Height: 499 metres / 1637 feet Grid reference: NY 23191 03080
Windy on the summit of Yew Bank!
Yew Bank
Yew Bank
Height: 207 metres / 679 feet Grid reference: SD 26252 90964 Category: The Outlying Fells
The summit of Yew Bank
Yew Bank from Hause, the route of ascent is the path in the centre of the photo
Woodland Fell
Start point: Woodland (SD 248 895)
Woodland – Yew Bank (OF) – Beacon Tarn – Wool Knott (OF) – Green Moor Farm – Woodland
Distance: 5.3 miles Total Ascent: 464 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Overcast but warm with rain showers. 19oC.
After being ill this week, I was just about stir crazy today – as indeed were Angus and Casper! This was a gentle walk which allowed us to get some fresh air without unnecessary exertion. The views today were virtually non-existent, firstly the haze smothered everything and later the rain came to finalise it. I really like it round here though, and it’s certainly quiet and tranquil – only a distant group of people across Beacon Tarn broke the solitude today.
Yew Bank from Hause, the route of ascent is the path in the centre of the photo.
The two sentinels guard the bridge over Strands Beck, Yew Bank beyond.
Foxgloves on the way to Yew Bank.
Not a good day for views today, the Coniston fells are just a silhouette and the rain is coming.
The summit of Yew Bank.
A large transporter plane heading towards Caw and Pikes. See how Casper gets through the heather in this movie...like a porpoise of course!
Beacon Tarn and Wool Knott in the rain.
The rain won't bother Angus though, he's getting very wet (spot him?).
Casper prefers to watch.
Looking the other way from Wool Knott to Beacon Fell over Beacon Tarn.
A pool on Green Moor Beck.
Footbridge over Green Moor Beck.
Woodland Fell
Start point: Woodland (SD 248 895)
Woodland – Yew Bank (OF) – Beacon Tarn – Wool Knott (OF) – Green Moor Farm – Woodland
Distance: 5.3 miles Total Ascent: 464 metres Time Taken: 2 hours
Weather: Dull and drizzly, 12°C.
Today’s walk is over little known and little frequented Woodland Fell which lies between Torver and Broughton. It is a lovely secluded place, very quiet, with great views to the Coniston fells in clear weather. Today, the weather was not kind with constant drizzle and grey skies – it felt like November, not June! Here is a snippet of how A.Wainwright described Woodland Fell ‘….the walk here described is a connoisseurs piece, every step an uninhibited joy, every corner a delight. No footmarks, no litter…’. I must say I agree with him.
This walk follows Wainwright’s Woodland Fell chapter in his book ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’, page 102.
Woodland Fell route map.
Yew Bank from Strands Beck.
Foxgloves in abundance on Woodland Fell.
The summit of Yew Bank.
Beacon Fell from the cairn above Beacon Tarn.
Beacon Tarn - re-christened 'Sparkly Tarn' by Connie two weeks ago - not looking quite so sparkly today.
Green Moor Farm.
The footbridge, Green Moor Beck.
Upper Eskdale Round
Start point: Hardknott Pass summit (NY 230 014)
Hardknott Pass – Border End (326) – Hard Knott (327) – Eskdale Needle – Yew Bank (328) – Throstlehow Crag (329) –Scar Lathing (330) – High Scarth (331) – Silverybield (332) – Scale Bridge – Taw House – Brotherilkeld – Hardknott Castle Roman Fort – Hardknott Pass
Distance: 9.7 miles Total Ascent: 1940 metres Time Taken: 4 hours 35 minutes
Weather: Snow, rain, sleet, wind! 5oC.
Today’s walk is a round of Upper Eskdale, one of the wildest and best valleys in the Lake District. At the head of Eskdale lie the ‘heads of state’ of English mountains, namely Scafell Pike, Sca Fell, Esk Pike and Bow Fell and this area offers some of the finest views anywhere.
Once again, it seems winter has returned with snow showers present throughout the walk and fresh snow on top of the high fells.
Upper Eskdale route map.
Approaching Hard Knott. The many electric fences in this area (one can be seen to the right) certainly made Angus squeak when he 'got it wrong'.
Harter Fell through a snow storm from the summit of Hard Knott.
The Eskdale Needle from the south.
The Eskdale Needle.
It was very windy on the summit of Yew Bank!
Across Lingcove Beck - the wall runs up to Throstlehow Crag, the next port of call with Scar Lathing the crag to the right. In the background are the Sca Fells complete with fresh snow.
Esk Pike and Bow Fell in cloud.
Looking along Eskdale to Harter Fell from Throstlehow Crag. Can you spot the Eskdale Needle?
The view across Great Moss from Scar Lathing.
Crossing the River Esk.
Great Moss.
Slight Side from High Scarth.
Slight Side and High Scarth from Silverybield.
The impressive Yew Crags on the east face of Border End.
Scale Gill waterfall.
Brotherilkeld Farm.
Mediobogdum - Hardknott Roman Fort. The fort walls are to the left and to the right is the parade ground.
Woodland Fell
Start point: Woodland (SD 248 895)
Woodland – Yew Bank (OF) – Beacon Tarn – Wool Knott (OF) – Green Moor Farm – Woodland
Weather: Dull and overcast.
A short walk today following Wainwright’s Woodland Fell chapter in his book ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’, page 102. This is a very quiet area indeed – a good place to get away from it all. Woodland Fell is the area covered in the walk, not actually the name of a fell; the summits visited are named Yew Bank and Wool Knott
Yew Bank from Strands Beck. The narrow tarmac road from the main Woodland road goes through a pleasant wood and across open pasture until Strands Beck is reached. Here Yew Bank is straight ahead and it is short climb up the pass between The Knott and Yew Bank and a right turn up to the impressive cairn on Yew Bank.
Modern cairn on Yew Bank looking to Beacon Fell. Some 100 metres east of the main cairn is an ancient cairn, marked on the O.S map.
The ancient cairn on Yew Bank. From here, it is over undulating ground and a final steep ascent to Tarn Riggs and then down to the lovely Beacon Tarn.
The twin peaks of Wool Knott across Beacon Tarn. From here it is an easy climb to Wool Knotts summit.
Beacon Tarn from Wool Knotts.
Beacon Fell and Beacon Tarn from the summit cairn on Wool Knotts. Back down to the depression and follow the easy bridleway to Green Moor Farm.
The slate footbridge over Green Moor Beck and Green Moor Farm. Follow the track through the farm and then a pleasant old wood abundant with flowers, almost back to the car.
Church of St John the Evangelist, Woodland.