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SALE FELL (28) - LING FELL (29)
Scroll down to view the photographs after the report or click here We were staying at the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Keswick in our trailer tent for ten days over the August Bank Holiday period, which meant more opportunities for climbing more fells! Today I was up at about 9.00 a.m. to find that it had been raining and the weather forecast was for heavy showers and gale force winds for the rest of the day. Rather than not climb any fells at all, I have planned to climb a couple of the smaller Wainwright's to avoid any problems with mist or low cloud, which I could encounter on the higher fells. Probably get just as wet on the lower fells but what the heck! The two I hope to bag are Sale Fell at 1,170 feet (357 metres) and Ling Fell at 1,224 feet (373 metres). Both fells are fairly isolated and situated on the far northwest perimeter of Lakeland, and must be tackled individually as there is no "connecting" ridge between them. Fortunately they are in close proximity to each other so can be reached from the same parking place. I set off at about dinnertime, dropping Annette and the girls off at the swimming baths in Keswick. I continued on towards Bassenthwaite Lake heading for a little village called Wythop Mill. I parked at an old farm road just above Eskin Farm close to Wythop Mill. It took a bit of finding and there were only parking spaces for a handful of cars but luckily I was the first there. It was raining so it was on with the waterproofs before setting off for Sale Fell. It was just a short stroll along the farm road where a gate was reached. Through the gate and off to the left was the path leading up Sale Fell with a dry stone wall on the left as a guide. AW states that it’s a 1½ mile walk with 750 feet of ascent. It was a fairly easy climb through the gorse, a bit steep at the start but levelling out towards the top. The grassy path skirted the rim of Dodd Crag as it meandered its way towards the summit. There were good views of the surrounding woodland and what must have been Elskin Farm, hidden from view at ground level but now visible, nestling amongst the trees. The gale force winds that had been forecast were very much in evidence as I made my way up the fell side. It wasn’t long before I reached the summit at 1,170 feet (357 metres) where the wind was very strong. I made straight for the summit cairn where I sheltered from the wind. It was quite cosy really. The top is a pleasant grassy pasture and, being on the edge of Lakeland, offered decent views of the surrounding countryside although the weather was quite poor. The Skiddaw range was also in view but looked different from this angle, and Bassenthwaite Lake was visible to the northeast as was Ling Fell, my next objective. I didn’t stay as long as I might have done mainly due to the strong winds. Even though the wind was howling it was strangely peaceful, cowering behind the stone cairn looking out towards the flat, surrounding countryside. I left the summit, retracing my steps back down the fell. It was raining now and the incessant wind was hammering the rain into the side of my hood as I struggled to keep it at bay. After a short while the wind began to ease the lower down the fell I got and, after negotiating a rather tricky slippery section towards the bottom of the fell, I was back at the car park where I rested for a while. It was still raining but I decided to carry on to my next objective, Ling Fell. From the car park I joined a tarmac road and followed it downhill. After a short distance I reached a gate, which led onto the side of Ling Fell. Again, according to AW, this was another 1½ mile walk with an ascent of about 850 feet. The path was wide and easy to follow and is actually known as the "Corpse Road". The weather was a bit warmer now so I stopped to remove my outer jacket and waterproof trousers but somehow ended up getting, I think, sheep dung or something similar, all over my waterproof trousers. It stunk! According to AW the path should eventually reach a rather large boulder before skirting off up the fell side and sure enough, there in the distance was the boulder. After climbing about on the boulder, I made my way up towards the summit. The way got a bit confusing from here. There were various "paths" amongst the thick heather leading off in different directions although I think the majority were sheep tracks. After a while I came across another "land mark" that reassured me I was on the right track again, namely a number of shooting butts. From here it was a fairly short climb to the summit at 1,224 feet (373 metres) where an Ordnance Survey stone column (OS BM S5771)has been erected. The wind was again very strong and the stone column made for another shelter whilst I took in the surrounding scenery that wasn’t as good as it could have been due to the poor weather conditions. The foot of Bassenthwaite Lake was visible, as was Sale Fell. The summit top itself was a mixture of heather, bracken, gorse and grass and was quite pleasant to walk on. After a short rest and a battering from the wind, it was time to make my way off the summit. It should have been an easy thing to achieve but, probably due to the thick covering of heather etc., I must have taken the wrong route as I got a little confused. I knew the direction to head but was unable to find the path that I had followed earlier. I eventually got back on track and it was an easy stroll back to the base of the fell. Passing through the gate and rejoining the road, it was just a case of following it back to the car park, although the return journey was up hill! Considering the weather, another enjoyable day out on the fells and another two Wainwright's bagged.
Photographs of the walk - only two because of the bad weather
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