A walk around Tarn Hows taking in Black Fell

The unpredictable weather of January and trying to sync available time with rare windows of opportunity proved fruitless so it was the beginning of February before I headed up the M6. Knowing that commitments would be ruling out the rest of the month into March I was hoping, despite the mixed forecast, for a couple of cloud free days to keep some forward momentum on Book Four.

As I pull into Glen Mary Bridge Car Park I’m heartened by the fact that it’s dry and whilst the higher tops are shrouded in cloud, the lower lying hills, one of which I’ll be aiming for are reassuringly cloud free. This makes my decision to ease myself into the year gently with a walk around Tarn Hows and up the modest height of Black Fell seem like the right one. I’m also conscious I’ve not walked up a hill since November so I’m ground zero on the fell fitness scale.

Leaving the car park I cross a wooden bridge and join the footpath which climbs gently up through woods following Tom Gill (Ghyll) which has some delightful waterfalls tumbling down it. One of the joys of Lakeland is the sound of rushing water. You are never far from the trickling, rippling and occasional roaring sound of water making its way down to the Irish Sea where it will be lifted up into clouds to be poured back down onto these fells again in the Groundhog Day known as the Water Cycle.

After admiring the falls it isn’t long before I pop out of the woods and onto the shoreline path around Tarn Hows. I’ve been here before, but not for maybe twenty five years when both my kids were young, I’ve got a cute picture of them giving a thumbs up by the lake. Not surprisingly, some things have changed and there’s now a good wheelchair accessible gravel path that goes all around the tarn.

Tarn Hows was originally three smaller tarns but a dam, built in the mid 1800’s merged them and created the tarn we see today. In 1930, the land owners wanted to sell the land off piecemeal for tourist development but that great friend of the Lake District, Beatrix Potter managed to buy most of it and subsequently bequeathed it on to the National Trust.

As I make my way north along the path the cloud breaks and the sun comes out. The walking is flat and pleasant, passing through the pines and larches with the sun glistening off the still waters of the tarn.

At the northern tip of the tarn I leave the shoreline path at a stile and cross the fell side until it joins a Green Lane which takes me to the forest track at Iron Keld Plantation.

The plantation track leads up through the woods and I’m surprised to see a herd of cows munching away in the trees. Sheep are the constant companion of the fell walker in the Lakes but cows are seldom seen.

Before long I leave the track, which carries on down to High and Low Arnside and tramp upwards across the undulating hillside to reach the top of Black Fell which is marked by a Triangulation Pillar. Confusingly the Trig Point has a plaque saying ‘Black Crag’ on it but as Wainwright explains this refers to the small rock outcrop on which the Trig Point sits which also happens to be the highest point of the fell.

Unusually for me, I have some cheese sandwiches in my rucksack. I normally survive on sugar when I’m hillwalking in the form of fruit cake, snicker bars and jelly babies but I’d made them at home and not eaten them so, along with a flask of hot chocolate I settle down to enjoy a ‘proper’ lunch for a change.

A procession of couples, couples with dogs, couples with children and some couples with both dogs and children come and go as I enjoy the views south to Windermere and over to the cloud topped Coniston Fells.

After lunch and realising that I wasn’t going to get any non people pictures from the actual summit I wander over to the impressive looking tower which is the south east top to get pictures and video. The tower is fifty feet lower but a lot quieter and arguably has better views of Windermere and Esthwaite Water and a decent view of the summit of Black Fell itself.

From the cairn I retrace my steps back to the Green Lane and then take a different path back to Tarn Hows, joining the shoreline path a little further on from where I left it.

I leave the path again to climb the small rise that leads up to Tarn Hows viewpoint. This is something I would highly recommend you do if you pass this way as it gives quite superb views of the whole tarn for comparably little effort.

The viewpoint is marked by an inscribed stone, which I was unable to read but the internet tells me is a memorial to Sir James Scott who gave the Tarns to the National Trust. Presumably he owned the parts that Beatrix Potter didn’t.

I sit for quite a while, enjoying the sunshine and the views. Nobody else joins me although dozens pass by on the path below. Leaving the viewpoint I finish my walk around the tarn and drop back down through Harry Field Wood to the car park at Glen Mary Bridge.

Route Map, Walk Stats, Geolocated Pictures and 3D Flyover Video Below.

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