Abandoned

VIEW LARGE

This abandoned farmstead sits on Birkbeck Fell, south of Shap and east of the A6. It's a cold, windy, bleak place and it's difficult to imagine what life must have been like living in this remote location, particularly in the depths of winter when snow would have lain for long periods. The only farming possible up here is the keeping of sheep and a few cattle.

There are many ruined farmhouses and barns as you walk up the rough tracks from Bretherdale, but the other abandoned dwellings are generally sat deeper in the dales close to running water and with a few trees planted to soften the surroundings. This one though sits in lonely splendour high up on the fell surrounded by grass moor and rushes. The views from here are astonishing, but that would have been cold comfort to the dwellers here. The link is the view back to the farmstead which gives a striking impression of its location.

On a winter's day, it is not difficult to see why the farms have been abandoned. The top of Bretherdale gets very little direct sun and access is difficult. The only advantage of the Birkbeck dwelling is that it would have seen a bit more direct sunshine in its exposed location.

I was determined to have a longer walk today over rougher upland ground. On a Bank Holiday the Lake District is worth avoiding. This area outside the National Park is seldom visited, and in my walk I saw no-one from when I left the car where the A6 crosses Borrowdale. I walked up Breasthigh Lane over the fell to Bretherdale, then from Bretherdale up onto Birkbeck Fell and then back across the A6 and down to Hause Foot and along the Crookdale Beck back to the car. It was a blowy day, with showers of sleet, hail and rain. A bracing walk which will have done my fitness building some good.

There were precious few birds to see up on the fell today. A pair of ravens was about all I saw. Lower down there were birds round the old farm buildings, and I added redwing and wren to the year list. At home, there were 4 male reed buntings dining on the ground food that we have put out, a record number for the garden. One other addition to the year list was kestrel. That takes me up to 45 species so far in 2012.

ps My colleague Jean and I spent a day in November 2010 counting fell ponies and looking at the vegetation on Birkbeck Fell. It was another cold, blustery day and we sought shelter in the ruined building where we had a teleconference with other colleagues. The wonders of modern technology.