Over Hampsfell.

Start. Grange-over-Sands (Main Street car park).

Route. Grange-over-Sands - Grange Fell Road - Fell End - Hampsfell - Hampsfell Allotment - High Hampsfield Farm - Hampsfield Farm - Eggerslack Wood - Merlewood - Windermere Road - Grange-over-Sands.

Notes. I owe Hampsfell an apology, the last time I climbed it’s grassy slopes I described it as a pimple, but it’s far more than that as I discovered on this stunning walk through exposed limestone, mountain scenery and the big skies of Morecambe Bay. Alfred Wainwright’s description just about sums it up, “as a hill small and unpretentious yet endowed with an air of freedom”. Come on you know you want to, it's a nice day.

The hardest part of this walk came right from the off, the leg burner of a climb between the houses on Grange Fell Road, it did what it said on the tin, deposited me at the top of Grange Fell next to a narrow limestone stile. Over said stile I went, immediately crossing the corner of a field to access Spring Bank Road a narrow lane, directly across said lane another narrow stile allowed access to the grassy slopes of Fell End.

I ascended over green paths between gorse bushes, the large cairn marking the summit soon tilted into view. Looking north a rolling grassy ridge lay before me, to all points of the compass stunning views. I headed north green paths under foot, stiles and farm gates allowed safe crossing of dry stone walls, at one point a dilapidated wall marked the boundary of the Lake District National Park. Now in the park I ascended to a grey squat limestone tower, marked on the map as the Hospice, no details about the Hospice today the place is a people magnet, it was crammed, I continued north into solitude.

Heading north meant a long easy on the joints descent between limestone pavements into stunning views over the Cartmel valley and north to a saw tooth skyline of Lakeland giants, the path crossed a small stile before cutting through scrubland ended in coppice woodland at a wall corner. I passed through a gate then almost immediately dog legged right crossing another narrow stile, this deposited me in a large field, with the hedge row for company I continued to another stile allowing access to a field containing a large lime kiln and horses.

I hastened my pace constantly aware I was walking through a field occupied by large solid-hoofed equine quadrupeds with teeth, they looked at me, I avoided eye contact, one tried to block my exit route, when I eyeballed him he moved. I escaped the horse paddock into a green lane that lead to then through High Hampsfell Farm, then it all went terribly wrong.

The farm lane deposited me in a narrow lane, I turned right, a few yards further on a finger post announced “restricted path to Grange-over-Sands”, the narrow trod squeezed me between dry stone walls before ejecting me into a small field. The path continued following the field boundary, it guided me into Eggerslack Wood via a large gate. Many paths wind through this woodland, I thought wrongly I was on familiar ground descending an obvious wide trod until it guided me to Merlewood, a rather splendid holiday complex. I felt and probably looked out of place wandering around hunting for an access road, half expecting some burly security guard to yell obscenities across the car park, it never happened I snook down the access drive unchallenged.

Once at the foot of the drive I did what I should have done in the woods, checked the map, Grange-over-Sands looked a little over half a mile to the right, so it was a walk back over tarmac, on reaching the village, to end the day I joined the promenade behind the railway station for the short but uneventful walk back to the car park.

view route map.

home.

Ascending Fell End looking south towards the squat towers of Heysham Power Station.

Stunning views across the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay from the slopes of Fell End.

Coniston Old Man and it's kin dominate the western horizon.

Soaking up the view from Fell End, over Gummer's How Fairfield.

Magical views from the traverse of Fell End, in the valley Cartmel with the rolling hills of Kirkby Moor across the skyline.

Viewing sylvan Arnside Knott with mighty Ingleborough on the far horizon.

The wet sand of the bay reflects the spirit of the sky.

Somewhere on the Hampsfell ridge viewing the Coniston massif.

Wonderful views over the rolling hills of southwest Cumbria.

The Coniston Fells stand in the distance, as seen from the summit of Hampsfell.

Limestone pavements, a landscape laid down on the bed of a warm tropical ocean 350000000 years ago.

Spectacular views over the Cartmel valley.

It's a magic place this slice of Hampsfell few walkers take the time to visit.

High wide and handsome views from this the northern end of Hampsfell, clearly visible across the valleys of Winster, Lyth and Kent the many ridge lines of the Howgill Fells, with the Shap Fells to the left.

The Furness Peninsula seen across Cartmel Sands.

En route between moss painted dry stone walls, about to enter Eggerslack Wood.

Sylvan Arnside Knott as seen from the Promenade Grange-over-Sands.

The timeless beauty of Morecambe Bay.

Again Arnside Knott with little Holme Island to the left.

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