~Rosthwaite Fell~
2nd September 2017
Bessyboot (Rosthwaite Fell Summit)
Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....
Saturday morning and Molly is mooching around the tent, so by 6am we are on our way up Rosthwaite Fell to enjoy the sunrise and beat everyone else to the top...
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There is a route up from Chapel House Farm. It heads straight up behind a plantation of conifers and after a gated wall crossing, the fell is Open Access with little in the way of paths - but just enough to get walkers on to the higher ground and out of the bracken.
The Route
The route taken is shown on this photo from the previous day. In truth, the path was just over the ridge where the top arrow is shown. Chapel House Farm is just to the left of the image and a public footpath runs through the farmyard.
Stonethwaite
The mist is retreating towards Derwentwater.
Molly at Sunrise at 06:50hrs
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Rosthwaite Fell
One reason for revisiting previously-climbed fells is to see them in a different light and maybe approach from another direction. Rosthwaite Fell has many crags and hilltops, Wainwright offers the highest one at the northern end as the summit in his chapter ~ it is known as Bessyboot.
Molly on top of Rosthwaite Fell, 1,807ft asl
Molly peeps round the corner at the higher ground of Rosthwaite Cam and Glaramara, but that's not on today's agenda. As far as I can tell, we are the first up here at 07:40hrs on this sunny morning.
Rosthwaite Cam
The mountain boasts a water feature with the quaint name of "Tarn at Leaves".
Skiddaw
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Great Gable |
Fleetwith Pike |
The plan is now to find the more popular ascent route from Stonethwaite and use it as the way down.
Tarn at Leaves
The Waterfall
The route down, or up if you're follwing the usual way of doing things, is blessed with Stanger Gill - a deep cleft with this waterfall at the top end. Beware! The path is very steep.
Stanger Gill
Borrowdale
Today, the rewards have been rich for the early fellwalker. We met a lady with a dog climbing up through the woods, the first other walkers of the day. The path is very, very steep!
To Stonethwaite
Chapel House Farm
Walk complete at 09:10hrs, just as tents were being unzipped and bleary eyes were adjusting to the bright sunlight. Chillax! It was just after 11 when we left the campsite - a pleasant, easy time for breakfast and the spectator sport of watching first-time campers putting a tent up.
Walkers: Molly and Me.
Time taken: 3hrs 10mins over a distance of about 4 miles.
Route: Chapel House Farm Campsite, Rosthwaite Fell, Bessyboot, Stanger Gill, Stonethwaite.
Weather and conditions: Sunny!
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2017 ©
Take me back to the start ....