My Top 3 Local Fell Walks
We are frequently asked for recommendations of our favourite fell walks locally so I thought I would list our top 3. They are all within a 10 minute drive of the house and all include a nearby pub opportunity!
Winder
Winder is the hill that Sedbergh sits at the foot of. There are plenty of comprehensive guides giving you full directions for the various routes, so I’ll leave that to the experts and explain why I love it. Sedbergh is just 3 miles down the road from Ridge House - you probably drove through it on your way here. It is a beautiful little book town to explore, full of character and all the essentials: a cafe, bookshop, butcher and greengrocer. You start and finish the walk up Winder from town, so although you do need to get in the car, you have the advantage of civilisation to return to if you get soaked through (this is Cumbria after all, so expect rain!) or if you’re lucky enough to have the opposite problem, cool off with an ice cream when you’ve finished your hike! Winder overlooks Sedbergh and you get the most stunning views on the way up and down of the town sprawled out beneath you.
We are lucky to have two excellent pubs in Sedbergh - the Black Bull and the Dalesman - and after burning all that energy climbing a hill, what better way to finish the day than with a locally-sourced, home-cooked meal! (Note the Black Bull welcomes dogs, whilst the Dalesman is dog-free.)
Wild Boar Fell
Wild Boar Fell is in the other direction, so head north from Ridge House for about 5 miles, then park here where you can head straight up the farm track and onto the fell. This is a good out and back so if you have little legs in tow or a group with differing abilities, this is a good one. There is a track the whole way up til you get to the fell gate where you can either carry on if you have summit fever, or shelter behind a stone wall for a brief picnic before heading back the way you came. I have never met anyone whilst on Wild Boar Fell and it really does feel like proper wilderness (especially when blowing a gale!) It’s a good one to do if you need an antidote to the crowds you get on the famous peaks of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District in peak season. Once back at the car, if you need a very short detour for refreshment, head a mile up the road to the Fat Lamb, a traditional family run pub serving food and drink.
Cautley Spout
This is my favourite if I want to walk from the door, and is our nearest. Cross the road, head down the farm track and over the ford. Go through the gate (don’t forget to shut it!) into the field and head straight up the bank in front of you and head diagonally right til you get to the stile. Now you’re on the old drover’s track and will traverse the Cautley valley til you reach the foot of Cautley Spout. If you just fancy a flat walk this is a good out and back and you can enjoy the impressive views up the highest cascade in England! If you’re feeling a little more adventurous you can head up the right hand side of the waterfall and get all the way to the top for some beautiful views over the Cautley Valley, including trying to spot Ridge House on the opposite side of the valley! This is another nice one for a mixed ability group, as some can picnic by the river at the base of the waterfall (or head to the Cross Keys Pub!), while others can head up to the top.
If you are especially hard-core and happen to visit in the winter, you can ice-climb up Cautley Spout if it’s frozen. But this is only recommended if you are an expert ice-climber! Jonny has done it twice in the 8 years we’ve lived here and it’s a pretty rare occurrence - so don’t plan your trip around it! On that note, we have ski toured most years on Yarlside, the hill next to Cautley Spout, so I will do a blog post on that next…!