Cauldcleuch Head (619m) and Greatmoor Hill (599m) 20th February 2009

Greatmoor Hill from Stob Fell

Cauldcleuch Head (619m)
It was grey and misty, with cloud enveloping the highest summits, as I started the climb up Cauldcleuch Head at 11.10 am. The car was parked on the road to Hermitage Castle, by the track to Twislehope Farm. I started by entering the field on the opposite side of the road, and going through two more gates before I reached open country. Views soon opened up behind to Dun Fell, a cloud covered Roan Fell, and Geordie's Fell. I could also see down the valley of the Hermitage Water to Blackwood Hill, and to my left to Cauldcleuch Head's subsidiary top of Tudhope Hill which was wreathed in mist. The climb to the top of Cauldcleuch Head led over a number of lower tops, including Stob Fell and the strangely named Muckle Land Knowe. Between these two tops there were brief views to the Moffat Hills but such far views were shortlived. There were also views to Greatmoor Hill, which looked impressive and seemed to tower above. The ground was quite waterlogged, as all the snow which had fallen earlier in the month had melted and left only isolated patches. From Muckle Land Knowe there were views to a snow dappled, misty Cauldcleuch Head. I reached the unmarked summit of my first objective at 12.40 pm,a total of an hour and a half after setting out from the car. The mist came and went and gave fleeting views to the surrounding hills. During gaps in the mist I could see Muckle Land Knowe and Greatmoor Hill and both looked higher than Cauldcleuch Head, although this was an optical illusion.

Tudhope Hill

Blackwood Hill from Greatmoor Hill

Greatmoor Hill (599m)
After a quarter of an hour on the top of Cauldcleuch Head, waiting for the mist to clear, I made my way towards Greatmoor Hill. This involved following the fence over the plateau and then descending fairly steeply down Windy Edge. It was here that I met the forestry plantation which covers the northern partof these hills. After passing over the insignificant top of Swire Knowe I sheltered in the forest away from the wind and ate a quick lunch. After lunch I ascended Starcleuch Edge to the summit of Greatmoor Hill. There were a number of peaty hollows which were full of soft snow and I frequently went through up to my knees. The trig was reached at 2.20 pm and I stayed 10 minutes to admire the view and take some photos. From this angle Cauldcleuch Head was clearly higher and looked quite attractive with its snoe dappled slopes. There were misty views of the Eildon Hills and Rubers Law to the north, Blackwood Hill to the east and Roan fell to the south. I descended back down Starcleuch Edge to the area where I had had lunch and then followed a track that descended towards Winterlair Hill. It was rather faint and I went wrong and ended up descending the narrow valley created by the Crib Burn. The steep slopes falling to the burn forced me to ford the burn a number of times before I was compelled to climb back up the hillside a little. The forlorn ruined farmahouse of Braidliehope was reached, after which there was a clear bulldozed track to follow. There were views back to both Cauldcleuch Head and Greatmoor Hill, but the rain fell heavily and made for unpleasant conditions. Nearer the road there were views down the valley of the Hermitage Water, and I reached the road near Braidlie farm. A half hour walk along the road followed, which was brightened up by the groups of snowdrops on the verges. The car came into view at 4.50 pm and the return journey home was started 10 minutes later.

Muckle Land Knowe and Cauldcleuch Head from Greatmoor Hill

Rubers Law and the Shankend Viaduct

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Hart Fell (808m) 7th February 2009

