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Sale Fell from near Eskin

Start/Finish

Small parking spot, holds about 4 cars, near Eskin. From Wythop Mill crossroads, take the minor road signed for Wythop Hall. After about half a mile, a minor road goes right and uphill. Ignore this and continue a little way, towards a gate on the road, and reach the parking spot, on the left. Wythop Mill is about half a mile from the A66 at Netherscale. This is a much quicker approach than taking the longer minor road past the Pheasant Inn.

Distance/Time

5 km     About 1 – 2 hours

Peaks

Sale Fell, 359 m, NY 194 297.

OS 90, 1:50 000, Penrith etc.     OL4 North Western Lakes

Introduction

Sale Fell is a fell of modest height above Wythop Mill. It gives good views to Broom Fell, Grisedale Pike, Skiddaw and Ling Fell which can be separately climbed from the same starting point. However, if one follows this route to Lothwaite then there are superb views across Bassenthwaite Lake to Skiddaw. There are several paths and many routes are possible. For its height, the hill is quite exposed to any bad weather coming off the Irish Sea.

Route

(1) From the car parking spot, continue up the road and through the gate. Continue along the road for about 600 m to reach the sign post at Kelswick (hidden behind the trees). Take the reverse fork, almost level, grassy path signed for Wythop Church. This path has little gradient. It can be reached sooner from the road by a choice of paths. Follow the almost level path until it reaches a wall and curves around to the right. Follow the path, by the wall, to its highest point then turn right, E, up a very wide grassy path. Again, there are other paths which cut the corner to the wide grassy path before reaching the wall. The wide grassy path soon splits. Either fork can be followed or it is easy to flit between the two. Continue E up the W ridge to reach two tops, essentially a double top, which are clearly the highest points but neither has a cairn, more like a small bare path of gravel. Both are easily visited and one, or both, is the summit of Sale Fell, 359 m.

(2) Follow the obvious path which descends SE to cross a good wall then a broken wall. There is a top off to the right which has a large cairn. It's spot height is 335 m and the nearest name on OL4 is Rivings. From here descend ENE, losing little height to a shallow dip then follow a very good path up a grassy ridge for about 500 m to reach the uncairned top known as Lothwaite with a spot height of 345 m. There is a stone bench not far short of the highest point. Lothwaite is an excellent viewpoint for Bassenthwaite Lake, Skiddaw, Ullock Pike and Dodd. Retrace along the crest, on the good path, passingRivings on its right. Cross the broken wall and the good wall then follow the path on the Sale Fell side of the good wall down to Kelswick and the minor road back to the start.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 29^th November, 2015.