Yorkshire Dales Walks
Baugh Fell
Date: 25th Sept 2011
Distance: 8.3 miles
Ascent: 1279 feet
Time: 6 hours 10 mins
With: Matt
Start Grid Ref: SD757963
Walk Summary:
The second day of a two day expedition was an extended exploration of the vast Baugh Fell.
Route Summary: Swarth Fell - Holme Moss Hill - Rawthey Gill Foot - Stony Rigg - Baugh Fell (Tarn Rigg) - Knoutberry Haw - West Baugh Fell Tarn - Slate Gill - River Rawthey - Uldale
Pictures:
1. The upper reaches of Uldale
2. Matt skirting around a bright green bog on Holmes Moss Hill
3. Matt collecting water from the Rawthey
4. Rawthey Gill
5. Looking back at Swarth Fell
6. Matt climbing up alongside Broken Gill
7. One of the tarns on East Baugh Fell
8. Knoutberry Haw from Tarn Rigg
9. The trig point on Knoutberry Haw
10. A close up of Yarlside in the Howgills
11. Great Shunner Fell from Knoutberry Haw
12. West Baugh Fell Tarn
13. Matt and the Howgills
14. Looking down to Whin Stone Gill
15. The River Rawthey
Walk Detail: After a better than usual night's sleep in the tent I was awoken at about 5.30am by couple of grouse holding quite an animated conversation only a few yards away. I peeked my head outside about an hour later to assess the chance of getting any sunrise photos but was once again foiled by low cloud.
After a leisurely breakfast we packed up and made our way off Swarth Fell in the direction of Rawthey Gill Foot. Along the way we skirted around some spectacularly luminescent patches of bog on Holmes Moss Hill. Definitely not the kind of bog you want to get stuck in!
The last time we'd both been on Baugh Fell was six years before when we'd endured some horrendously wet weather and one of our party had injured a knee. All in all it had been a fairly miserable experience and one that I had no desire to repeat. As we crossed over Holmes Moss Hill the clouds above were looking quite ominous and, as with the previous day's walk, I was in two minds as to whether to call it a day or not. Sporadic patches of sunshine over the nearby Howgill Fells convinced me to carry on so when we arrived at Rawthey Gill Foot the first thing we did was to restock our water supplies before heading up on to Baugh Fell.
From Rawthey Gill Foot we climbed up the open fellside keeping above Swere Gill and then Broken Gill until we arrived at the line of cairns on Stony Rigg near the collection of tarns on East Baugh Fell. After visiting a couple of the nearer tarns we made our way across some typically soggy terrain to Tarn Rigg, the highest point on Baugh Fell. The summit itself is unmarked so we made our way over to the slightly lower top of Knoutberry Haw where we halted by the trig point to make our lunch.
Our earlier decision to carry on with the walk had been vindicated by gradually improving weather conditions. As we finished our lunch on Knoutberry Haw, the sun finally broke out over Baugh Fell. For the rest of the walk, across to West Baugh Fell Tarn and then an extended descent down into Uldale we were treated to some fantastic views, particularly over the Howgill Fells. The final section of the walk was a pleasant if occasionally muddy path alongside the Rawthey.
This had been a tough couple of days walking. The ground underfoot had been rough and at best, damp. My boots were clearly no longer waterproof and had been decidedly squelchy before even getting up on to Baugh Fell. Ultimately though the short period of fine weather the previous evening on Swarth Fell and glorious weather as we descended off Baugh Fell made the whole thing worthwhile.
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