Swarth Fell and Wild Boar Fell – God’s Peaks

There we were, me and me sister, eating bacon and black pudding sandwiches and living the life of Riley. Then it came to departure time and she gave me a lift up to Hellgill on the way south to Hawes. I was originally going to climb Swarth Fell and then follow the pink line southeastwards.

When it came to it I couldn’t resist the bigger mountain north of Swarth Fell, which was brooding as we passed it in the car. It is Wild Boar Fell. However, I first had to climb up to Swarth Fell, and that is quite difficult as there are no footpaths up the hillside. This meant I was stumbling over the big clods of overgrowth and hidden leg traps, as well as struggling in the heat of the morning.

The climb took me much longer than I thought and it was energy sapping for an old gimmer. The ridge of Swarth Fell loomed above me and I decided to climb up to the right to gain access to the top.

It looks quite domesticated grassland but it’s anything but…..but. It’s tiring and harsh underfoot. The walk is stunning though. Really beautiful country, and as I climbed up Swarth Fell to my left, I kept one eye on Wild Boar Fell to my right. It was too big to ignore.

Finally I made it to the peak of Swarth Fell ridge and sat down for a well earned rest. There is nobody here. I saw some old boot tracks in the dried mud on the way up but there was no other evidence of people climbing this route.

They are missing out on some fabulous panoramic views across to Wild Boar Fell….

And across to High Seat where I climbed up yesterday.

This is heavenly. Now for Wild Boar Fell, and there was a bit of a path down to the col below me, along it and up the other hillside. It was clear enough to make walking easier, which was a blessing as the side of Wild Boar was high and steep. Looking westwards there was a range of hills in the near distance forming part of the Dales, although in Cumbria and not Yorkshire, and a faint dark distant line of mountains in the Lake District, including Helvellyn.

After an hour I reached the far edge of Wild Boar Fell, and marvelled at its atmospheric beauty.

Looking at the edge the drop was vertical, although I kept well away as the gusts of wind were quite strong up here.

Turning towards the centre of the peak I walked across to the structure marking the summit.

With a trig point inside the shelter of rocks.

My intention now was to climb down this northern side of Wild Boar and make my way towards Kirkby Stephen, around 7 miles away. To the right of the photo below.

Again it was harsh passage with no footpath to follow and very steep grassy slopes with the usual man traps. But eventually I made it to the Pennine Bridleway. I followed it eastwards for a few hundred metres before branching off northwards on a narrow path over the hills towards Kirkby Stephen. Looking back Wild Boar Fell was magnificent.

And looking forward I came to a proper track. A real one!

It took another couple of hours to make it to the first village, where Che joined me for a beer in the garden of the Black Bull at Nateby. What a fantastic walk. Really good.

We strolled back to the campsite, donned our swimming gear and jumped into the River Eden running past the site. It was refreshing and great fun.

An hour later and we were sitting outside Che’s campervan eating an Indian takeaway and drinking Estrella Galicia. A great day.

Night night.