Would you believe the first Bank Holiday weekend of the year and the whole country is hit with yet another wintery blast all the while Daffs are flowering and the fields are starting to fill with Spring Lambs (albeit in their winter jackets)
Todays walk is planned around the forecast taking in a much loved area of mine, the far eastern, or Shap Fells, I have always regarded this area of Lakeland as my favourite owing to the solitude they provide where I can take as much pleasure from a walk here as I could on Bowfell or Gable.
'Sleddale Fell' is a classic round taking in the remoteness of the Shap Fells, a walk where once height is gained views remain over miles of heather into distant vallleys, an area of Lakeland where the only people you might bump into are seeking the same solitude as you.
Some may describe this area of Lakeland as flat or boring but I don't believe this to be true. Sleddale Fell conjures up nearly seven miles of remoteness collecting four Birkett summits starting from Sadgill Bridge in the Longsleddale Valley, others may know this walk as 'A Longsleddale Round' Bill Birkett simply named it 'Sleddale Fell' after the fells which over shadows the valley. |