Route: Dale Head and Hindscarth
Area: North Western Lake District
Date of walk: 11th April 2014
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 7 miles
Ascent: 2,400 feet
Weather: Scattered cloud, bright spells, cold and breezy on the tops
Having been up these fells a few times before, I was looking for a new way up. As usual Alfred Wainwright provided the answer. Instead of ascending to Dalehead Tarn, which is the usual route, we’d turn off the main path and divert to the right in order to climb up via the old copper mine – ‘a mountaineering must’ according to the great man
Having parked at Chapel Bridge just beyond Little Town, we made our way up the valley, then crossed the beck to join a faint path. Looking ahead, we had our doubts about the route as the crags appeared to be impenetrable. We needn’t have worried as the ingenious and clearly little used route zig zagged among the crags taking us through dramatic scenery without any exposure
The views from the summit of Dale Head were sublime, and they continued as we made our way along Hindscarth Edge to the top of Hindscarth – an easy but fantastic ridge walk. We descended back to Newlands Valley via Scope End – a steep and rocky way down which necessitated some ungainly manouevres
We got back to the start reflecting on how lucky we’d been today to enjoy such incredible scenery – it was a really great walk
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
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Red squirrel in the garden before we set off this morning
We parked just before Chapel Bridge
Newlands Church
Our objective today - Dale Head
The path takes us through Low House Farm
Crossing the beck to join the old mine road
Dale Head and Hindscarth
And again from further along the mine road
We’ll shortly turn off the mine road to follow the faint path in the middle of the picture
It seems curious - and a little unsettling - that the path is clearly not used very often
Looking back along Newlands, the more commonly used mine road is to the right
Further up the path, which somehow finds a way around the crags of Dale Head
Looking across to High Spy
The view back along Newlands Valley, with Skiddaw in the background, was getting better and better
Traversing above the crags, not far to go now
Another view back into Newlands
Bonnie, with a view of Rosthwaite in Borrowdale behind
Looking towards the Scafells
The shapely summit cairn of Dale Head and the rather less shapely author
Walking along Hindscarth Edge and about to start the return leg, which heads to the right of the photo
Further along Hindscarth Edge
Fleetwith Pike and Honister Crag are well seen from here
Buttermere
The way to Hindscarth lies to the right
From the summit of Hindscarth, Skiddaw and Blencathra in the background, with a glimpse of Derwent Water
We follow the path down Hindscarth to Scope End, the knobbly bit in the shade
With this view ahead of us all the way down it’s a miracle we didn’t trip up
Looking back up to Hindscarth
And looking back towards Dale Head middle of picture and Hindscarth on the right
On Scope end, looking towards Skiddaw and Blencathra. Catbells is on the right
Nearly down to the valley level and we can see the track leading back to the start
Back to Newlands Church, with Causey Pike in the background - what a fantastic walk that was!
