Heck Crag

The long drystone wall is shown on the earliest large-scale OS map, surveyed in 1860.

In 1860 'Heck' was mapped as 'Haig'. Probably just a difference in accent between the locals and the surveyor.

300 metres away, but well aware of me. Red deer are more usually seen on the east [Nab] side of Bannerdale.

The barn [but not the tree it is under!] is shown on the large-scale OS map surveyed in 1860.

The principal “river” in Patterdale between Ullswater and Brotherswater is Goldrill Beck. That’s it there, just right of centre and to the left of the “holiday village” of Hartsop Fold. But compare it to the map, which shows the beck hugging the road, hidden by the trees of low Wood. In the late 18th-century, the beck was canalised, made straighter between embankments in an attempt to drain the fields and make them more productive. The beck became fast flowing with uniform depth and a lack of natural features made them a poor wildlife habitat. And the high embankments actually prevented the fields from draining into the beck and so became boggy and reed-filled. This was done in many of the valleys of the Lake District, but Goldrill Beck also had a particular issue for Goldrill Beck as its canalised route alongside the A592 caused it to continually undercut the road. This was particularly bad during Storm Desmond The National Trust, in conjunction with the Environment Agency, Natural England and Cumbria County Council have undertaken a project to restore Goldrill Beck to a more natural course with features such as gravel bars, riffles, and meanders. The parlance is to re-wiggle the rivers although in the case of Goldrill Beck it seems to be one big loop but at the lower end of the loop the beck is split into multiple channels where it joins Angletarn Beck. The old river channel has been partially filled so that it may act as an overflow pond at times of high rainfall. Ahead, on skyline, are the twin summits of Angletarn Pikes. To the left the deep gash of Dubhow Beck with the cottage of Dubhow and its foot. It’s just occurred to me that the online mapping below will eventually be updated to show the new river system, so for posterity here is a link to the 1920 O.S. Map, Link For sources see my blog Link

Hause Gate is the bridleway which enables walkers to stay on the east side of Goldrill Beck, away from the main road. However, whilst the route to the photographer's left continues to Hartsop for both walkers and riders, the continuing path towards Patterdale is for those on foot only, while the bridleway cuts back and crosses the beck via Menneting Bridge. Cyclists or equestrians desperate to reach Patterdale without encountering heavy weekend traffic must turn off a little earlier and make a 230m ascent to Boredale Hause before dropping even more steeply back towards Ullswater. There is also a permissive path heading up-valley to the left on the far side of the bridge, but this is not signposted prominently to attract attention.

The Nab is a Wainwright, and so many walkers wish to climb it. It is on Access Land, and so legally accessible. It is also in a deer forest, and access from Martindale (to the north) is not allowed. So the accepted practice is to visit Rest Dodd (usually from Hartsop to the west), follow the wall on its northern flank (clearly seen here) to its end, and then just follow the 1-mile ridge (very easy, but usually boggy) to The Nab. You probably return the same way. As a personal observation, I think our problem is too many deer rather than too few, so I question the need to protect them.