Holme Fell

Walked on 26/07/2005

Start point: Hodge Close (NY 315 016)

Distance: 1.8 miles Total Ascent: 203 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 30 minutes

Weather: Overcast, very still. 17°C.

It was quite grey and overcast again this morning but very still which made it feel quite warm. We had a walk to Holme Fell from Hodge Close, it was a lovely walk on a day like today – very relaxing with the heather in full bloom. As Wainwright said ‘…the glorious jungle of juniper and birch, heather and bracken make this one of the most attractive of Lakeland’s fells’.

Holme Fell route map.

Hodge Close, a disused quarry.

Climbers on the smooth quarry wall...they must be mad!

Ivy Crag and Holme Fell reflected in one of the disused reservoirs.

The reedy end of the reservoir.

The Langdale Pikes and High Raise from Holme Fell summit. Lingmoor Fell is in the foreground.

Holme Fell summit.

Wetherlam from Holme Fell. Pike O' Blisco is the fell in the distance on the far right of the photo.

Coniston Water from the southern end of Holme Fell.

The heather is in full bloom.

More reflections in another disused reservoir. On the way home (after ice-cream, of course!) we stopped off to give Angus a dunk in Coniston Water.

Coniston Water.

Holme Fell

Walked on 14/03/2005

Start point: Hodge Close (NY 315 016)

Holme Fell from Hodge Close

Distance: 1.8 miles Total Ascent: 203 metres Time Taken: 40 minutes

Weather: Overcast with hail and rain showers.

A short walk up to Holme Fell from Hodge Close today; there are great views of The Langdale Pikes and Coniston Water from here. The skies were murky and threatening ‘weather’ but we managed to get down before the worst. Hodge Close is an intriguing place; it is a disused quarry that warrants closer inspection and its deep chasm holds relics of an industrial past.

Holme Fell route map.

The approach to Holme Fell from the north.

Wetherlam from the summit.

Coniston Water.

The Langdale Pikes.

One of the disused reservoirs on the slopes of Holme Fell.

Hodge Close, a disused quarry...

...with cobalt blue water at the bottom of the deep hole.

Two great arches, the entrance to the hole....

...nice for a swim.

'Hodge Close'.

Holme Fell

Walked on 06/08/2004

Start point: Glen Mary Bridge, Yewdale (NY 321 999)

Glen Mary Bridge – Holme Fell (136) – Hodge Close – Oxen Fell – Black Crag on Black Fell (137) – Tarn Hows – Glen Mary Bridge

Weather: Drizzle at first, clearing later.

Today’s walk takes in the lower fells of Yewdale – Holme Fell and Black Crag. Holme Fell offers great views of the Coniston range whist Black Crag gives a fine panorama of distant fells.

The walk starts from the car park at Glen Mary Bridge adjacent to the A593 Ambleside to Coniston road. Turning left from the car park, it is a short walk to Yew Tree Farm, across the bridge and right through the gate.

Yew Tree Farm. It was then through another gate on the right and I followed the track until a fork, at which I kept left and started ascending Holme Fell through Uskdale Gap above Yew Tree Tarn.

Yew Tree Tarn from Uskdale Gap. Turning left at the shoulder, the first ascent was to the large cairn on Ivy Crag then a descent across a basin to the summit outcrop of Holme Fell.

Looking to Wetherlam through the mist and drizzle from the summit of Holme Fell. Descending northwards, I threaded my way through the disused reservoirs, trees and past an old quarry to pick up a main path heading for Hodge Close.

A disused reservoir on Holme Fell.

The large hole of the eerie Hodge Close Quarry with its copper sulphate blue lake. After skirting Hodge Close, I picked up another main path which headed for High Oxen Fell Farm; through the farm the path becomes a surfaced road.

High Oxen Fell Farm. Bearing left, I then headed through Low Oxen Fell down to the main A593 and straight across to the track leading to Hollin Bank. I followed the wall up to the top of the field, through a gate on the left and up to a path past Low Arnside. Turning left at the gate before Iron Keld plantation and up onto Arnside plantation, Black Crag summit was now in view ahead. A steep climb alongside a wall took me to the summit and superb views of the surrounding area now that the drizzle had lifted.

Coniston Old Man and Wetherlam from the summit of Black Crag.

Coniston Water...

and Esthwaite Water from Black Crag summit.

Windermere from the summit of Black Crag. A large cairn is visible to the south east and I headed for this before my descent.

Wansfell Pike across Windermere from the south-east cairn. From here, I headed southwards to the Iron Keld plantation. This has changed beyond recognition recently, last time I was here at Christmas it was a dark forest. Things have now come full circle since Wainwright's days when this was an immature plantation.

Iron Keld plantation - nearly gone. I headed on through the plantation and turning right, set off down a steep path until the crossroads for Tarn Hows. There is also tree felling work ongoing in Tarn Hows itself, but with a difference as they are using a horse and cart to move the logs. I followed the main Tarn Hows path on its western shore until the outfall stream.

Tarn Hows. Following the path on the right hand side of the outfall took me past lovely waterfalls and directly back to the car park at Glen Mary Bridge.