User:Northernhenge/Crossfell

Routes to Cross Fell summit
Cross Fell is crossed by the Pennine Way footpath en route from Dufton to Alston. Thus it may be climbed either from Dufton to the south east, or from Garrigill to the north west simply by following the Way. This section of the Way is well signposted and laid out. Some parts of the path are surfaced with stone slabs. The summit is about 7.5 mi from either village. The easiest route to Cross Fell summit (around 4 miles each way) is via a road from the village of Knock. This is a well graded, tarmac road which provides car access to the radar installation on Great Dun Fell and a quarry nearby. Great Dun Fell is the highest point in the British road system. The road is however private and attempting to drive up it is prohibited. It is a relatively easy walk from this point along the summit ridge to Cross Fell. However, there is a very boggy area separating Little Dun Fell and Cross Fell, and the correct route between the two is marked by a tall cairn situated at the edge of Cross Fell and several hundred metres back from the ridge. An interesting route to the summit is from the village of Kirkland. The walker can park his/her car by the side of the road going north out of the village and follow a track going past a group of holiday cottages and rising up to some ancient mine workings. A track leads from that point towards the west flank of Cross Fell. A direct approach to the summit from the west involves climbing a difficult scree slope, so an easier way is to follow the track (not well defined over its whole length) around to the north side of the fell, where it meets the Pennine Way at a cairn. One may then follow the Way up a gentle slope to the summit. This route offers fine views (up to 60 mi on a clear day) over both the Solway to the north and the Eden Valley to the south. In fair conditions, the walk from Kirkland to the summit takes between two and three hours. An ascent of Cross Fell in anything but perfect weather conditions can become challenging. None of the available routes offers a well defined path all the way to the summit. To the north of the ridge lies an extensive area of featureless bog and moorland, without obvious contours. The immediate area around Cross Fell is prone to hill fog and low cloud. Above 500 m, visibility can suddenly drop to almost nothing. It is easy to become disoriented and lost. The scree slopes on the edges of Cross Fell can be treacherous in conditions of snow or ice. The large boulders are not securely seated and move readily when a walker tries to cross them. It is easy to fall and break a limb. This particular line of approach to the summit is best avoided unless conditions are clear and dry. Increasing numbers of walkers have come into the area since the Pennine Way opened in the 1960s and as car ownership has become more widespread. After a number of fatalities among walkers in the locality, a mountain rescue team was established at nearby Penrith in 1959. This team is called out to rescue lost, missing, or injured walkers in the Cross Fell area, on average about once every two weeks. That said, Cross Fell has much to offer the visitor. A climb to the summit is safe and easy so long as proper precautions are taken. The walker should be adequately dressed and equipped with map and compass. Most of the locality is within range of mobile phones.''