Worth all England else
Now the new year is upon us, should you feel impelled to stride off the excesses of Christmas - head for the hills post haste. Where better to set your sights than the Caldbeck Fells? Today’s trek takes in Carrock Fell and High Pike, two justly popular northern outposts of the National Park. At this time of year these fine fells are certainly “…worth all England else”. The proud boast, coined in Victorian times, referred to the incredible mineral wealth extracted from the mines above Caldbeck for centuries. With an array of long veins striking through and around the fell High Pike lies at the epicentre of this bounty. West to east from Redgill on Brae Fell through to Carrock End, north to south Potts Gill above Nether Row to Carrock in the Caldew. The sheer diversity of mineral species found is unique in England, so much so, that a licensing system for collecting was imposed in the 1990s, outlawing the casual collecting of ‘trophy’ rocks from mine sites. Mining in this area is thought to have ancient origins: the first records refer to Roughton Gill in the sixteenth century; in the seventeenth century the rich Driggeth Mine deposits (passed on this walk) brought the area really to life. Most notably the fells were all a buzz from the 1820s, by the end of the century copper and lead mining had ceased, though wolfram and barytes mining continued into the 1940s.  An eagle's eye view of the walk As a rocky ramble this walk holds further interest. Carrock Fell the first high port of call, derives its name from the Celtic carreg meaning ‘the rock’. The rock may relate to the hill fort retreat, but could well have bearing upon the anti-magnetic volcanic rock gabbro, evident in its crag and bouldered east slope. Navigation is problematic by the crazy effect the gabbro has on a compass pointer. Mountaineers will forgive this minor nuisance, whilst reflecting that this is the self-same rock that pre-dominates in the Black Cuillin of Skye, the finest mountain range in Britain, and it is not found elsewhere in The Lakes. The crags of Carrock Fell harbour no interest for climbers, but its boulders are a regular bouldering playground. In good weather you’re as like as not to spot a solo climber with their modern fall mat slung over their shoulder heading for one of several mighty blocks in the rough hillside south of Stone Ends. Further FirstEyeing Carrock Fell from the roadside it is apparent that there is a break in its midst, drained by Further Gill. Rake Trod an obvious shepherd’s path, skirts the hollow remnant of the old Carrock End Mine and a sheepfold hugging a boulder, making purposefully up the fellside to enter the gill. Pass above a rowan on a crag and below a solitary larch. The steep path is loose in places, narrow and trenched higher up where it reaches the heather moor. The impressive view back during the ascent extends over the lower, though equally ancient rocked, country beyond Stone Ends Farm; the intermediate woods and pastures of Greystoke Forest succeeded by the distant Pennine chain, with Cross Fell centremost. Nearing the initial brow there are two options, a) follow the eastern edge right, a narrow cairned trod leading close to the craggy scarp edge lending further dramatic opportunities to enjoy that eastward prospect, though from a final cairn the path is lost in the heather. A direct pathless ascent is necessary, the going in rank heather is quite tough though there are a few instances of boulder-fields to give contrast, notice the prostrate juniper colonising these sites. b) The easier line from the top of Further Gill is to keep with the more regular path, bearing half-left then switching right over the headstream of Further Gill to mount to Carrock Fell’s prominent east peak cairn, guided by a string of cairns. This is an excerpt from Mark's original article. To see the full article, you will need to download the PDF using the link below  Download complete PDF (382KB)
© Mark Richards 2006 |
