On the Howgills again

Having previously ticked six of the seven Howgill Nuttalls, the addition of the Moss and Wright summits to my ticklist gave me an opportunity to traverse the main ridge to claim the extra six summits.

I parked at Sedbergh and over three miles of tarmac lanes took me past Howgill to Beck House where I turned off and started uphill on more traditional hillwalking ground.  The path rose around the head of the small Whins End valley to the south-west(-ish!) ridge of Fell Head, where the slope steepened but led easily to the first summit of the day – Fell Head West Top.  This is the best place on the fell for views but it isn't the highpoint; that being Fell Head which sits at an unremarkable point further along the broad ridge.

Fell Head

What remained now was a straightforward promenade in calm air and under a blue sky along the watershed ridge all the way to Calders.

I ticked Bush Howe again from where the next four minor summits could be seen undulating toward The Calf.  Each of the four – Bush Howe South Top, Bush Howe Far South top, White Fell and White Head Fell South-East Top – was little more than a bump with their highest points being subject to some debate, so broad and flat each of them was.  Not too troubling in fine weather, in poor visibility it would be challenging to be sure of standing on the true summits.

At this stretch of the walk, I realised that I wasn't enjoying chasing such insignificant and trifling points on the map.  This would turn out to be my last walk that had Moss and Wright summits as objectives.  This was, in its own way, a hillwalking epiphany.

Being a weekday on a less popular range of hills, I saw only a few people all day, and most of them were in the distance.  Once again, the value of choosing areas away from the more popular honeypots rewarded me with the solitude that enriched the day spent away from busy city life.

The Calf summit

I strolled over The Calf and Bram Rigg Top before taking in the final minor top of the day – Great Dummacks.  After this summit, all of my future objectives would be more prominent summits on more worthwhile hill-lists.

Calders came and went before the start of the long descent back into Sedbergh.  I walked over the top of Arant Haw and dropped down to the col linking it to Winder but as it had been a long day under the sun, I decided to forego its attractions and head for home.