Hart Fell

I started the climb up Hart Fell at 11.30 am from a lay-by near Capelgill Farm on the A708 just outside Moffat. The hills were thickly plastered with snow I was looking forward to a good day out. As I walked down the road the Ettrick Hills rose to my left and Hart Fell and its satellites to my right. I went through a gate and entered the open hillside, where the snow soon started. It was a long climb to the first top, Saddle Yoke and it was hard work. The snow was firm, even icy in places, but it made for reasonably quick progress. There were impressive views of the snow plastered cliffs of Nether Coomb Craig, and as I climbed higher of Moffat Dale, Carrifran Gans in the White Coomb group and the Ettrick Hills behind. It was quite windy and every so often the wind would whip the snow into spirals, forcing me to bow my head as the spindrift stung my eyes. Saddle Yoke was reached after lunch and it became apparent that there was a narrow and icy ridge down to the col with Under Saddle Yoke. This was the most tricky part of the day and I had to descend very carefully. The sttep ascent up to Under Saddle Yoke was followed by a gentle descent towards the headwaters of the Black Hope Burn. The sun, which had earlier been shining, now went behind the clouds and it became difficult to judge gradients. At one point I went in up to my thighs in snow and I aw there was a steep bank of snow when I had originally seen a flat surface.

Under Saddle Yoke

White Coomb

After struggling through the soft snow, I eventually began to climb up Hartfell Rig, which offered fine views of White Coomb, Broad Law and the Culter Fells, as well as the snowy dome of Hart Fell. The summit of Hart Fell was finally reached at 3.30 pm. The trig wa lower than the surrounding snow and there was a fantastic vista of snowy hills: the Ettrick Hills, Manor Hills, Culter Fells and Lowther Hills were all in view, although haze hid the more distant hills. The descent was gentle at first, and gave views to Under Saddle Yoke and Saddle Yoke. However at the curiously named Hass o' the Red Roads it became steeper and icier and I had to tread carefully. Past this area the terrain became plateau like and for a time I was slowed by soft snow. By the Hang Burn the descent steepened and became icy again, and apart from a brief level area, this continued down towards the valley. By Hang Gill the snow became patchy and soft, making it easier to descend, even though the slope was a steep one. There were beautiful views of the Ettrick Hills, shining red in the gloaming. I came to a path, which led over a gate to the A708 near Capelgill Farm. From here it was a 10 minute walk along the road in the gathering darkness back to the car. I reached the car at 5.55 pm and got home at 9.10 pm, meaning that the whole trip had taken 5 minutes shy of 13 hours.

The Culter Fells

The trig on Hart Fell

Looking up to Hass o' the Red Roads

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Low Fell 423m, 18th January 2009

Low Fell from near Thackthwaite

Low Fell 423m
Originally Mark and I were going to climb Hallin Fell but we decided that this was too short a day, even on such a wild day as this. We decided instead to climb Low Fell. This part of the Lake District takes a while to get to, day we didn't reach the car park at Lanthwaite Wood until 12.20pm. When we started walking at 12.40 pm it was windy and overcast and it soon began to rain. The rain was heavy and wind driven and it wasn't very pleasant, as we walked along the road to Thackthwaite. There were impressive views of the towering prow of Mellbreak and of Whiteside and Grasmoor, their tops streaked with snow and covered in cloud.

Whiteside and Grasmoor from Low Fell

From Thwackthwaite we walked up a track that ascended the hillside. The rain came down heavier and it became more unpleasant than before. The path went behind a fold of the hillside which offered some shelter so we had a quick lunch sitting on a large rock. After lunch the rain turned to driving hail which felt like a torrent of wind driven needles in the face. I walked with my head down and followed Mark's feet in front of me.

Mark climbing Low Fell

When we got to the crest of the fell the rain and hail stopped but the wind was ferocious. There was a lovely and fantastic view of Crummock Water, Whiteside, Grasmoor and Mellbreak. We reached the summit, marked by a small cairn, at 2.45pm but we had to fight to stand up. The wind threw us all over the place and it was a struggle to take photos. The descent was steep, along a path that followed a fence but it eventually levelled out and entered a wood. We soon raeched the road at Foulsyke and then had a bit of a road walk to the car, which we reached at 4.05pm. We agreed that Low Fell would be a great walk on a sunny day but we hadn't seen it at it's best.

Crummock Water from Low Fell

Mellbreak

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