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Howgill Fells & Westmorland Walks

The Howgills 2000 footers

Date: 15th April 2006
Distance: 12 miles
Ascent: 4579 feet
Time: 7 hours 30 mins
With: Matt
Start Grid Ref: SD698969

Walk Summary:
A very challenging walk featuring several steep ascents and descents that visits all seven Nuttall tops to be found in the Howgill Fells.

Route Summary: Cross Keys - Cautley Holme Beck - Bowderdale Head - Yarlside - Kensgriff - Randygill Top - Bowderdale - Hazel Gill - East Grain - West Grain - Windscarth Wyke - Fell Head - Windscarth Wyke - Bush Howe - The Calf - Bram Rigg Top - Calders - Red Gill Beck - Cautley Spout - Cautley Holme Beck - Cross Keys

Photos: Click on the photos below to enlarge.

Cautley Crags and the top of Cautley Spout
Bowderdale from Yarlside
Kensgriff from Saddle
Yarlside from Kensgriff
Summit cairn on Randygill Top
Matt appraising the descent into Bowderdale
Yarlside from the flanks of Hazelgill Knott
The valley of Middle Grain
The valley of West Grain from Windscarth Wyke
Matt on his way to Bush Howe from Fell Head
The trig point on The Calf
The conquering heroes on Calders

Walk Detail: This walk was a landmark walk for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was the first time that both Matt or myself had done a walk in the Howgills. Secondly, it gave us the opportunity to finally finish our attempt to bag all the 2000ft mountains in the Yorkshire Dales.

It was also a very tough walk, with seven fells over 2000ft this walk packed over 4500ft of climbing into quite a compact area and most of the climbing was on unrelentingly steep fellsides with little in the way of paths until Fell Head. The fact that I'd climbed High Street in the Lakes just the day before probably didn't help me much.

The walk was based on the route in Anne and John Nuttall's book 'The Mountains of England and Wales - Vol.1: England'. While a tough walk it is also a great introduction to the area and en-route not only do you bag the seven highest tops but also get to visit Kensgriff, Bowderdale, the valleys of Middle Grain and West Grain before finishing the walk with a descent alongside the spectacular plunge of Cautley Spout.

We were lucky to have a day of decent weather to enjoy all the views and I think it is fair to say that the Howgills made a tremendous first impression on us both. I seem to recall that at the time Matt said it was his favourite walk up to that point.

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