A Traverse of the Frostrow Fells.

Start. Sedbergh.

Route. Sedbergh - Vicarage Lane - Winder House - Dent Road - Cricket Field - Akay Wood - Millthrop Bridge - Millthrop - Riggs - Burton Hill - Long Rigg - Hunder Moor Hurrock - Frostrow Fells - Bridleway SD 691 901 (Dales High Way) - Holbeck Gill - Side Farm - Lane Ends - Lane End - A684 - The Row - Fairfield Mill - Garsdale Bridge - Straight Bridge - River Rawthey - New Bridge - Chain Dub - Millthrop Bridge - Dent Road - Winder House - Vicarage Lane - Sedbergh.

Notes. The Frostrow Fells are peppered with numerous small hamlets and farmsteads which are interlinked by a mesh of bridleways, paths and narrow lanes, it was these that guided us to and from the fells, but the upper slopes can be wet, carpeted with sedge, rushes and cotton grass, various reeds and a liberal helping of sphagnum moss, but it’s wild and quiet and I'll guarantee you’ll have the hill to yourself. You won’t find this walk in any guide book, fancy or otherwise, why? who knows it’s a cracker of a walk. I’ve crossed the Frostrow Fells before but never walked their length, studying the map it made sense to me to walk the ridge, hopefully there’d be a path, if not a dry stone wall that would guide us.

As we have so many times lately we parked in Sedberge, let Vicarage Lane guide us out of town, up the low rise passed Winder House we wandered swinging right when the path started descending. This path deposited us on the Dent Road, rather than brave the traffic we crossed to access a cricket field, the path cut along it's edge entering Akay Wood via the grand gate posts that once allowed entry to Akay House. We immediately swung left, the path looped round to access green pastures, we looped with it, once through the fields we arrived at the twin arched Millthrop Bridge.

We crossed the River Rawthey looking and listening for traffic, once across a gate on our left allowed access to the river bank, a short stretch of riverside rambling followed before a narrow trod on the right guided us between dry stone walls depositing us in one of the tiny hamlets mentioned above, Millthrop. After wandering south passed rows of tiny cottages we stepped through a gate to access a stoney track, this climbed the shoulder of Riggs. The climb passed a footpath signed Highside, we ignored this ascending to the next gate but not passing through it, no our route turned left into the wilderness of the Frostrow Fells.

There was a path, a green trod a few yards from the dry stone wall, into the wilderness we walked. An easy climb followed over Riggs, Burton Hill and Long Rigg, everything didn't go quite to plan. Hunder Moor Moss halted our progress, could we find a way across the tract of boggy ground could we hell, several attempts followed, eventually we succeeded. Next time we’ll be following the ridge line from Long Rigg to Hunder Moor Hurrock. Back on track we wandered above Long Moss to access a wide green trod rising from Rawthey Dale.

Grid SD 691 901 marks the path junction but it’s hard to miss, the descent was straight forward, a couple of boggy bits to pick our way round but we arrived at a stoney lane with dry feet, the stoney lane soon turned into a narrow tarmac lane. We strolled passed High Hollins and Low Hollins and Bank Cottage Farm to access Lane Ends, ignoring a lane on the left we walked on to access one on the right, this deposited us on the busy A684, taking great care we briskly walked to an unsigned traffic free lane, this in turn guided us to our lunch stop, the tea room at Fairfield Mill.

A cracking good lunch over, a wander around the four floors of crafts over we stepped out of the mill into rain, after donning waterproofs we made our way down the access lane to Straight Bridge. This is another busy road, all we had to do was cross the bridge to join the banks of the River Rawthey, which we did, riverbank rambling all the way back from here. A good path under foot we wandered along the tree lined banks of the river, at New Bridge the next bridge, we crossed the river again, this allowed us to follow the south bank back to Millthrop Bridge. This time we risked the road, with tarmac under foot we wandered to the stile we used earlier, re-joining the path we wandered out of Sedbergh on, all we had to do was re-trace our steps of earlier.

view route map.

home.

Looking to the Frostrow Fells from Winder House.

Sue strides out through Akay Wood.

The twin arches of Millthrop Bridge carry the road to Dent across the waters of the River Rawthey.

Rising from Millthrop the stoney track that guided us into the promised land.

Winder in dappled light seen from the track in the shot above.

Here's proof you don't have to climb very high to get a good view, the Lune valley in all it's glory.

The wonderful view from Riggs, the Howgill Fells across the divide of Rawthey Dale.

Sue strides out through the wilderness of the Frostrow Fells.

Wandale Hill and Harter Fell seen over Rawthey Dale from the solitude of the Frostrow Fells.

An awesome stage set of Dales peaks, rising from Dentdale, Whernside, the flat top of Crag Hill and the Middleton Fells.

Dwarfed by the landscape the tiny market town of Sedbergh.

Through the ragged mattress of wild moorland the Dales High Way our route off the fells.

Views over Holbeck Gill, in sunlight and shade Calders and Great Dummacks, to the left in shadow Knott and Sickers Fell.

A quintessential part of the Yorkshire Dales, the field barn.

A pleasing sweep of some of the Howgill Fells, from left to right, Crook, the long shadowed ridge of Arant Haw, in sunlight Sickers Fell and Knott with Calders in shadow behind.

Narrow lanes lined with summer flora ushered us into the valley.

Fairfield Mill on the banks of Clough River captures the whispers of a lost industry..

Sickers Fell and Knott seen from the shelter of a mighty oak.

Over the wild flower meadows of Rawthey Dale, Winder.

From the banks of the River Rawthey, rain washed Baugh Fell.

Precipitations over the River Rawthey.

The Weir seen from the south bank.

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