Up Melmerby Fell.

I think we can safely say that our caravan in Melmerby is fast becoming our second home. Now that England is coming out of lockdown restrictions, we are hoping to spend more time there, hopefully at least two weekends a month. There’s still so much of the Eden Valley to be explored, not least from our own doorstep. Never one to suggest a hike up a hill, I left it to Wil to persuade me that a fell walk from Melmerby on a clear Spring day was a good idea. 🙂

After breakfast at the van, we set off from the village, following a well defined track up through woodland and into the hills. And there are plenty of hills!  Melmerby sits at the foot of the mighty North Pennines.

Ford and stream.

Hills. ⛰️

Wil waiting for me….as usual.

Looking back.

Looking up.

Eventually after a lot of lagging behind I caught Wil and Hugo up. The views are extraordinary , with the Lake District fells and even the sea in sight on a clear day.

Hills and sky.

Perched on a hill..

Views across to the Lake District Mountains.

A Dunlin.  Although more commonly associated with the coast, dunlins breed in the uplands. This one wears it’s breeding plumage.

A rusty machine skeleton.

Another upland bird, the beautiful Golden Plover.

Now there are several summits in the fells above Melmerby. And Melmerby Fell is certainly one of the bigger ones at 709 metres ( not that much shorter than two of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, and higher than Pen Y Ghent ) but sorting which cairn or trig belongs to which fell is a bit tricky.

Possibly Meikle Awfell.

Knapside Hill, maybe.

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Melmerby Fell Summit.

This unimpressive looking  Cairn is the top of Melmerby Fell. Yay!

A rest on Melmerby Summit.

Up on the tops the weather had turned from t shirt weather to something a bit more wild and cold. It even tried to snow! We soldiered on along the Maiden Way, a Roman road later used as a Drovers route.

Walking along the Maiden Way. Cross Fell in the distance, I think.

Rosy coloured sheep.

Along the Maiden Way.

Another fell bird ~ the pretty Wheatear.

We made our descent by following an old tramway , now almost given back to nature. It leads down to a large lime kiln by Ardale Beck. I think the kiln looks like a miniature castle. And then on to Townhead, Ousby.

Following the old tramline into the valley below.

Back of Townhead Lime Kiln.

Townhead Lime Kiln.

Below the hills we walked across.

A contented little lamb.

The final part of our walk took us along pretty country lanes from Ousby back to Melmerby.

St Luke’s Church, Ousby. Made from the rosy red sandstone so typical of the area.

A sheepdog sees us off.

Sheep jam on the way out of Ousby.

A pair of partridge.

A Tunncks Tea Cake back at the caravan.

In the end I was glad that Wil persuaded me to join him on this hike up Melmerby fell. 🙂

Os explorer 0L31

11 miles ( 18km).

Walking in Cumbrias Eden Valley ~ Vivienne Crow.

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