LAKE DISTRICT
Join us for a journey into the LAKE DISTRICT’s wild and remote western mountains, to a rocky playground packed with history, nature, and views that will make your heart soar.
I’ll say this about Alfred Wainwright, he did get one thing right. He described Harter Fell, viewed from Eskdale, as beautiful. I couldn’t agree more.
Getting to the western Lake District requires a bit of effort. For the juicy bits, you either struggle over the high passes, or circumnavigate the National Park, but, believe me, they’re well worth the effort. And none more so than Harter Fell. Take a look at it on a map and it’ll jump out at you. The nearly circular ring contours mean it looks conical in shape, especially when, as Wainwright recommends, viewed from Eskdale.
Once you know the shape of Harter Fell, it’s a peak that you’ll keep noticing from surprisingly varied places. This isn’t solely due to its fine lines, it’s also the fact that it pretty much stands alone between the great valleys of the Esk and Duddon. Looking at a map, you’ll also notice that Harter Fell has a clear view out to the west and the nearby coast. To its immediate north is one of the best preserved Roman Forts in the country (Hardknott Castle or ‘Mediobogdvm’, to give it its proper name). To Harter Fell’s south and east, great swathes of plantation skirt the mountain, while in every direction but north, mini Harter Fells in the form of conical crags erupt around their parent peak. Sandwiched between two roads, it’s a long way from anywhere, but you can drive right to it. That’s the Lake District for you.
Special start
Is it wrong to have a favourite parking spot? When it comes to the Lake District, top of my list has to be Jubilee Bridge in Eskdale. There’s a rock by the lay-by that I’m rather fond of. I’ll often, after an adventurous walk, use it to sit on while taking my boots and socks off, glad to see the car, but reluctant to get in it and leave that paradise. Shrouded by trees, backed by close-cropped grass and the lively Hardknott Gill, it doesn’t get much better. Especially since the parking is free, at least for now.
Jubilee Bridge lays to Harter Fell’s northern side and is also the perfect starting place for a saunter around and over the mountain. As Harter Fell ‘only’ protrudes 653m into the sky, the low starting point at that patriotic bridge means you’ll climb as much of the mountain as is possible. In my humble opinion, an anti-clockwise walk is the best way to see as much of Harter Fell as possible in one go. Jubilee Bridge is a picture-perfect ‘olde worlde’ stone packhorse affair – the sort that those sandal-and-sock-wearing American tourists would metaphorically wet themselves
