Eskdale and Wasdale Summer Mission Part 1.

Eskdale and Wasdale Summer Mission Part 1.

June 24^th to the 29^th this being the longest mission so far and a solo mission to revisit Eskdale. So after a three-hour drive, I arrived at Cumbria's west coast, into the village of Ravenglass in the late afternoon. 

Ravenglass

5.30 Miles circular 

After an hour of resting after the drive up from Derbyshire, I needed to stretch my legs, so the first walk of the day was coming from Wainwright's book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, this part of the walk is from the Muncaster Fell walk.

Map of the walk

Ravenglass is sited on peninsular in the estuarial confluence of the rivers Esk, Mite and Irt and it’s here they come together and meet the Irish Sea.

A three-mile circular walk starting from the village of Ravenglass, from the village I  followed the coast and railway line on this cool grey afternoon, I followed the coast till I came to the Esk estuary and then turned inland to go under the railway viaduct.

Some of the first people to settle in Cumbria where the Mesolithic people around 75000 years ago. At that period in history, the fells were densely wooded, to a height of 1500 feet this woodland extended down across the coastal plain, leaving only a narrow shoreline strip suitable for settlement.

This coastal fringe suited the Mesolithic people. They were hunters and gathers, important sites such as this area, what is known as Eskmeals, have yielded extensive finds of flint scrapers, arrowheads and ‘microliths’, small finds of flint that were set into a wooden or bone shafts.

It’s these people I started to think about as I walked along the river, how they would have seen the world, travelling up the river into the wild woods of Eskdale on a hunting trip.

I left the river and started to climb to Newton Knot the views started to open up with Black Combe in the distance and a lovely wooded view up the Esk valley.     

Ravenglass

Eskdale from Newton Knot

From Newton Knot I took another path to the grounds of Muncaster Castle and the walk along the A595, only a short section of road walking and then back on to a footpath to a small pond and then onto the Roman bath house and the end to nice little walk.

Muncaster Fell 

25/06/2011, 7 miles circular

The first full day in this area and after a night of rain, while wild camping in the Duddon Valley.
I arrived in the village of Eskdale Green on this damp morning. This is part two of yesterday's walk, the rain clouds covered most of the fells today, my plan was to do the valley route first, just in case the weather may improve later for the route over Muncaster Fell on my way back on this circular walk.
I left the village on a path across a damp meadow with lots of marsh orchids to see on my way to the railway crossing; the next path after the crossing ran at the foot of the fell on and into the Muncaster estate, you knew you were on an estate because of the exotic shrubs of the rhododendrons that were everywhere.

I left the level ground of lower Eskdale and started the climb through the woods and up onto the plateau and onto Muncaster Tarn.

Muncaster Tarn

I stopped at the tarn for my dinner and the weather had not improved so after dinner it was over the top passing the trig point in the low cloud covering the fell I made my way off the fell and out of the cloud into the green valley of the Esk and back to the village of Eskdale Green to finish off the walk.

It was mid-afternoon so I took the car up the valley to Boot village and a little car park next to Trough House Bridge. I parked up for an hour watching the weather, shower after shower. I decided on an evening walk to explore the valley.

Eskdale valley walk.

4-mile circular

Another new book, to add depth to my exploration was the Lake District Natural History Walks, Christopher Mitchell, I was going to do walk number 7, Eskdale a riverside walk, 3 miles.

As I walked to St Catherine’s Church the rain had stopped and it started to brighten up, there was a wedding going on at the little church as I passed the church and down to the river Esk, the river was flowing fast because of the rain we have had.

I crossed the river on the disused railway line, what is known as Girder Bridge, the railway line was used to take iron ore from this area. I followed the river path for a short section, then pulling away from the river slowly for a higher path, I walked slowly on this walk I was identifying the trees and the plants to find anything I did not recognize, nothing stood out for me,  I was just enjoyed the lush areas of mixed deciduous woods of oak, ash, birch and hazel.

