Height: 553 metres / 1816 feet Grid reference: NY 50070 04912
Long Sleddale from Birkett’s Ancrow Brow summit
Ancrow Brow
The Bannisdale Horseshoe
Start point: Dryhowe Bridge (NY 531 017)
Dryhowe Bridge, Bannisdale – Whiteside Pike (292) (OF) – Todd Fell (293) (OF) – Capplebarrow (294) (OF) – Ancrow Brow (295) – Long Crag on Bannisdale Fell (296) (OF) – White How (Bannisdale) (297) (OF) – Borrowdale Head (298) –Lamb Pasture (299) (OF) – Dryhowe Bridge, Bannisdale
Weather: Fine with sunny spells.
Today’s walk is a round of Bannisdale, a remote and virtually uninhabited (and unvisited) valley to the north east of Kendal. The walk basically follows Wainwright’s The Bannisdale Horseshoe chapter in his book ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’, page 260, this being the longest round in the book. Ancrow Brow and Borrowdale Head are tagged ‘un-named’ by Wainwright and confusingly Birkett’s Ancrow Brow is different to the one marked on the O.S map.This walk was harder than it appears on the map due to the nature of the grassy hills which are boggy and tussocky and make hard going.
Elevation profile of the route. Key: WP=Whiteside Pike, TF=Todd Fell, C=Capplebarrow, AB1=Ancrow Brow (Birkett), AB2=Ancrow Brow (O.S), LC=Long Crag, WH=White Howe, BH=Borrowdale Head, LP=Lamb Pasture
3D image of the walk route.
Sleddale Forest and Brunt Knott from the summit of Whiteside Pike.
Long Sleddale from Todd Fell. See below for an annotated version of this photo.
White Howe from Capplebarrow.
Long Sleddale from Birkett's Ancrow Brow summit.
The head of Longsleddale from an un-named summit.
Bannisdale from Long Crag.
Quarry workings on Capplebarrow.
Looking south-east to the Howgills from White Howe.
White Howe from Borrowdale Head.
Bannisdale from Lamb Pasture.
Lamb Pasture from Dryhowe Bridge.
Dryhowe Bridge.