Captain's Log

Askham

The weather forecast didn’t look promising for the day. Nor did the current weather when we looked out of the holiday let’s living room window at Watermillock. The clouds were grey and menacing and occasional banks of showers drifted down the Ullswater valley. It wasn’t really a day for the high summits and so I decided to do a lower level walk. The route would start at Askham and cross Askham Fell to the west. This area is littered with stone circles and boundary stones and so I was sure we’d come across a few. We’d head southeast to Swarthbeck which is nestled below the impressive crags that stand to attention along the east side of Ullswater. From there, we’d follow the lower level Ullswater Way, alongside the lake to Pooley Bridge. The sting in the tail for the walk would be the climb up from Pooley Bridge and back over Askham Fell to Askham.      

The Kapitan, Cabin Boy and Ted were with me today. We parked in the carpark for the village’s outdoor swimming pool and paid the £2 honesty fee. That was the fee for parking, rather than using the swimming pool, although it was actually mild enough to go for a dip. On our previous visits to Askham, we’d seen a small bubble-gum pink Fiat parked on one of its streets. I thought I was seeing double today since there were two of them. We headed westwards and the track left the houses behind and gradually ascended to Askham Fell. 

Askham Fell

We found the wild ponies grazing near Coachclose Plantation. Most of them were brown with the exception of Champion the Wonder Pony. They were obviously used to people since they didn’t seem too bothered as we passed them. Askham Fell has a network of paths and tracks. We explored some of these in 2023 (see the Captain’s Log, Askham’s Stone Circles).  Our general direction needed to be southwest, but I picked a path that would go past the Pulpit Holes. We managed to incorporate a small stone circle on the way to them. The Pulpit Holes were a series of deep sinkholes. I’m intrigued as to how they got their name, but a limited Google search didn’t reveal anything. There was a small tarn just beyond them, but it wasn’t included on my Lakeland Tarn Venture. A little further along was the Cockpit. This was a large Bronze Age stone circle (up to 70 stones) and over 20m in diameter. It’s believed to be 3,500 to 5,000 years old. 

The sun had decided to make an appearance now. Things were looking up. We continued our southwestward journey over the moor. Over to the northwest we could see Pooley Bridge at the north end of Ullswater. Ahead, a rainbow became a permanent fixture. This looked a bit ominous. As the path began to descend below the western crags of Barton Fell, rain showers started. They would continue until we returned to the car at Askham at the end of the walk.    

Despite the headlong plod into the light rain, it was a pleasant enough path. The hills to the south were masked by showers. We came across a large boulder that turned out to be Wainwright’s Sitting Stone. The great man described Ullswater as ‘...that loveliest of lakes, curving gracefully into the far distance.’ Those words are inscribed on the stone. It was too wet to sit on it today. We hunkered down and trudged into the wind and rain. At last we reached Swarthbeck Gill, our southwards turnaround point. Wainwright warned about attempting to ascend it. Looking at it from below, it wasn’t something I would ever consider. We crossed a stone bridge over its stream and then picked up the lower route of the Ullswater Way to Pooley Bridge. At last we had the wind and rain on our backs rather than our fronts. 

Ullswater And Pooley Bridge

The route now took us through fields, past farms and caravan parks. It was a slightly convoluted route, but the Ullswater Way signs kept us true to the path. Eventually the gradual descent delivered us to the narrow road that runs along the eastern side of the lake. A few hundred metres of tarmac plodding ensued and care was needed since we shared it with a few vehicles and there wasn’t much space at the verges in places. It was a relief when we reached the Waterside Campsite and the path diverted off the road to run alongside the shore of the lake. An information board at Hodgson Hill told us that a mediaeval farmstead once stood on the top of the small hillock. Pottery fragments from the 14th century have also been found here. 

I enjoyed the walk along the lake. There were good views across it to Salmond’s Hill and Dunmallard Hill that we’d walked over yesterday (see the Captain’s Log, Blowing A Hooley In Pooley).  The lake narrowed until we found that we were walking parallel to the River Eamont into Pooley Bridge. Despite the rain, we sat on a small bench near the carpark and ate our lunch. After consuming our soggy sarnies, we made our way along the high street. I called in at The Barn and paid a small fortune for some Paradise Flapjack and a small slab of Rum and Raison Fudge. I only bought the fudge because it was white and I was intrigued if it really tasted like rum (spoiler: it’s so sweet that you can’t taste anything but sugar). 

Return

Roe Hill Lane took us gradually up to Askham Fell. As we got higher, the wind and rain got stronger and I gradually became drenched. The tarmac turned to a stone track and we followed it to the top of the fell. We turned left on to a track  near to the boundary post at Kettley Gate. This took us uphill to the area where we’d given a nod to the ponies this morning. They were nowhere to be seen now. Maybe they’d found some shelter near the plantations on the fell. It seemed a long way down the other side of the fell to Askham. It was all downhill and we increased our speed a tad to get back to the car. The bubble-gum coloured Fiats were still parked in the village. Nobody had gone for a swim in the outdoor swimming pools. I was so wet, that I felt like I’d done the equivalent of a few lengths myself.     

It had been a rather rainy day which made conditions unpleasant in places. This was a shame since it was a great lower level walk. The ancient stone formations and natural sink holes make Askham Fell an intriguing place to walk around. We made good use of the Ullswater Way trail and this provided some excellent views over the lake. Pooley Bridge provided a good pit stop too.