Howgills, Yorkshire Dales, Summer
It was time to come back to the Howgills.
It was time to come back to the Howgills.
Back in April this year, 2021, Lisabet and I made our first hike up onto the Howgills, summiting Winder (473 m/1,552 ft), the fell that directly overlooks the beautiful Yorkshire Dales town of Sedbergh. It wasn’t hard, during that hike, to gawp at the next fell along the ridge from Winder, namely Arant Haw at 605 m. We vowed to return and tackle Arant Haw.
Today was that day.
The forecast was for clear skies and pushing 20°C, but when we arrived at Sedbergh for around 9am it was relatively chilly and cloudy. As we began our ascent up the Dales High Way up into the Howgills—and the views opened up—it became apparent that the cloud base still hadn’t quite cleared the fell tops. This resulted in amazing light and weather conditions, significantly slowing down our hiking progress (but all for good reason).
After a proper good pull, we managed to summit Arant Haw as well as add on the smaller fell of Crook on the way back down.
What a crackin’ day.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using two of my prime lenses: a Samyang 35mm f/1.2 and a Laowa 9mm f/2.8. Developed with RNI Films’ Kodak Portra 160 profile.
The way marker indicates the Dales High Way, the main trail that takes you up into the Howgills from Sedbergh. The fell on the left is Crook.
This was the kind of light show we were subject to on our way up the Howgills. The cloud base was clinging to the top of the Garsdale and Dent fells, and as the sun was rising they were swirling as they burning off.
Shapely Winder from the Dales High Way. Not our destination for the day.
A fell runner and her anxious dog passed us on their way across Settlebeck Gill and up Crook.
Plenty of lambs and young sheep around the Howgills, warily watching us we disturbed their grazing.
It wasn’t long before we spotted more people heading up the trail behind us. We weren’t in a rush. The light and views were too good to miss.
The view looking up Settlebeck Gill. That little hill in the distance with the trail running over it? That’s our destination: Arant Haw.
Looking down Settlebeck Gill, the light and views just get better and better.
The small Frostrow Fells catching the morning light, whilst the Dent fells recede in shadow. Astounding.
The steep folds of Settlebeck Gill, leading down to Sedbergh and the Barbondale fells beyond.
After reaching the plateau above Settlebeck Gill, our destination becomes immediately obvious: Arant Haw.
Looking back to Winder, morning light scanned across the fells and I waited for it to reach the summit of Winder before snapping this composition.
The view north from the summit of Arant Haw. Good heavens.
The views north from Arant Haw take in a succession of Howgills peaks and valleys, felltops such as Calders (674 m/2,211 ft), Bram Rigg Top (672 m/2,205 ft), The Calf (676 m/2,218 ft, highest point of the Howgills), and White Fell (636 m/2,086 ft). The clouds clung to the felltops as the day brightened
Looking down the gill of Swarth Greaves Beck eastwards. Views for miles and miles.
Just astounding.
The western spur that juts out from Arant Haw gives you an indication of the steepness of the fell’s western face.
Zooming in more, I love this arrangement of horizontal and diagonal lines created by the fells and gills.
Time to head down Arant Haw. The conditions looking back to Winder and Sedbergh were starting to brighten up significantly.
The little knobbly fell to the right is our next destination: Crook. There’s not any “official” path to the fell, but that’s no major bother anyway. The Howgills is all Open Access Land.
Swaledale and Rough Fell sheep enjoy the views towards Garsdale as much as we do, it seems.
Even though Crook is only 450 m high or so, the views from its summit are no less impressive.
From Crook it was even possible to make out the back of Wild Boar Fell in Mallerstang, looking northeast.
Looking back up to Arant Haw from around Crook summit, the light getting brighter and brighter.
It was time to come off the Howgills, Lisabet leading the way ahead. We decided on the Soolbank route off Crook, heading down into Settlebeck Gill.
Once we were alongside the banks of Settlebeck Gill, it was simple enough to follow the gill all the down until you could cross and rejoin the Dales High Way back into Sedbergh.
Settlebeck Gill is an impressive sight. The little people hiking the Dales High Way give an indication of scale.
The way back down into Sedbergh, the fells now free of clouds.
Winder, Howgills, Cumbria, Spring
We’ve neglected the Howgills for too long.
We’ve neglected the Howgills for too long.
On this Good Friday we elected to stay away from the Lake District, expecting visitor numbers to sharply increase. We did want to stay within the same council area, though. So we ventured east over the M6 and into Sedbergh, the beautiful bookish town at the foot of the Howgills.
It might be reasonable to state that the Howgills as a landscape tends to get overlooked, or even ignored, in favour of nearby neighbours such as the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. Lisabet and I have certainly been guilty of this assumption. But the Howgills has a lot of beautiful wandering to offer, and we’ve barely scratched the surface.
We exited the town onto Joss Lane, which leads onto the Dales High Way. Then it was a simple matter of following this footpath and its incredible views of Settlebeck Gill all the way onto the plateau, before turning back sharply to reach the summit of Winder (473 m/1,552 ft).
A glorious spring’s day was in full effect, with clear and deep blue skies all around.
And there are many more of the Howgills to check out.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using a Samyang 35mm f/1.2 lens and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Developed using RNI’s Kodachrome film profiles.
Sedbergh is a beautiful little town.
After exiting Joss Lane we merged onto the Dales High Way, soaking in the beautiful spring sun as we did.
There were plenty of others out and about on the Howgills too, and on such a beautiful day I don’t blame them.
Looking back the way we came.
A well-positioned bench offers walkers a rest and a view of the Dentdale fells.
We were keen to stay on the main footpath, but others elected to ascend the Winder summit as quickly as possible.
With every step the panorama opened up more and more. It was hard to maintain a forward momentum up the fell path when these views commanded our attention behind us all the time.
The way forward. Nary a cloud int’ sky.
Here we’re nearing the first main plateau of the Dales High Way, which also signalled us to take a sharp left in order to reach the summit of Winder.
One last look back down, with the full extent of Settlebeck Gill below, the Sedbergh countryside in the middle distance, and the Dentdale fells of the Yorkshire Dales in the background.
Fell ponies grazing peacefully on the flanks of Green Mea.
What a sight. The Dales High Way carries on around the flank of Arant Haw (605 m/1,985 ft), a beautifully sculpted fell with a precipitous southwestern face.
Our destination meant turning away from the Dales High Way, back to the southwest towards Winder. Along the way I keep snapping the views over to the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Across Settlebeck Gill is Winder’s easterly neighbour, Crook (461 m/1,513 ft). Far in the distance are the Mallerstang fells.
And… summit. On a clear day, such as we enjoyed, the views take in the Lake District fells and even Morecambe Bay, 32 km away.
After a flapjack and some water whilst sheltered underneath the trig point from the wind, we followed the track back down the southwestern shoulder of Winder.
Layers upon layers of hills and valleys in the Howgills. In fact, that’s where the Howgills get their name from. “How” comes from the Old Norse haugr meaning “hill”, and “gill” comes from the Old Norse gil meaning a “narrow valley”.
The winding track back to Sedbergh via Lockbank Farm. The round mound in the distance is Aye Gill Pike (556 m/1,824 ft).
Ostensibly looking back at the way we came, but more than I shot this composition for the winding drystone wall. That’s right.
So many lambs around. Always a wonderful sight to see and sound to hear.
Swaledale lambs, being adorably playful.
My lovely Lisabet, enjoying a drop of Sherry in her friend’s garden post-walk.