LITMIR.BIZ

      The Stainmore Railway ran between Darlington and Tebay and was completed in 1861. A strategic east–west route, the line was built by the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway to transport Durham coke to the steelworks at Furness, and then return with high quality hematite needed for steel production on the Tees. Crossing the Pennines through the Stainmore Gap, the railway’s summit at 457m (1370ft) was the highest of any English main line and, being a particularly scenic route, it helped popularise the Lancashire seaside resorts as a destination for those in the north-east. However, the line remained predominantly used for freight, and after the demise of the Barrow steel industry in 1961 it was closed and the track taken up.

      Join the minor lane, which burrows beneath the A685 bypass at Wath, and follow it south towards Bowderdale and Scar Sykes. At a fork take the Bowderdale branch to the right. Cross the stream at Bowderdale Foot and carry on along the lane to the farm at Long Gill. Passing through the gate, swing left in front of the farmhouse and then right through more gates beside the buildings and garden. Entering the field behind, go half-right to the foot of a gully. Veer left through a gate and walk on, with a fence now on your left. Approaching the far side of the second field, bear right and leave over a bridge onto a track. Follow it left to Flakebridge Farm.

      Passing the corner of the 18th-century farmhouse, take a gate on the right into a small yard. Walk ahead through a second gate, entering the field beyond by yet another gate. Head away beside the wall towards the next farm, Cotegill.

      Walk through the yard to reach a lane and go forward past the old farmhouse. Later reaching a junction, turn right to the main road. Cross to a gate beside the house opposite and pick up a grass track that winds through a second gate and leads down to a footbridge spanning the River Lune. A hollow path takes the way uphill to meet a lane at the edge of Kelleth.

      Turn right through the village, passing the attractive 17th-century Kelleth Old Hall. Until 1978 it remained in the hands of a single family, the Whiteheads, who had been associated with George Fox, the founder of the Quaker Movement.

      Kelleth Old Hall

      At the far end of the village, fork right through a gate along a track signed to Wath. Passing through a couple of gates at the end, keep ahead and continue across the fields towards a tall barn. It was built into the slope of the hill so that its upper hayloft could be more easily filled to feed cattle, which were over-wintered in the stalls below. Having passed above a wood bear left, gaining height to a stile in the next wall. Keep going above Potlands Farm, eventually leaving the fields at Wath. Walk out through the farmyard to the lane and go right, crossing the Lune to return to the start.

WALK 4

      Bowderdale and The Calf

Start	Bowderdale (NY 678 046)
Distance	11 miles (17.7km)
Time	5½hr
Terrain	Valley paths and upland grass trods
Height gain	605m (1985ft)
Maps	Explorer OL19 – Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley
Refreshments	Nearest facilities at Tebay
Toilets	None
Parking	Laneside parking near bridge at Bowderdale Foot
Note	The route is not recommended for inexperienced walkers in poor visibility, when map and compass are essential.

      Viewed from Sedbergh, the routes onto The Calf appear uncompromisingly steep, but approached from the north, gentle ridges and extended valleys suggest a less demanding path to the highest top of the Howgills. Long and straight, delving into the heart of the hills, Bowderdale is a wonderfully secluded place, where often you will have only fell ponies and the odd buzzard soaring overhead for company. The return over Hazelgill Knott gives dramatic glimpses into the upper reaches of Langdale, revealing the secretive folded beauty of the valley heads. If you are only to do one walk in the Howgills, this should be it.

      A bridleway into Bowderdale leaves left from the lane, 200m west of the bridge at Bowderdale Foot. Follow the track through a couple of gates to the corner of a conifer plantation. It then curves across rough pasture, gaining height to a final gate in the far corner. Carry on beside a gently rising wall at the edge of the open fell, with the mouth of the long valley drawing you forwards.

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