridge to discover its Arthurian connection and why Wainwright rated this ascent the best in Lakeland
	This Is the Sea Morecambe Bay, Hampsfell & Cartmel The treacherous beauty of Morecambe Bay, The treasures of Hampsfell and the medieval heritage of Cartmel
Stickle Tarn	Hard Rock Langdale Pikes and Castlerigg A stone circle at sunrise and a “steep ladder to heaven”, linked by an ancient axe industry. A cloud inversion completes a striking walk
Herdie on Harter Fell	Redemption Song Herdwicks and Harter Fell A walk up the heather-clad flanks of Harter Fell & the story of how the Herdwick sheep survived foot and mouth disease
Newby Bridge First Light	The Boatman’s Call Claife Heights and Sawrey The ghostly tale of the Crier of Claife and the true legacy of Beatrix Potter haunt a walk on Windermere’s western banks
Scafell Pike	Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Scafell Pike and Sca Fell A homicidal jester, a notorious whisky smuggler and a spectacular walk to the top of England’s two highest peaks
	Trial By Water Grisedale Pike and Force Crag Mine Ospreys on Bassenthwaite, the last days of Force Crag mine, Long Meg and a cracking walk up Grisedale Pike
	King of the Copper Mountains Dow Crag via the South Rake Skullduggery in Whitehaven, a copper mine begets a sausage and an exhilarating scramble on the Coniston Fells
	Manchester, So Much To Answer For High Street From Haweswater A drowned village, the last English golden eagle and the “connoisseur’s route” to the highest ground east of Kirkstone
	The Stuff of Legend Helvellyn via Grisedale Tarn A lost celtic crown, a ghost army, a reckless romantic with a devoted dog and a teddy with a tragic tale

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Walks, stories and musings from the Lake District Fells