Place Fell a Different Way

Autumn 2020

Quick apology for the total lack of posts recently but, I’m getting so bogged down in running both mine and my mother’s house and affairs, I have virtually no time for anything of my own outside of essentials (and often not even those!) 😦

In Autumn 2020, Richard and I managed to actually get booked into the Patterdale Hotel (something which is getting harder every year now – even mid week) to walk my favourite Lakeland fells in my favourite Lakeland valley.  This particular day it poured down until at least midday but then cleared up – we waited till the sun came out and then set off!

Place Fell from Arnison Crag

All photos:
my Zenith manual film SLR and Richard’s digi-point-and-shoot as marked

The route I’d decided on was an old, little used route which my Mother and I had found the start of years back but hadn’t managed to follow up to the ridgeline due to boulders and heavy undergrowth. I’m pleased to say that the path is now followable (new word?) all the way up to the col between Birk Fell and the ongoing ridge to Place Fell…

This route is exceedingly scenic as it first sets off above the lake on the classic path around to Howtown. As it was Autumn and there were some lovely colours, both Richard and I were pausing and clicking with our cameras all the way along this section…

My film shot (above) and Richard’s digi-shot (below)

Just before a belt of trees coming up from the lake at the end of a little cape of grassland jutting into the lake, our path slanted off up the fellside on grass. There used to be two parallel paths but I think one used to peter out and, anyway, I didn’t see it this time so it may have vanished.

Richard’s digi-zoom across Ullswater to Sheffield Pike and Glenridding Dodd

The path gains height really well…

On the photo below, you can see the cape of grass and the strip of woodland where the path sets off up from…

Looking back down to start of path

As you gain height, you see a huge, thick band of very thick undergrowth coming which looks completely impenetrable. It’s on very steep bouldery ground and, for Richard, the doubts set in. I had confidence though and continued on hopefully…

Yes! the path does go on… it winds up around big boulders and between trees, undergrowth and gorse bushes, over little stream crossings for quite a way but there are no problems…

Up in the undergrowth of the hidden part of the path

Richard’s photo looking back down

Another great photo of Sheffield Pike across the lake (Richard’s photo)

At last you exit the undergrowth and are back out into the open. This part is a grassy rake which eventually zig-zags up to the ridgeline very easily. We had a breather and an admire of the view!

Just starting the upper rake (Richard’s photo)

my film photo across to Glencoynedale

When we arrived at the col just to the right of Birk Fell, I was very tempted to go and bag the little peak. However, the weather was still very playful up here so I decided that, today, we should just look for a path heading for Place Fell. There are very many paths across the boggy ground here and I’m pretty sure you can take any of them so long as you keep going up!

Despite seeing ‘The Knight’ from Place Fell summit on every visit, I’ve never managed to actually locate it and visit it. Our route this day actually passed under it so I had a little visit 🙂

‘The Knight’ (Richard’s photo)

Shortly after this, we reached the rocky summit of Place Fell and were back in mist and rain…

me approaching the misty summit (Richard’s photo)

my film photo looking back to the summit

We never really hang around on summits and certainly never stop in this kind of weather so we soon set off down the normal route to Boardale Hause.

Not far down the descent, you reach ‘the gully’ – we each took a photo… Not sure why I look like I have one of those funny hats with ear-flaps on this photo – not figured it out – but I didn’t!

Richard’s photo of me below him

and my photo of him following…

Richard’s photo across Boardale to The Nab

my photo of Angletarn Pikes from near Boardale Hause

We were soon down on Boardale Hause and choosing which path to take back down – there’s a higher and a lower. In the end, we took the higher as I wanted to visit ‘my ash tree’ which I regularly photograph. I let Richard take the obligatory photo this time…

It’s an easy stroll back down the raking path and then we were back in Patterdale in time for tea and scones 🙂

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