Yoke, Ill Bell and Froswick

Introduction
Kentmere is a small village hidden away in one of the quiet but quite accessible south-eastern dales of the Lake District. It's a place to escape to during busy bank holiday weekends when many other places in the Lake District are heaving with tourists. The valley is gentle to the south of the village and consists of rolling hills and green pastures. To the north, however, the valley deepens into a classic U-shaped valley with steep slopes and high summits. It is this area that is most explored by the hiking club.

High Street seen from Harter Fell

Fairfield Summits seen from Ill Bell

Looking up the Kentmere Valley

The Vale of Kentmere Common Kentmere Reservior at the bottom

Looking down Troutbeck seen from Thresththwaite Mouth

The entire circuit of the valley north of Kentmere is a long walk that climbs all the major summits. The ridge is nowhere difficult and is largely broad and smooth with numerous opportunities to peer down into the valley far below. The summits of worthy note include Ill Bell and High Street. Ill Bell is a distinctive summit with far reaching views across Windermere, down to Morecambe Bay. The views north to Thornthwaite Crag reveal the shapely ridge to come leading to the plateau of High Street. High Street itself is quite a complex mountain with many valleys, ridges and corries. The most impressive of them is that directly to the east where Blea Water nestles. The summits to the east of the valley tend to have broad moorland like summits and is a less explored region.

Ill Bell and Thornthwaite Crag

The Kentmere peaks seen from High Street

Harter Fell in the dusk seen from High Street

The westward view from Thornthwaite Crag to the Helvellyn Range

Blencathra rising above the haze

High Street seen from the north

Good routes to reach the ridge by include the north-east ridge of Ill Bell, the top end of which demands some short, easy scrambling. This route is recommended. Another fun route includes a scrambling route up Raven Crag. This grade 1 scramble is quite low down in the valley and is rated highly by the scrambling guidebook used. Another even more adventurous route goes up the north-east ridge of Rainsborrow Crag. The views of this face on the way up the valley are likened to those of the Cuillins of Skye. The scramble is rated grade 2 and as such it's best left to those with ropes.

The Vale of Troutbeck with Thornthwaite Crag and Stoney Cove Pike seen at the end

Haweswater seen from High street

The upper reaches of Mardale Waters near High Street

The upper valley itself is a pleasant stroll with good paths going up to Kentmere Reservoir. Plenty of gentle walks also exist in the lower reaches of the valley.

Long Stile - High Street's Eastern Ridge and Blea water

Kentmere

High Street seen from Thornthwaite Crag

Longsleddale
Long Sleddale sits to the east of Kentmere. While Kentmere is quiet, Long Sleddale is even more so. The valley is accessed by a narrow single track road from the A6 between Kendal and Shap. The summits around here have more reminiscence of the pennines than the Lakes, but the close proximity of higher peaks makes a round of the Long Sleddale summits a pleasing exhibition.

Long Sleddale from Kentmere pike

The summit of Harter Fell

The western side of this valley shares Kentmere Pike and Harterfell while to the north sits the summit of Branstree overlooking the watershed with Haweswater. The eastern side is the lowest side, occupied by Sleddale Fell.

Looking down from the head of Longsleddale

Looking up Long Sleddale from the roadend