Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 16/02/2017

Start Point: Kiln Bank Cross (SD 215 933)

Kiln Bank Cross – Stickle Tarn – Great Stickle (OF) – Tarn Hill (OF) – Stickle Pike (OF) – Kiln Bank Cross

Distance: 2.5 miles Total Ascent: 235 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 30 minutes Start Time: 09:00

Weather: Mild but very windy, 8°C

There isn’t much real winter weather around but I suppose that does have its own merits. Today was relatively mild but the wind was surprisingly strong once above valley level.

It was a bit of a murky morning, Caw is over there lost in clouds...

The wind really whipped up at Stickle Tarn.

Stickle Pike - but well save that for later.

An alternative view of Stickle Pike, here looking at its rugged side.

On the way to Great Stickle.

Stickle Pike has a fantastic shape.

The Duddon Estuary from Great Stickle.

Looking the other way.

How breezy is it today boys?

Great Stickle from the climb to Tarn Hill.

Our old friend Stickle Pike across one of the tarns.

Great Stickle from Tarn Hill summit cairn.

Up close and personal before we climb it.

The route just walked.

Three peaks - Great Stickle, Stickle Pike #1 and Stickle Pike #2.

The Dunnerdale Fells

Height: 280 metres / 920 feet Grid reference: SD 20712 91877 Category: The Outlying Fells

The Dunnerdale Fells

Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 20/04/2007

Start point: Stonestar (SD 202 912)

Stonestar – Great Stickle (OF) – Tarn Hill (OF) – The Dunnerdale Fells – Stonestar

Distance: 3.1 miles Total Ascent: 358 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 25 minutes

Weather: Hazy but warm. 17oC.

It was very hazy again today with the sun trying to burn through and making it quite warm. We stayed low on the quiet but lovely Dunnerdale fells followed by a cooling dip (for some of us anyway!) in the River Duddon.

Climbing the gully from Stonestar. I feel sure if this was in a more popular part of the Lakes it would be named Great Gully - so Great Gully it is then!

Looking down the Great Gully to the Duddon Valley and The Pike

Heading for Great Stickle there are many ancient cairns littering the area.

All bow to the great Trig. column'!. The summit of Great Stickle with Stickle Pike beyond.

Warm.

Stickle Pike.

A dried up tarn on Tarn Hill.

Stickle Pike, again from Tarn Hill.

It's a mini-haystacks this one with tarns and views.

This edge catches the wind by the look of this hoary old tree. Casper looks decidedly filthy after a visit to a boggy tarn.

The Pike and Hesk Fell on the descent back into the Duddon Valley.

Angus is straight in the River Duddon.

Looking upstream.

It's just lovely here.

Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 13/09/2005

Start point: Stonestar (SD 202 912)

Stonestar – Great Stickle (OF) – Tarn Hill (OF) – The Dunnerdale Fells – Stonestar

Distance: 3.1 miles Total Ascent: 358 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 25 minutes

Weather: Overcast and breezy. 17°C.

Back to nearer home today with a walk up to the group of small, rough fells known as The Dunnerdale Fells lying between the Duddon Valley and Lickle Valley . The clear weather of yesterday has disappeared again and the rain was threatening but thankfully it stayed off. The bracken is noticeably turning brown now – we should know, we waded through enough of it today!

Dunnerdale Fells

Great Stickle ahead. The bracken is beginning to turn brown now.

The Pike across the Duddon Valley with a sunlit Hesk Fell behind.

The summit of Great Stickle, the Duddon Estuary in the distance.

Looking back to Great Stickle from Tarn Hill.

Stickle Pike from Tarn Hill.

A quizzical look on the Dunnerdale Fells.

The Pike through the thick Gorse on the rough descent.

The River Duddon.

The Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 25/03/2005

Start point: Stonestar (SD 202 912)

Stonestar – Great Stickle (OF) – Stickle Pike – Tarn Hill (OF)_- The Dunnerdale Fells – Stonestar

Distance: 4 miles Total Ascent: 502 metres Time Taken: 1 hour 35 minutes

Weather: Warm, becoming sunny at the end of the walk, 13oC.

We had a walk around the Dunnerdale Fells starting from Stonestar on the Duddon Valley road this warm afternoon. This is a lovely and quiet area – hard to find on a Good Friday afternoon I think! It also took in Stickle Pike and Stickle Tarn, the area we walked on Wednesday from the Lickle Valley side.

The walk was a hybrid of two Wainwright Outlying Fell walks. Stickle Pike is described in Wainwright’s Stickle Pike chapter in his book ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’, page 126 and The Dunnerdale Fells are described in the Dunnerdale Fells chapter on page 132.

The Dunnerdale Fells route map.

The Pike across the Duddon Valley from Stonestar.

Looking down the rocky ravine along the Duddon Valley.

The Duddon Estuary from Great Stickle.

Stickle Tarn.

Walking on water?

Heavy clouds on Whitfell.

James and Angus on Stickle Pike.

Looking across to the mound that is 'The Dunnerdale Fells'.

The River Duddon.

The terraced path from Stonestar rising diagonally right to left.

The Dunnerdale Fells from the Duddon Valley.

Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 15/12/2004

Start point: Kiln Bank Cross (SD 215 933)

Kiln Bank Cross – Stickle Pike (OF) – Tarn Hill (OF) – The Dunnerdale Fells (OF) – Great Stickle (OF) – Kiln Bank Cross

Weather: Sunny and bright.

