With David. An earlier attempt last year (43) had to be abandoned leaving this as unfinished business. That earlier time we had started near Birks. This time we began much closer to the top, in fact quite near where we gave up last time, at the top of the Hardknott Pass. There is only space here for a small number of cars to park but today we were one of them and off we went. You follow the main path down towards Birks for a short way until there is a stile over a fence. Here look to your right and you’ll see another still a bit further up. That is the faint branch-ling path heading up Harter Fell. It’s easy and doesn’t take long. The top is the big tor next to the trig point. If you want to be thorough and climb it, the easiest way is on the other side from the trig and is easy. Then down we went.
Normally climbing a hill the point you get back to the car is when you can relax. Not so today as the hardest, most stressful part of the day was the hairy descent of the pass back towards Eskdale, broken halfway down by a stop to look over the old Roman fort.
RSS Feed
