11¾ Miles / 19km with 2,500ft / 765m Total Ascent
Middleton Fell is a bit of an oddity; wedged between the Lune Valley and the deep-cut trench of Barbondale, it lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park yet geologically is an eastward extension of the Silurian slate landscape of the South Lakes. For many years Calf Top, the highest point, was thought to be just shy of 2,000 feet, but recent surveys have shown it to be 2,000 feet exactly! Unfortunately, access points are quite limited, so how best to tackle it from the south?
We start from Hodge Bridge on the A683 and walk through the village of Barbon to the church before crossing Barbon Beck. The climbing starts from Eskholme up an increasingly well-defined, curving ridge to the summit of Castle Knott (538m/1,765ft), beyond which lies Calf Top (610m/2,000ft) and its Trig Point. Unfortunately, the eastern and southern flanks of Middleton Fell are extremely steep, so we will retrace our steps over Castle Knott and back to Barbon before heading to Kirkby Lonsdale by way of Fellfoot Road (a track) and High Casterton.
If weather conditions are poor (heavy rain/snow and/or strong winds) we will do a longer version of the B+, starting from Casterton. This is about the same length but with just over 150 meters / 500 feet less climbing.
B+ Walk – Barbon Low Fell with Sue Banister
9 Miles / 14.5km with 1,345ft / 410m Total Ascent
We leave the coach a few miles north of Kirby Lonsdale on the A683 at Hodge Bridge then head east through Barbon village and into the grounds of Barbon Manor to access Barbondale. After crossing the beck at Blindbeck Bridge we head south on a bridleway to Bullpot Farm.
This is home to the Red Rose Caving and Pot Holing Club and you are standing over the longest caving system in Britain known as the Three Counties system. You can go underground in Yorkshire, pass under Lancashire, and emerge in Cumbria!
From Bullpot we have a short stretch of lane before heading up the fell to the trig point and highest point of Barbon Low Fell at 1437ft (438m).
We then cross to the cairn on Brownthwaite Pike 1382ft (421m) after which its downhill back to Kirby via Blindloss Farm, Cragg House Farm, and Latha Lane.
B Walk – The Limestone Stacks of Uberash Breast with Stuart Arnold
8 Miles / 12.9km with 700ft / 213m Total Ascent
This is a linear walk which will start as we leave the bus after exiting the motorway at Junction 36. We will join the canal and follow it South for about 1½ miles. We then cross the A6070 and at Holme Park Farm we join a path which takes us round the base of Holmepark Fell. This then leads across Uberash Plain to pass Keller well and round Hutton Roof Crags into the village of Hutton Roof.
Following field paths we pass Longfield Barn, Biggins Home Farm, High Biggins and Wood End eventually reaching Kirby Lonsdale and the end of another excellent walk.
