Today...A recce of the route...

Doggedly determined Bella with Pete in Mosedale.

There's a place to park at the head of the valley in Mosedale, but not knowing this, Pete and Bella left the car in Mosedale village and walked the three kilometres up the valley. Anyway it was supposed to be a work-out, a get fit session, as well as a recce of part of Day 4 of the Cumbrian Way Walk which starts next Tuesday and it was certainly that!

I wanted to find a track that rises from the valley of the River Caldew towards Knott, there's one marked on the 25,000 map at NY314313 which leads up the blunt ridge of Cocklakes towards Comb Height and I thought it was a good idea to explore its possibilities.

Mosedale in June

Mosedale means the valley of the peat bog and there are several Mosedales in the Lake District, however this one is probably the most attractive of them, it is a delightful place in June and I was glad I'd left the car far behind.





River Caldew looking West

When approaching from the W the track in question starts up the fellside in a northerly direction 200m after the Blackhazel Beck joins the Caldew from the SE. The track was clearly not subject to a great deal of useage but was quite distinct and was a useful and rapid way up the fellside which would otherwise have meant slow progress in tussocky grass and knee-high heather. The track gave out at about 560m just as the slope eased before reaching the plateau of which Comb Height is marked on the map as the high point at 627m. An increasingly intermittent path led N to a better one which led from Comb Height towards Knott about 1.5km to the WNW.

Comb Height 627m looking towards Knott in the distance centre

 Though dwarfed by mighty Skiddaw to the SW , Knott at 710m is the high point of the surrounding Caldbeck and Uldale Fells and the highest point of the walk on Day 4.

The track gives out and Pete and Bella are in the rough!

After taking a few shots of the sky and his shoes Pete managed this "selfie" up on Comb Height just as the path down the ridge ran out and left them in really rough going. The weather just got better and better though and then they found a path again and all was well with the world.

Mosedale from the lower slopes of Comb Height