A Hard-bitten Walker on the Bowscale to Souther Fell Round

Tue 17 Sep 2019
I’d been wanting to do this full round for ages and, as it was lovely weather this particular day, decided it was as good a day as any! As usual, it was mid afternoon before I set off so that ruled out adding Blencathra – as it turned out, that was probably a good thing…

All photos:
my Zenith manual film SLR
click on photos for full size/resolution

I parked up at the phone box at Mungrisedale where there was only one other car for a change. The ascent is my favourite in the area – up through Raven Crags. This is a great ascent track but, last time, I came down it instead and found it’s ‘orrid in descent – loose and very steep!

As soon as I set off uphill, my right knee started paining me. This is the weaker of my two knees. I didn’t know I had any weakness in my knees until I read my health magazine and it prompted me to try ‘lunges’. These completely wrecked my knee and I won’t do them again! I’m fine with squats but not lunges.

This rather bore out my idea that, if you’re a regular fellwalker, and ensure you tense the correct muscles during a walk, you don’t actually need to do exercises in a gym or at home!

I made sure I used my glutes, quads and calf muscles for the whole ascent so I think I minimised any further damage – I wasn’t going to give up on my round though. I have to say that, when not ascending, my knee was perfectly happy and the main ascent is over once you’ve finished the long few miles to Bowscale Fell’s summit (about three I think).

Interesting looking gill (in shadow) on the back of High Pike/Carrock Fell

I didn’t stay long on Bowscale’s summit (I rarely spend long at a summit as they’re generally very cold places, even on a sunny day) but headed off down for the col before Bannerdale Crags. I suspected these would be wet! I ran quite a bit of the descent as it’s at a nice angle…

Crossing the long col was exceedingly wet (it will be worse now) so I already had wet feet by the time I started the ascent.

Blencathra behind…

I took the path along the very edge of the crags as they are interesting from above and have a few interesting gullies which I might have a look at from below sometime…

Souther Fell in distance across Bannerdale

As I headed up the final climb to the summit, I found the path got too near the edge really (I think quite a lot of the ground has broken away and fallen down the crags) so I moved back to the normal path. I was going to have a look down the steep East ridge (which I descended once) but it meant a bit of a descent and re-ascent so I didn’t bother. I must ascend that way sometime though…

Steep East Ridge is the dark one on the left

There was then a superb track which heads to the col between Bannerdale and Blencathra – I ran a lot of this too. It was around 1800 by the time I reached the col so too late to tackle Blencathra (although it’s a nice, easy route from here and pretty short). With my knee being a bit dodgy, it’s probably as well I missed it out.

Sharp Edge/Foule Crag Silhouette

As I started the descent onto the left-hand of the tracks down the Glendaramackin River, I saw a pretty little black and white dog waiting with his owner who was rummaging in his rucksack.

I approached the dog with my usual care (after all, I’m hugely tall and it’s very small) and crouched down to extend my hand for it to sniff. It wasn’t keen as it was quite a nervy dog… in the end it had a cautious sniff of my hand and I managed to give it a quick stroke on the head. It wasn’t really sure though…

Then, I made a stupid mistake. Wanting to continue my route, I stood up and tried to pass the dog on the very narrow path. Of course, it thought I was making a lunge for it and promptly flew at me and bit my leg.

The dog had been lightning-fast and I had no idea it was going for me until I felt my leg hurting. The owner didn’t have time to react either. He was pretty horrified and apologised. I knew my leg was bleeding but, as I didn’t really consider it the dog’s fault (as it was nervous), nor the owner’s (he didn’t really have chance to stop it), I thought I shouldn’t make a fuss and continued down the path.

When I was out of sight, I rolled up my trouser leg to find a gaping and bleeding hole. I washed it as best I could in the beck and then spat on it (well, spat on my hand and rubbed it) – spit is, after all, supposed to be anti-septic… I was a bit worried as there was a flap of skin which I couldn’t really get underneath though…

I left one trouser leg rolled up (like a freemason) and continued my walk – my leg did feel a bit sore!

The valley path is very pleasant but, unfortunately, had gone out of the sun. I hurried along it, hoping to regain the sun on the ascent of Souther Fell.

Glenderamackin winding back to start

Luckily, after I’d ascended to Mousthwaite Col from out of the Glenderamackin valley, I met the sun again. It’s a long but gentle ascent up Souther Fell and it’s also exceedingly wet! It was nice to be on the fell again though as I haven’t done Souther in years.

Looking Across Mousthwaite Col to Scales Fell, Blencathra

As soon as I reached the summit, the sun went behind the fells behind me and it became very cold. I hurried on down the steepening ridge until I reached the fell wall.

All the way down, I was wondering whether the farmer at the bottom had relented and let people use Wainwright’s route of straight down the field to the pub. However, as I neared the wall, I could see a white notice and gathered he hadn’t and that it was still ‘verboten’. It was…

There is a long detour alongside the fell wall to the right which eventually reaches the Scales road. I have to admit to being rather irked at the farmer by the time I reached it. It was almost dark too…

Coming back up the road to my car, my knee started to moan a bit and I was glad to finish the road walking and sit down.

For the next week, my knee was absolutely terrible and, despite the weather being good, I had to stay off the fells after work 😦

Of course, the upshot of this walk meant I presented myself to Keswick Cottage Hospital after work the next day for my tetanus booster jab (after the dog-bite) which itched solid for 2 weeks!

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