If there exists a reader of these blogs apart from the two I know, I would like to apologise for the absence of a decent walk since May (2015), as the Pennine Way crippled my knee and I am limited to short hobbles.
Hearing about the exotic bee-eater birds at Gelt Sand Quarry near Brampton, Cumbria, and the RSPB having set up telescopes to view, we combined this unusual event (they summer in southern Europe usually), with a hobble up Cold Fell nearby, a “Nuttall”. Looks uninteresting on the map, but is a good 5+ mile outing with excellent views on top, the Cheviots, Hadrians Wall, Cross Fell, The Lakes and the Dumfries and Galloway hills. A circular walk as outlined in Nuttall’s book is good from Clesketts (Car Park just beyond), but dont make a beeline for the summit as they say, keep on the “track” till 20 yards beyond some metal pieces, really at the col, then turn south for the summit and some small paths do exist, coming and going, and a quad track near the top. Heading down to Tindale Tarn, at the wall corner, it is easier to keep right of the wall, although technically not on access land lower down.
Hurry, the bee-eaters will soon have eaten all the bees, fledged their young and rushed back home. Check on the RSPB website.
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