Holme Fell

Difficulty: Easy – Moderate

Wainwright Guide: Book Four – Southern Fells

Holme Fell is one of the more unique Wainwrights, offering fantastic views of the length of Coniston Water as well as the Old Man of Coniston, Lingmoor Fell and the Langdale Pikes. It is one of the lower Lake District fells, however it has a lot to offer. You can also combine this with a walk up to Black Crag as the two are so close together!

The first time I headed up Holme Fell it was just Emi and I which is a good indication of the difficulty level. I was able to make it to the summit and back fairly easily with a one-year old on my back. I later took Jonny up a combined walk with Black Crag and would recommend both options.

You can also pop in and see Hodge Close Quarry whilst you are in the area as it is so nearby and you can even hike to the summit from here, although I have never taken this route myself.

Where to Start?

The best place to start this hike is the National Trust Car Park by the Glen Mary Bridge. You can access both Black Crag and Holme Fell from here, as well as Tarn Hows so you can tailor your adventure to your own abilities and experience. If you are a National Trust member, parking here is free!

From the car park keeping the road on your right hand side, cross a small wooden bridge and go through a gate into a small field where sheep occasionally reside.

Follow the fence until you come to another gate that leads you onto the road. You will be able to see the entrance to Yew Tree Farm a few yards from here. This is where you want to be heading to. Take the stony track to the right and go through the gate. This is where the hike begins.

Yew Tree Farm

As you head up the stony track you will come to fork in the path. Take the right hand path.

This will bring you to another gate to a field that usually contains cows or some other form of livestock.

Go through this gateway making sure to close it properly behind you. The path can be a little hard to spot from here but you want to pretty much head straight across the field from the gate and pick up the track up between small undulations.

The path eventually becomes a little clearer as you make your way through the field, to bring you to yet another gateway!

Ascent

Go through the gate and turn to the right. The path is fairly obvious from here on out. It goes through a small patch of trees and a few small forks in the path do appear but just keep sticking to the left. Eventually the path very obviously splits off to the left uphill.

As you start to gain height look back on yourself and you’ll see Yew Tree Tarn below you, a popular fishing location and easily accessible from the road below. There are routes up to Holme Fell that start from the tarn if you want to include it in your hike.

The first incline leads you to a small beck with a very small amount of running water. The path heads up the small gully that the water appears to be flowing from. This section of the hike can be a little bit uneven over the rocks but it adds to the fun and character of the route.

As you near the top of the gully small cairns start to appear. You will come across the remains of a stone wall that can be easily crossed and another cairn. Here there will be a pretty obvious cross roads at which you need to turn left, pretty much directly after the cairn.

The path at this point can be a little steep and slippery but just take your time as you head up into the heather. Once at the top of this next steep section you will find yourself on a level with heather and boggy ground with multiple rocky sections surrounding you. The summit itself is located to the right so this is the eminence that you need to head for.

The Summit

This very last section is a little bit of a scramble but once you have completed it you will see the summit cairn very obviously appear in front of you.

The summit is still pretty heathery with a well placed, well defined cairn and multiple rocky outcrops that allow for the most amazing views of the surrounding fells and the crown jewel of the view – Coniston Water.

The best view of Coniston can be found at the Southern tip of the summit plateau. On a clear day you can even see out towards the sea!

It can be a little windy up on the summit plateau so we headed back down to a reasonable height fairly quickly in order to keep Emi happy.

Descent

The most manageable descent is going back the way you came up. It also allows you to better connect the walk to the walk up to Black Crag if you wish to!

The views on the descent towards the Central and Eastern fells are incredible. On a clear day you can even see as far as Hellvelyn. Make sure to take regular pauses on the way back to really appreciate the views.

Be sure to be careful on the way back down as some sections are fairly steep with uneven ground so take your time and ensure you arrive back at the car park safely.

Overall, the hike up to Holme Fell is charming, fairly easy and provides the fell walker with the most stunning views of the surrounding area. I would definitely recommend it as a great introduction to fell walking or as a nice warm up walk at the beginning of a week away in the Lake District. Both times I have undertaken the walk I have loved it!

Have you completed Holme Fell yet? Let me know in the comments!