Black Force, Howgills

Late to bed and late to rise - but when I peaked outside it looked fabulous - blue sky, bullet hard frost - a rushed breakfast and out.
Even driving to Kendal I could see the heart of the Lakes looked dull, but optimistically I drove on - but in my haste I'd forgotten this is Christmas week....after a nearly stationary hour at Windermere I span the van around and headed for plan B.
By now it was wall to wall grey - but I'd decided I wanted a blast on the fells. Parking at Carlin Bridge I was, as expected, the only vehicle there. I made good time along the gorge, my target being the 'other' major waterfall of the Howgills. For a lot of the year it's out of bounds with rare nesting ravens, and it used to be reliable winter ice climb - but today it was a steep 450 ft scramble. Eventually I pulled out of the gorge when the rocks got too wet, and onto a delightful little grassy ridge on the left that runs from the highpoint in today's blip, this picture really doesn't do justice to how steep it was.
From here I followed a well rounded ridge to Fell Head and the descended across Lingshaw, Back Balk and the wonderfully macabre sounding Gibbet Hill. 4 hours well spent.

The Howgills are some of the most complex hills I know, like  miniaturised Cairngorms- there is virtually never an option to walk straight from A to B - I've tried to show the nature of the little ravines and gills in a wide shot in extras. These are ancient, geologically fascinating hills, gritstone found atop slate, folded ( in places spectacularly) by the immense pressure of the Dent Fault, where rising Lakeland Rocks come against the bedded Pennines. If you read my journal, like walking in the hills and from time to time seek solitude - I recommend a trip here - just be sure to bring  map.