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A Clougha Pike circuit, avoiding Rigg Lane.

By Hugh Stewart January 12, 2021 Leave a Comment

I.e. avoiding any crowds parking there. Start at Little Cragg car park and go down the road, turning right to go over the top of Baines Crag for your first view of Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland Fells. At the road go down then left over the first ladder stile and cross the infant Condor by stone or concrete bridge. Climb the track through gorse and after the gate turn right. The track leads to Ottergear Bridge, but a short deviation just before, left through a gate, shows you the quiet Ottergear quarry. Over the waterworks bridge, seriously repaired in the “noughties”, take the first thin path left, which, opposite the lone tree, turns up Birk Bank. At three mature trees close together below the bank steepening, you will find a more definite path leading directly up the hill. Take the right branch after 100m or so, which alternately countours and gently ascends. If you lose the path and head for the waterworks inspection tower, just go left aiming for the fences on the bank top by some crags. The path passes some small quarries then turns to gently descend to the Windy Clough ladder stile. Over the stile beyond that is the Clougha path, probably the right branch after the first little rise is the least boggy. This passes through a gate and becomes rocky and boggy unless frosty, which is, of course, the best time to do this. Continue leftish at the summit and undulate and climb to Grit Fell, do not go over the stile near the top, keep left of the fence, it’s a much better path. Descend past the “christmas tree” mentioned and multiply potographed in previous blogs, and still decorated today, to the Estate track. Turn left, deviating to pay homage as usual to the three chambers, or vulvae, perhaps being reborn there? Back on the track, after five minutes take the shooters path right, just before a short crag, and descend gently. When Sweet Beck tinkles by the wall on the right, a path hard by it descends steeply between it and the even more infant Condor to a ladder stile. The path/track then leads by Skelbow Barn and down and up back to the Cragg. This is only 7 miles and 1500ft of ascent, with great views of the Lakes and Three Peaks on a clear day.

  • Ottergear Bridge
  • Ottergear Quarry
  • The ascending path up Birk Bank
  • Windy Clough and crags (on the right)
  • The Lakeland Hills and Morecambe Bay from Clougha.
  • Grit Fell summit towards Ward’s Stone
  • The three peaks from in front of the three chambers.
  • The steep path on the Lune/Condor watershed.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Download file: clougha1.gpx

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Hillwalks from the Settle to Carlisle Railway Stations

24 walks into the hills surrounding the historic and iconic Settle to Carlisle railway, based on the stations between Settle and Appleby. The area has some of the finest walking of the north Pennines: the Craven district around Settle; the Three Peaks area; Dentdale, and Mallerstang and the upper Eden valley.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Mountain Biking Adventures: Multi-day Routes in Northern Britain

Over the last two decades, mountain biking has developed enormously as a “sport”. We greatly admire the technical and athletic capabilities of modern day mountain bikers and recognise that many excellent guides have been written and custom-built trails set up. In this guide we try to reopen a sense of adventure and wilderness to mountain biking, providing multi-day routes with a remoteness, continuity and “arc” missing from many modern guides with their focus on day and half day outings.

UK £13.95 ( inc. P&P)

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Settle to Carlisle – Hill Walk with Return by Classic Train Route

With over 22,000 ft of ascent in 105 miles set out over 8 days, this walk sets out from Settle, taking in the classic summits of the North Yorkshire Dales, Howgills, Eastern and Northern Lakeland Fells, to arrive at Carlisle. The return journey to Settle by one of the classic train journeys. Illustrated with photographs and route maps.

£12.95 (P&P may apply)

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Notes on the Pennine Way, second week.

Horton in Ribblesdale to Dufton. The accommodation hotspot is Keld, as it is shared with the very popular Coast to Coast. The websites and local B&Bs tend to forget the Park House Bunkhouse near Keld, which is excellent and provides everything you want, and if full there are three yurts which

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Watendlath and Borrowdale circular

A suitable pre-Theatre by the Lake evening production, when the cloud level is low and you don't fancy walking with no views in the damp. It comes to just under 9 miles with 2100ft of ascent. From the Lodore Wood car park up the Watendlath road, take the road south till an obvious track leads off

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Addition to the book of Trespass: Warcop.

This is an 8 mile walk over Little Fell and down and along the side of Scordale. A wild, lonely, and in places rough walk, with 2100ft of climbing. The trespass refers to the fact that most of the walk is in the MOD's land, with access granted by them on 12 weekends per year and other odd days. The

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