Far Eastern Fells part 4

Swindale

This mission has been put off twice once planned as a Christmas mission and then again in February, all because of life's complications like family and work, and it's only a short exploration of the Swindale valley this secretive beautiful and peaceful valley in the Far Eastern Fells. Now it's April and the way it is in my new job position I am only able to take annual leave in the school holidays, so now I have to hit the Lake District in the holiday period and with every other tourist intent on visiting this place.

So the 3rd of April 2018, I am off up the motorway to the Lake District for a night in the car park at Wet Sleddale. The next morning was a wet one I let Sam the dog out to do his business,  while I put the kettle on and made breakfast, This mission was to explore a new valley called Swindale. 

Seat Robert 6 ½ miles

The weather had improved by the time I had breakfast and took the van up to Swindale to a car parking spot and was ready for this walk took from Alfred Wainwright's book The Outlying Fells.
From the parking area I walked along the road droping down into Swindale valley to Truss Gap and the river crossing of the Swindale Beck, where there's been  a lot of work done on the river to provide a fish pass, by slowing the flow of the river.

I crossed the river and followed a track climbing out of the valley  with views opening up on this grey cold morning, the ground was covered in dead bracken and gorse with no sign of any spring growth.
I left the main track for a faint path still climbing across rough stoney ground looking for larger outcrops of rock like Langhowe Pike and then onto Rowantree Crag all the time climbing crossing a stream and boggy ground and then passing over Great Ladstones to reach Seat Robert and a rest with food and drink while taking in the views.

Seat Robert

Seat Robert summit is crowned with a pile of stones these stones was once a Funerary cairn, It was during the fourth millennium BC in the Neolithic or earliest farming period that the first large religious monuments were built. It was only about the middle of the third millennium BC that a tradition became common of placing individual burials beneath round mounds, often with everyday objects such as pottery and personal items such as daggers, whetstones and flint tools.
Next to Seat Robert summit is another curious object is the Ordnance Survey "trig detector ring.

Trig detector ring.

After leaving Seat Roberts it was the return journey passing a few outcrops of rock slowly descending into the valley crossing many boggy areas and then a steep decent back down to the footbridge crossing the river and a repeat walk back along the road to the van and the end to this walk.

Branstree and Selside Pike Walk 12 miles

The funny thing when sleeping in a van is that night I stopped in a parking area with all round views of the countryside, When I woke this morning I usually after wipe condensation of the glass windows to see out but this morning what was stopping me seeing out this morning was a lare of snow over the glass, was not expecting that when I looked at the weather forecast last night it said wintry showers.
So I put the heaters on to warm up and melt the snow while I had breakfast.
That morning I stepped out of the van into a winter wonderland on a cold blue sky with the surrounding hills covered  in snow and the valley bottoms still green.
Todays walk was a long one and I was excited to get going . But first the 2  ½ mile road walk along the valley bottom.

Swindale Head 

Where the road ends is at the head of the valley and you follow a track and start to climb out of the valley leaving Swindale Head and leaving the main track for a small path to the ravine and the series of waterfalls just beautiful.

 It was very wet and slippery underfoot but as I climbed up enjoying the ravine and waterfalls and the sound of birdsong the ground starts to level out and you come to the main track again.

Along the very wet track I thinking of a place to stop and rest at, I new Mosedale Cottage was coming into view.
Mosedale Cottage is looked after by the Mountain Bothies Association that exists  to maintain remote buildings for which the owner has no use for, yet remain important to walkers and others who make use of the shelter they provide.
The perfect place to rest and have a coffee break as I made it to the cottage.

Mosedale Cottage

While resting at the cottage I noticed Sam was watching something outside on the hill side I strained my eyes to see in the distance was a heard of deer he was watching.
Time to move on back on the main track and climbing up to meet another track at Gatescarth Pass only for a short section before turning off for a path to follow the fence line to the top of the flat top fell known as Branstree near the summit was another Ordnance Survey "trig detector ring.

Trig detector ring.

But what took my attention was the views, and the best view was from the summit was Artlecrag Pike.

Artlecrag Pike.

Looking towards Selside Pike

A bit of snow and clear skies made this joy to be out on the fells so on I went to my next fell Selside Pike but on the way I made a detour to see the survey post, the last time I seen one of these was on the walk to Tarn Crag, that one and this one was served for a time in the construction of the Longsleddale tunnel conveying the  Haweswater Aqueduct south.

The survey post

Its hear I stopped for lunch and rested till I got cold and then started on my way to Selside Pike getting my body temperature back up.

Selside Pike summit and another big pile of stones for the summit and this where I sat to take in the great expanse of a view I had on such a clear day, The Pennines to the east was the farthest I  could see, but with the snow it was like icing on a cake.
It was the cold that got me moving again or I could have stayed longer. It was down hill from hear to the Old Corpses Road corpse roads provided a practical means for transporting corpses often from remote communities to cemeteries that had burial rights such as parish churches.

Selside Pike summit 

And the view from Selside Pike summit 

The last part of this walk was repeat of walking back along the road from Swindale Head back to the van and both me and Sam was ready for a rest but what a great walk thanks to the weather.

The Naddle Horseshoe Walk 8.5 miles  

This morning the weather was back to a normal overcast grey day ahead of me on this last walk of this mission, I was starting from the car park where I have been for last few days, this walk was explore a group of hills.
The first part to Scalebarrow Knott following a track then miner path along side a wall climbing up to the knott and my first open views, but with low cloud covering the maor fells. I carried on following the faint path and wall passing a pumping station head away from the wall to summit of Hare Shaw and then back to this very long wall to have a short coffee break.
Leaving the wall behind and following a faint path through heather and grass to Naddle Forest, not easy to follow and trying to find Hugh's Laithes Pike and another break but longer one while getting my first view of Haweswater Reservoir.

Hugh's Laithes Pike

The last leg of the walk with trees about now as I pass Naddle Farm and then the Naddle Brook and climb back up and bring me full circle back to the long wall and the finish of this walk and also the finish of this mission.