Today’s walk is a Wainwright/Birkett hybrid, taking in Stickle Pike – a personal favourite, the undulating Tarn Hill, a vague top named ‘Dunnerdale Fells’ (a separate ‘Outlying Fell’ walk chapter by Wainwright) and Great Stickle. The views to the north were superb, especially towards the end when the clouds lifted from the high fells.

Caw from the ascent of Stickle Pike.

Stickle Tarn.

Whitfell and Hesk Pike with The Pike in the foreground from Stickle Pike.

Looking to the Duddon Estuary across Tarn Hill and Great Stickle.

The main cairn on Stickle Pike from the south cairn with Harter Fell and the Scafell range in cloud behind.

Tarn Hill and Great Stickle.

Great Stickle.

The ridge that runs along the opposite side of the Lickle Valley; Caw - Brock Barrow - Fox Haw - Raven's Crag - The Knott.

Stickle Pike from the south.

he view from Stickle Tarn; see below for an annotated version of this photo.

Stickle Pike

Walked on 13/07/2004

Start point: Broughton Mills (SD 222 906)

Broughton Mills – Great Stickle (107) (OF) – The Dunnerdale Fells – Tarn Hill (108) (OF) – Stickle Pike (109) (OF) – The Knott (OF) – Broughton Mills

Weather: Sunny and bright.

A short walk in the sunshine today around Broughton Mills taking in a lovely round including Stickle Pike – well worth visiting for the views of the high fells, especially the Scafell and Bowfell ranges.

As well as taking in the Birkett tops, parts of this walk are described in Wainwright’s Stickle Pike chapter in his book ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’, page 126.

From Broughton Mills, I crossed the River Lickle over the bridge and followed the tarmac up to Green Bank Farm where the road petered out into a track and then an overgrown path. Through the woods, the path changed into a walled green lane which skirts the base of Hovel Knott.

Hovel Knott and Great Stickle from the green lane. The path bears off to the right and heads up to the summit of Great Stickle.

The Duddon Estuary from Great Stickle.

Stickle Pike from Great Stickle. From Great Stickle, the path either heads directly to Stickle Pike or traverses the Tarn Hill ridge. I headed for the ridge after making a slight detour to the Dunnerdale Fells summit after confusion arose from my Dunnerdale Fells walk on 1.7.04 when it appeared I never quite reached the correct summit. This turned out to be the case and the correct summit is about 200 metres north west of my original position.

Looking from the cairned summit of the Dunnerdale Fells to the Duddon Estuary. A quick walk past a couple of un-named tarns took me to the summit cairn of Tarn Hill.

The Scafell range and Stickle Pike from Tarn Hill summit. An easy traverse of the ridge where tarns abound brought me to the foot of Stickle Pike.

Stickle Pike from the Tarn Hill ridge. Note the ancient stone circle cairn at the foot of the picture. It was down to the stone circle in the grass depression and up the path to the right of Stickle Pike to the col and then left up the very steep path to the summit of Stickle Pike. The view of Bowfell and the Scafell range from the col and from the summit of Stickle Pike is absolutely magnificent.

Harter Fell in the foreground, the Scafell range to the left and Bowfell in the centre from the summit of Stickle Pike. I then descended back to the col using the same path, past Stickle Tarn down to the fell road.

Stickle Tarn. Across the fell road and along the spoil heaps with the ridge above being the target. I contoured along the low level path longer than the AW route and ascended directly to Raven's Crag. It was interesting to note that the nameless summit 1183' quoted by Wainwright is actually called Raven's Crag by Birkett and Wainwright's Raven's Crag is not named by Birkett!

Stickle Pike over Hoses farm from the low level path. From Raven's Crag there is a descent to a large depression and the an easy, grassy walk to The Knott.

Cairn on The Knott looking to Raven's Crag and Caw.

Black Combe from The Knott. From The Knot, it was straight down over Knott End to the tarmac and back to Broughton Mills past the church.

Holy Innocents Church, Dunnerdale

and the sign at the start of the walk

The Dunnerdale Fells

Walked on 01/07/2004

Start point: Stonestar (SD 202 912)

The Dunnerdale Fells (OF) from Stonestar

Weather: Dull and overcast, some sunny spells.

A short walk this morning to the Dunnerdale Fells from Stonestar on the Duddon Bridge – Ulpha road. This walk follows Wainwright’s Dunnerdale Fells chapter in his book ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’, page 132.

NOTE (added 13th July 2004) – The summit of The Dunnerdale Fells described in this walk is incorrect – see 13th July walk for an update.

The walk starts opposite Stonestar and follows a distinct path, almost like a terrace following a rocky ravine to the ridge.

The Pike from Stonestar.

The path up from Stonestar.

Looking down the rocky ravine to the River Duddon and the fell road. At the top of the ravine after following the stream, it's a sharp right turn across level ground. There is plenty of evidence of old civilisation along here as there is an abundance of ancient cairns and stone walls. Follow the path until a solitary holly tree and then the path joins with one from the left and veers to the right.

The solitary holly tree. When the path reaches a high point, strike out for the rocky, cairned summit knoll which is un-named on O.S maps, this whole area being given the general name of Dunnerdale Fells.

The rocky summit knoll of the Dunnerdale Fells.

Black Combe from the summit of the Dunnerdale Fells.

Looking from the cairned summit to the Duddon Estuary. From the summit, head back to the holly tree and follow the path to the right which takes you directly back to the fell road, a quarter of a mile from Stonestar.

A babbling brook on the descent...

and the River Duddon