Thu 6 Jun 2013
You can find an index to my other walks here
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| Fiendsdale Head from near Hazelhurst Farm |
Glorious day on the Bleasdale Fells. Very warm. Not many people about. This is one of my favourite walks, sometimes starting from Stang Yule and taking the concessionary path above the wood. As the higher ground is reached a slim cairn is seen on Hazelhurst Fell. A couple of years ago I saw it was partly demolished and I went up and rebuilt it. It was good to see it still there today.
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| "My" cairn |
Higher up and out of sight from the track is the O.S. column, but this is not the true summit of the fell. I continued along the stony track, with wonderful views over to Fair Snape Fell and Parlick, to where it swings over to the north side of the ridge. On the right I went over a grassy patch with less heather to check on the site of a plane crash.
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| Parts of the aircraft further along the fellside |
On the evening of 10 August 1944 a Blenheim BA246 from RAF Woodvale near Southport crashed in bad weather conditions. Both occupants were killed. The small memorial shown here was photographed on 26 June 2010. Today only scraps of it could be seen- possibly as a result of vandalism. Parts of the aircraft could still be found over quite a wide radius as I walked south to the highest point, which is marked by a few stones and there is no path to it.
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| Someone has marked the true summit. Well done! |
I continued the walk along the track to where it begins to descend at a left bend. A steep bank in the peat opposite on the right should have a stone marker. I found it lying the ground and struggled to partially re-erect it to indicate the path across the often sodden moor to the fence and gate at Fiendsdale Head.
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| The marker stone re-erected. Very heavy! |
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| The 'new' Fiendsdale Head! |
The abominably muddy area around the stile was much improved in 2012 by the laying of stone slabs on both sides. On the Bleasedale side dropping down Winny Bank excellent drainage channels have been dug which should ensure no erosion for some years.
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| Looking down Fiendsdale |
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| The path is just discernible top left in this photo |
The path into Fiendsdale is narrow, with a steep drop on the right. At one sharp bend erosion has made it a little tricky and repair is needed.
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| Fiendsdale joins the Langden Valley |
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| Boardwalk near Langden Castle |
I returned via the same
route over the top of Hazelhurst Fell, but stopped at Clough Heads Brook above
Coolam Wood to explore what appeared to be a cave with a wall built across the
front.
It turned out to be a deep vertical hole, with a small exit at the bottom: fascinating. The ‘cave’ is large enough to accommodate at least one adult, but the exit would be too tight, and lifting oneself back up over the entrance would be tricky. I wonder if this was built by local boys; it seems to have been done some time ago and eventually the weather may tumble the little wall in front and the potentially loose stones in the bank above.
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| A view to illustrate why I go walking in the hills |
The view over to Fair Snape and Parlick Pike is always impressive, whatever the general weather conditions.
After a leisurely stroll down to Stang Yule I reached the car about half past five for a brew and later got home around 6.30. An excellent day.
