Starting point: Martindale Old Church  (NY 434184)  Distance: 5.8 miles  Ascent: 2053'

Walking from Martindale Old Church on to Steel Knotts to climb the rocky summit (Pikeawassa), continuing on to the High Street Ridge to visit Wether Hill.

Route: Park by the Old Church and walk back along the road before branching off right along a path slanting up the fell to pass behind St John's Chapel and downhill to the start of the ridge climb on to Steel Knotts.  The summit rocks are named Pikeawassa.  Descend to a wall and cross to find a path along the ridge, eventually dropping down to cross Fusedale Beck.  An intermittent path leads uphill to a groove where the path is followed to the crest of the High Street ridge.  Follow the old Roman road NNE back along the ridge to the summit cairn of Wether Hill.  Retrace steps to the wall below Pikeawassa and drop down into Martindale and the starting point.

Martindale Old Church

Hallin Fell ahead as we branch off the road and head up the fell

Ullswater, looking towards Pooley Bridge
A boat is just coming into Howtown

The ridge of Steel Knotts; our ascent route today

Looking along the undulating ridge of Steel Knotts towards the summit rocks called Pikeawassa!

Pikeawassa

Beattie on the summit rocks ...

... a closer view ...

... and a real close shot!

Ullswater below with Blencathra in the background

The High Street ridge. 
Wether Hill is on the extreme left of the shot - the ascent route zig-zags up a narrow groove

Looking back to Steel Knotts

A close-up view of Pikeawassa

The Nab with Rest Dodd behind

Beattie at the summit of Wether Hill

Rest Dodd

The Roman road along the ridge between the forts at Ambleside (Galava) and Brougham (Brocavum)

Great Mell Fell

Descending from Wether Hill - ahead is Steel Knotts

This building was a ruin when AW wrote Book 2 'The Far Eastern Fells' in 1956

Martindale increasingly in shadow as the sun sets

The Nab

We bypass the summit of Steel Knotts

Descending into Martindale

To post a comment click here

Comment from Gary
Derek - great photos from a great walk. Martindale is one of those secret treasures of the Lakeland, we always enjoy our visits there! Don't think Beattie looked to happy been perched on those rocks though!
Gary ...
Definitely not, Gary.  She had to be 'persuaded' to pose there! derek

Return to top

 

Photographs taken with a Fuji MX-2900 Zoom or a Canon EOS 20D
Copyright © 2009 Derek Cockell     All Rights Reserved