Height: 395 metres / 1296 feet Grid reference: NY 14343 02610
Illgill Head
Start Point: Miterdale (NY 146 011)
Miterdale – Irton Fell – Whin Rigg – Illgill Head – Robin Gill – Miterdale
Distance: 8.7 miles Total Ascent: 728 metres Time Taken: 4 hours Start Time: 09:20
Weather: Overcast, clearing slowly, 15°C
Today’s walk was across the top of ‘The Screes’ over Whin Rigg and Illgill Head. There are great views from the edge of the screes across Wasdale but the valley walk on the return leg isn’t that great, it being very enclosed and the way I went was quite boggy. All the better for testing new boots then…
Miterdale Round
Start point: Old Quarry car park (NY 121 012)
Old Quarry car park – Irton Pike (OF) – Irton Fell – Whin Rigg – Illgill Head – Burnmoor Tarn – Miterdale – Old Quarry car park
Distance: 11 miles Total Ascent: 745 metres Time Taken: 4 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Sunny with a cool wind on the tops. 10°C.
It turned out to be a really sunny day today, the early clouds soon cleared from the high fells and although there was a cold wind on the Whin Rigg – Illgill Head ridge, the walk back along Miterdale was in very Spring-like conditions. This is a lovely walk and Miterdale feels really remote; we didn’t see a soul today.
Illgill Head
Start point: Old Quarry car park (NY 121 012)
Old Quarry car park – Irton Pike (OF) – Irton Fell – Whin Rigg (445) – Illgill Head (446) – Burnmoor Tarn – Miterdale – Old Quarry car park
Distance: 11 miles Total Ascent: 900 metres Time Taken: 4 hours
Weather: Grey to start, ever brightening. 7°C
It started off a bit grey and murky this morning, but at least it wasn’t raining after the downpour yesterday which left many places waterlogged and boggy. These fells overlooking Wast Water are perhaps better known from the side as ‘The Screes’, where the steep and treacherous western face looks almost insurmountable. The contrasting eastern side falling to Miterdale is quite gentle and grassy and this is the route I took for the return leg after the ridge walk above Wast Waster.
Irton Pike
Start point: Old Quarry car park (NY 121 012)
Old Quarry car park – Irton Pike (OF) – Irton Fell (271) – Great Bank (272) – Old Quarry car park
Weather: Cool and clear.
I’m under doctor’s orders today but exercise was recommended so it had to be an easy walk taken at a gentle pace. The Irton Pike/Irton Fell route was ideal as it gives great views of the high fells without being too strenuous. There were still many trees lying around in the Miterdale Forest and the surrounding woods having been blown over by the recent high winds.