Mardale Ill Bell
Ill Bell

Area: High Street
Route: Ill Bell 16th March 2008
Distance: 18.2 km (11.4 miles)
Max Height: 760 metres
Time: 6-7 Hours
Grade: STRENUOUS
Starting Grid Reference: 456041

MAP

This walk starts from the small village of Kentmere located half way up the Kentmere valley. The car park is located next to the old church and church hall. It is free to park here but there is a donation box on the side of the church hall so a gift of £1 for the day seems quite fair.
There are no facilities at this location so it may be advisable to pop into the village of Stavely that you pass through on your way up the valley if need be.

Mardale Ill Bell

From the car park you need to follow the road back down the way you drove up the hill crossing over the River Kent by means of the road bridge. You need to follow the small road off to your left immediately after crossing the bridge and follow it up the valley where it will bring you out at a junction.

At this junction you need to follow the road off to the north (left) for a short distance before you reach the start of the 'Low Lane' bridleway. Here you need to leave the road and follow the bridleway with the River Kent on your left.

Along the bridleway you will need to pass through a couple of small gates (gate1, gate 2,) before reaching a junction of bridleways next to a small stream. From here you need to cross over the stream leaving the main track to follow the stone wall on your left. This is the main bridleway up the valley and is marked with a small blue arrow on the telegraph pole.

Follow the well walked track alongside the stonewall crossing over a small beck by means of a ford or the stone bridge provided before reaching another farm track. Follow this track for a short distant before leaving it where it starts to head up towards Hallow Bank farm. Here you need to follow the track off to the left alongside the stone wall.

The bridleway continues to head northwards with the River Kent on your left towards Overend Farm. Along the way you will pass through another small wooden gate before reaching the entrance to the farm.

Pass through the farm using the gates provided where you will arrive at a junction of footpaths. Here you need to follow the path off to the right which takes you up to run alongside the stone wall ahead of you.

Follow the track northwards crossing over a small stream before passing through another small wooden gate. From here the path runs alongside a dry stonewall to pass through another gate further up the valley. From here the path curves round to the northeast still running alongside the stone wall to bring you to Ullstone Gill.

On reaching Ullstone Gill you need to crossover to the gate on the other side by walking through the stream or over the wooden bridge provided. Once through the gate on the other side you need to follow the track up the hill which becomes more distinctive the further up the hill you climb.

Before long the track brings you to the top of the rise above Kentmere Reservoir passing below Smallthwaite Knott. The path from here heads straight for The Nan Bield Pass ahead of you.

On reaching the pass you will notice the small stone shelter that has been built to offer a bit of protection from the winds that drive up either side of the pass. From here you need to follow the track off to the west which passes through a rocky outcrop before taking you along the hillside for a few hundred metres to the top of Mardale Ill Bell.

The summit of Mardale Ill Bell comprises of a small pile of loose stone situated on top of an outcrop of rock. From here you get some great views down into the Haweswater Valley and across to the North Pennines as well as those across to Froswick, Ill Bell and Yoke.

Thornthwaite Crag 784m

Leaving the top of Mardale Ill Bell you need to follow the track heading northwestwards for a short distance before heading off to the west towards the Thornthwaite Crag. The track across to Thornthwaite Crag is barely visible to start with but the further west you travel above Bleathwaite Crag the more pronounced it becomes.

The track eventually meets up with an old stone wall and track coming from the High Street but you need to cross straight over this and continue westwards along the small track towards Thornthwaite Crag ahead of you. This will eventually bring you onto another more defined track coming from the High Street which you use to reach the top.

The summit of Thornthwaite Crag is marked off with a tall stone cairn at the end of a dry stonewall. From here you get spectacular views across to the Helvellyn range of fells and those of the Coniston and Scafell ranges.

Froswick 720m

From the top of Thornthwaite Crag you need to follow the path off to the south which follows alongside a stonewall for a short distance before heading away from it.

Where the path begins to desend you pass an old iron fence post before walking over Wander Scar. After this you then begin climbing up again to the top of Froswick Fell.

The summit of Froswick is topped off with a cairn and offers great views all around including the outlying fells.

Ill Bell 752m

Leaving the summit of Froswick, follow the track down off the top towards Ill Bell ahead of you. This top is the highest of the three on this ridge and will take a little bit longer to reach the summit.

The summit of Ill Bell is strewn with rocks of all sizes and has three large cairns on its top with the most northern of the three being the true summit and the others being false summits.

Yoke 706m

From the top of Ill Bell, follow the track off near the southern cairn, which heads down the hill to a long grassy ridge towards Yoke in the distance where on route you will pass a small tarn on the eastern side of the footpath before reaching the top of Yoke.

Yoke's summit is marked off with a cairn located on top of a rock outcrop adjacent to the footpath. The fell itself is quite flat on the top but the views around are still good.

Leaving the top of Yoke, follow the track southwards again where after a short distance it begins to head downhill. The path to Garburn Pass from here can clearly be seen ahead of you heading across the plateau. Along the way you will pass through a small gate built into a stone wall where the path continues on the other side.

After reaching Garburn Pass you will have a choice of tracks to follow with the path heading eastwards being the one to follow. This will bring you to a wooden gate which you need to pass through and continue along the track which now heads down hill into the Kentmere valley.

Near the bottom of the Garburn Pass track you will need to pass through another small wooden gate, which brings you out below Goat House Scar. Continue on the track passing through yet another gate which is the last of this walk and continue down to the houses ahead of you.

The track brings you out onto a road with a footpath sign marking the way up the Garburn Pass and a path to Kentmere Hall. The route you need to take is to the left which after a short distance, brings you back to the car park from which you started this walk.