Great Shunner Fell (716m), Lovely Seat (675m) and Dodd Fell Hill (668m) 12th December 2009

 

Lovely Seat

 

Great Shunner Fell (716m)

I parked the car at the Buttertubs Pass, at a parking area by the cattle grid near the summit. It was foggy and I could see only a few feet in front, so I had to concentrate on my navigation from the start. I started walking at 10.40 am along a wet and boggy track, before meeting an area of peat hags on Hood Rig. Beyond the peat hags a path followed the the fence that climbed over Little Shunner Fell to Great Shunner Fell. Apart from some boggy areas the path was easy to follow and this made navigation easy. The fog didn’t lift at all on the ascent even though I could see blue sky overhead from time to time. The path connected to the Pennine Way and from here it was a short distance to the stone shelter on the summit. The ascent had taken an hour but the fog hid any view, so after some hot soup I started the descent back to the Buttertubs Pass. When I got below Little Shunner Fell the fog lifted, revealing Lovely Seat towering above. I reached the car exactly 2 hours after leaving it.

 

Great Shunner Fell from Lovely Seat

Lovely Seat (675m)

After eating lunch in the car I set off for Lovely Seat. A fence climbed up the hillside and although the going was wet and boggy lower down once the slope steepened a path emerged that followed the fence line. As I climbed higher there were good views of Great Shunner Fell, Dodd Fell Hill and Pen-y-ghent, although mist enveloped me before I reached the summit. I arrived at the at the top at 2.30 pm but I had no view despite being able to see the sun and patches of blue sky. I stayed a little while in case the mist lifted but when it showed no sign of doing so I descended back to the car. I got to the car at 1.55 pm, a total time of 50 minutes.

 

   The trig on Dodd Fell Hill

Dodd Fell Hill (668m)

I drove through Hawes and on to the road to Kettlewell before taking a narrow dead end road called Cam High Road. I parked on the grass verge by the Pennine Way and set off at 2.45 pm. There was about an hour before sunset but this road lies at over 500m so I only had a short ascent to the summit. I walked along the Pennine Way at first before taking to the open hillside just after crossing a gate. The fog had completely lifted and there was bright sunshine. It was a beautiful winter’s afternoon, with lovely views to Buckden Pike, Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and along the dale formed by Snaizeholme Beck. On the open hill there were sheep tracks to help but the going was mostly wet and boggy. I reached the trig on the summit at 3.15 pm and stayed for 10 minutes to enjoy the view to the main hills of the Yorkshire Dales in the pleasant sunshine. I descended on a more direct line to the Pennine Way and followed this to the car, reaching it at 3.50 pm.

 

Buckden Pike in the late afternoon sunshine

 

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