The Land of the Lune - Drakkar Press

74 Chapter 4: Upper Rawtheydale
Clough River
Clough River begins to adopt its name at Garsdale
Head, 15km east of Sedbergh, after gathering the
becks that flow off East Baugh Fell and south Swarth
Fell through the secluded valley of Grisedale. We can
regard the westernmost of these becks, Grisedale Gill,
to be its source. Grisedale Gill and Haskhaw Gill set off
north from Tarn Hill on East Baugh Fell a few metres
apart before going their opposite ways, Haskhaw Gill
joining the Rawthey. Their waters then complete semicircuits
of Baugh Fell, before re-uniting near Sedbergh.
The only feature on East Baugh Fell is Grisedale
Pike, where a dozen or so cairns form a prominent
landmark at an excellent viewpoint into Grisedale and
upper Wensleydale. A cairn usually stands alone, as a
guide to shepherd or walker, and so when they occur in
a cluster and presumably had some function beyond that
of mere guide, it is natural to wonder what that function
might have been. The cairns are very old but they seem
not to have had any function such as has been proposed
for standing stones such as Stonehenge. Their position,
Walk 9: The Calf via Great Dummacks
Map: OL19 (please read the general note about the walks in the Introduction).
Starting point: A lay-by opposite St Marks Church (691946).
We have nearly completed our circuit of the Howgills and I have not yet provided a walk to its highest point, The Calf
(676m). Since The Calf is at the centre of the radiating ridges, many walks are possible. The two ‘tourist routes’ (not that there
are many tourists) are from Sedbergh over Winder and from Cross Keys Inn past Cautley Spout. Our expedition is intended to
provide a greater variety of walking than is usual on the Howgills.
Before setting off, note the ridge on the western horizon: that is your immediate objective. Walk 200m north along the A683,
cross the footbridge at Crook Holme, and take the higher of the two paths north to reach the CRoW land. Walk north for a short
distance, past gorse bushes, and then cut diagonally back to reach Fawcett Bank Rigg.
Now it is relentlessly uphill along a grassy ridge but not too steep for comfortable walking. There is no hurry: stop often to
admire Rawtheydale below and Wild Boar Fell beyond. Continue to the edge of Cautley Crag, and not one step further: the best
view in the Howgills is suddenly revealed. Skirt the edge a little distance and then make your way across to the Calf trig point,
visible 1km to the west. This involves a little scrambling up, down and over grass tussocks.
From The Calf follow the main ridge south for 3km to Arant Haw, below which you swing south off the path to Crook
(1km distant), where there is a large cairn. Descend the slope south: it is steep but not too difficult. Look at the fields below and
compare carefully with your map to identify where the public footpath begins: there’s a stile in the corner of the field (666931).
Then take the path northeast through Ghyll Farm, Stone Hall, Hollin Hill, Ellerthwaite, Thursgill and Fawcett Bank (noting
the fine bridge over Hobdale Beck). A further km beyond Fawcett Bank you reach the path back to Crook Holme, the footbridge,
and the starting point.
Short walk variation: Follow the long walk as far as the edge of Cautley Crag. Then turn west over Great Dummacks for nearly
1 km to reach the fence that drops south to Middle Tongue. Continue on the Middle Tongue ridge until you reach the confluence
of Hobdale Gill and Grimes Gill. Cross the latter and continue east to drop down (avoiding gorse bushes) to the track from which
you reach the Crook Holme footbridge.
at this precise location, surely reflects aesthetic values of
long ago, which are not so different from our own.
As Grisedale Gill swings east it enters The Dale that
Died, as Grisedale was called in a book and television
documentary of that name in the 1970s. In the previous
few decades all but one of the farmsteads in the dale
were deserted and left to fall into ruin, the families
there no longer able to cope with the economic hardship
of farming life. Abandoned and derelict, Grisedale
no doubt enabled a romantic tale to be told of human
struggle against adversity.
But the funeral rites were premature. Not only does
the one remaining farm appear to be flourishing, but also
many of the ruins have been, or are being, revitalised.
For example, Fea Fow is in fine fettle: it is a Grade II
listed traditional farmhouse, built in the 17 th century and
renovated to retain many original features, now with a
new role as a holiday cottage.
One may lament the passing of a time when a family
could live off a small patch of land in such an isolated
location. On the other hand, Grisedale is much too fine a
valley to be forgotten. Its fields, all above 350m, provide
a sheltered haven – or even heaven, for those who like
This is Chapter 4 of The Land of the Lune (2nd edition), http://www.drakkar.co.uk/landofthelune.html, Copyright © 2010 John Self