View the route here!
Today, Sunday 23rd October 2011 my Husband David, myself and Dog Sabre set out to conquer our second Wainwright fells walk in our 214 challenge. We had decided to attempt a walk that would include 2 low fells, to test out how David’s meniscus coped!! Thankfully, it seems to have held up OK, so we seem to be back on the challenge!
We found parking in a lay by on the road, but later discovered there was ample parking slightly further along the road at Martindale Church.
We located the track easily from the car and headed up Hallin Fell, which is positioned above the middle and lower reaches of Ullswater. During the morning there had been heavy rain, but it had cleared by the time we set off on our walk. There were several tracks offering routes up to the top of Hallin Fell. The track we took was a grassy slope with a few rocks scattered randomly en route. We made it fairly quickly and easily to the top, but were amazed to discover how windy it was! A distinctive large cairn dominates the summit and the view in all directions is superb. We were able to watch the steamer call at the Howtown pier and actually hear the tannoy announcements being made on board, the surrounding area was that quiet!
A descent can be made in a number of ways, but we chose a clear grassy slope which brought us down to Martindale church. We walked behind the church and started on a rocky indistinct track up to our next fell Steel Knotts. It was easy enough to find the path behind the church but somewhere along the way the track became less obvious. The ground was very wet, slippery and fairly rocky in places so we had to be very careful not to lose our footing. We reached the summit of Steel Knotts to discover there isn’t a cairn as such at the top, just a rocky mound known as Pikeawassa. We took photographs here, but in hind-sight I wished I had attempted to climb to the top of this! Wainwright himself says “Steel Knotts may well claim to have the sharpest summit in Lakeland, for the rocks (Pikeawassa) that crowns the top is so acute that only very agile walkers will be able to stand upon it”. Continuing over the summit ridge we descended the blunt and steep north-west ridge back to the car.
We had walked 2.30 miles in 2 hours 14 minutes and had climbed 2 more of Wainwrights fells!!!
208 Fells remaining!
Where shall we conquer next ...?!
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