I passed a spruce plantation hiding a nice secluded tarn, the weather was improving with sunny spells, I made my way to the road, with nice views up the valley, I joined the road and crossed Doctor Bridge for the return journey along the north side of the river.

Looking across the river there was a good view of a waterfall coming off the fells this waterfall is known as Biker Force.
The path along the bridge took me back to Girder Bridge and the end of the walk, do I use the same path back  to Trough House Bridge, looking at the map gave an alternative route back on the other side of the bridge, so I crossed Girder Bridge again and followed the path, this path took me to an interesting site known as Stanley Gill.
There is an information board telling me about the site and showing an interesting walk. But not today my energy levels were running low and so was daylight, so I left it for tomorrow morning and made my way back to the car park and I set up my wild camp in the car park for the night.

Stanley Gill

 26/6/11 

After packing my tent up and made up my food pack up for the day I returned to Stanley Gill to do this small walk, I passed through ancient woodland of sessile oak, birch and hazel, the path started to climb through this damp woodland passing small waterfalls what were rich in many ferns, lichens, and liverworts. After half hour of walking I came to the top and out of the trees into a field system with views of the surrounding fells, and my chance to see what the weather was doing today, in fact, it was improving, still, the highest fells were in the clouds.I returned the same way back to the car.

Stanley Gill

Muncaster fell   

After my little adventure of Stanley Gill, I took the car back to Ravenglass filled up with petrol and I decided now that the weather had improved I was to revisit Muncaster Fell to get a clear view from the summit. So I parked in the grounds of Muncaster Castle and took the track straight to the top about a half hour of walking passing the tarn again to the trig point 231 m 758 ft.

Esk estuary

From the trig point, I retraced my path back to the car, that was worth it with the good views, now it was on to my next walk a short drive to  Waberthwaite., and after two short mission now a long one to finish my day off.

Stainton Pike  

from Weberthwaite, 8 ¾ miles

This walk took from the book Outlying Fells of Lakeland A Wainwright, in the book at the start of the Stainton Pike chapter he states this is a tough walk by the route described, much of it over the pathless terrain of an easy gradient but rough underfoot.

Stainton Pike is one of many well-defined summits on the long ridge of high ground that terminates at Black Combe, this being the first of many I shall visit while exploring this area.

So all packed I set off across the landscape with map and compass at hand, Wainwright mentions a forestry plantation but this seems to have gone now.  But I did find some cairns and these cairns were also indicated on the map and my research on the area makes these burial cairns from the mid-Bronze Age. I left the cairns behind and headed for a small ravine and a stream, I ascending slowly and came to Rowantree Force a double little waterfall and a nice rest point before the climb to the summit.

Rowantree Force

Now for the summit, as I head up I came across a fence what I followed up to the top looking for exit to the summit cairn, but no luck, I could see the cairn, so I carried on following the fence line to a little tarn, but still no exit, but now I could see the Knot my next destination.

From the top, the views were poor due to low cloud covering the Scarfells. just started to head down to the Knot when I got a sudden whoosh over my head and saw a pigeon being chased by a peregrine falcon. But back on the walk and I made it down to the Knott and got my first view of Barnscar village. 

Barnscar a mid-Bronze Age settlement is roughly 200 feet square and covers ¾ of an acre. To the north are two communal areas with two adjoining huts. On the western side are the remains of four detached hut circles, while to the south and east are irregularly shaped enclosures with large hut circles attached. 

Barnscar settlement

Further examinations of the cairns in the area by D Walker in 1957, gave pollen readings coinciding with the clearance of the upland forest during the mid-Bronze Age.

Back to the walk and the last section as far as the walk has gone so far it's been a good walk no hardship till now this last section with no path trying to navigate through dense bracken and grass, then into area of bogs and rushers, made it hard going the only thing of interest now was the flowers in the bogs, Marsh orchids and Bog asphodel. I made it back to the road and the last section of the walk along the road, it’s been a good long day with three missions but now I am tired out.

Back at the car and now the drive over to Wasdale Head.