Yorkshire Dales Walks
Casterton Fell
Date: 21st January 2007
Distance: 8.7 miles
Ascent: 1507 feet
Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
With: Lisa, Matt and Eva
Start Grid Ref: SD629824
Walk Summary:
A fine walk visiting Casterton Fell one of the Lunesdale hills that are just beyond the outskirts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Route Summary: Barbon - Barbon Beck - Blindbeck Bridge - Hoggs Hill - Casterton Fell - Brownthwaite Pike - Fellfoot Road - Barbon
Pictures:
1. Barbon Beck
2. In Barbondale with Castle Knott behind me
3. Patch of sunlight on Leck Fell
4. Looking over Bullpot Farm to Crag Hill
5. Lisa, Matt and Eva climbing Casterton Fell
6. The trig point on Casterton Fell
7. Middleton Fell from Casterton Fell
8. Lisa and the cairn on Brownthwaite Pike
9. Standing on the cairn on Brownthwaite Pike
10. Looking back to Brownthwaite Pike
Walk Detail: The weather forecast was for wintry showers and we had no idea what it was going to be like. As it happened though most of the rain we saw was in the drive out to Barbon.
The initial walk along the woods of Barbon Beck was most pleasant and shortly after emerging from the trees we got a good view of Crag Hill which for most of the walk managed to look quite shapely. After crossing Barbon Beck at Blindbeck Bridge we were for sometime to enjoy the excellent views of the eastern faces of Castle Knott and Middleton Fell – one of the finest sights in the the region. By the time we reached Bullpot Farm we had already managed almost two thirds of the climbing.
So far we had been largely sheltered from the wind and by the time we left Fell Road to begin the final climb it was getting rather chilly. The last section of the climb was steeper than I imagined it to be but at this point we also began to enjoy patches of sunlight which made for excellent conditions for taking pictures.
Casterton Fell has a fine top which I visited twice, the second time after lunch (which we took in the shelter of a nearby wall) because the sun had come out again and I was able to get some terrific photos.
After crossing the drier than expected Brownthwaite Moss we went up to the giant cairn on Brownthwaite Pike which was quite impressive with a good view south. The lengthy return was made over a combination of decent tracks and quiet roads during which we could enjoy lengthy views over Lunedale.
Most intriguing were the eight folds containing boulders along Fellfoot Road. I’ve since read that there are eighteen such folds though I have yet to come across anything that explains them properly. It was while we were walking along Fellfoot Road that we had a brief hail shower and a bit of rain.
This was a lovely walk with quite a bit of variety.
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