Cross Fell, vast moorland, Hewitt-bagging in big skies — and Roman forts on the way back. England's least-walked high ground.
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An outstanding Pennine mountain walk taking in Cross Fell — the highest summit in the Pennines at 893 m — with the Lakeland Fells visible throughout from the high ground. The Pennine Way leads to the vast plateau, with the Dun Fells adding extra height and interest. The ancient Roman terraces at the Hanging Walls of Mark Anthony add historical depth to the return.
Read full description →An excellent Pennine moorland walk combining a Hewitt summit with Roman history. Extensive wild walking across Whitley Common with little to no defined path requires good navigation — though a quad bike track on the return helped. A Merlin sighting added a wonderful wildlife dimension. The highlight at the end is Epiacum Roman Fort (Whitley Castle), a fascinating archaeological site well worth exploring.
Read full description →A straightforward linear walk across Pennine moorland to Melmerby Fell, offering wonderful views of the Lakeland Fells throughout. The path is generally clear except at Long Pot where it fades and a gully crossing is required. A pleasant out-and-back across open moorland rewarding modest effort with good views — ideal if you fancy a stroll, or have a Hewitt to bag.
Read full description →An excellent Pennine circular offering superb views of the Lakeland Fells throughout. Thack Moor is one of England's newest Hewitts, achieving mountain status by the narrowest of margins in 2013. The moorland walking across Renwick Fell, Skellings Moor and Haresceugh Fell provides real space and remoteness, with the target peaks always visible. Time it for dry conditions to avoid the boggier sections.
Read full description →An excellent circular combining archaeology with superb moorland walking. The Bronze Age cairn and currick on Tindale Fell provides a fascinating historical element — a landmark visible from the A69, with views to the Cheviots, Hadrian's Wall and Scotland. Cold Fell (a Hewitt) rewards with 360-degree views. Quirky cairns on Talkin Fell add further interest, and the return along the old railway line is a fine finish.
Read full description →An excellent Pennine moorland walk combining a Hewitt summit with Roman history. The route requires good navigation skills — extensive wild walking with little to no defined path across Whitley Common and through challenging terrain of bog and peat hags, though careful route choice can avoid the worst. Grey Nag provides views to Black Fell and Watch Fell that reward the navigational effort.
Read full description →A short moorland circuit to a Hewitt summit above Cow Green Reservoir, completed in serious winter conditions — Storm Dave had passed through the previous night with winds gusting to 50 mph and wind chill at -7°C. The original plan was a 14-mile circular taking in three Hewitts; the decision to abandon two summits and complete this shorter walk instead was the right call. The peat hags and unmarked terrain around Viewing Hill (649 m) demand respect in poor visibility — white marker stakes and a quad bike track are the main navigational aids.
Read full description →A fine circular from Nateby using sections of both the old and new Coast to Coast alignments to visit Nine Standards Rigg. The GPS-recorded ascent of 374 m significantly underestimates the real effort — highly undulating peat hags and moorland hollows throughout the eastern and southern sections mean the actual ascent is likely close to double. Completed in wet and windy conditions just hours before Storm David arrived. The old Coast to Coast paving runs out quickly, after which faint paths across the peat hags must be followed by wooden marker poles.
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