The High Street: Following the Old Roman Road Through Stunning Lake District Scenery
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Kentmere and Ill Bell
A Ramble Through the History of a Stunning Landscape
Where: The northeast Lake District.
What: A hike of nearly 22 miles, following the old Roman road between Troutbeck and Penrith.
When: Walking is possible all year round, and the trails should usually be relatively easy to find. Bear in mind the additional hazards if you decide to walk the route in winter.
How: Take the train to Windermere, then the 508 bus to Jesus Church in Troutbeck. The hike ends at Penrith (North Lakes) Station.
High Street, emphasis on the
high – A busy shopping street, the centre of many towns and villages across Britain.
High Street, equal emphasis on both
High and
Street – The old Roman road stretching from near Windermere to Penrith, and the name of the Lake District fell it crosses on its way.
It’s the second definition of High Street we’re dealing with here. This is a relatively gentle, but still pretty long, amble through gorgeous scenery and fascinating history. And it's highly recommended.
I took two days to complete the whole thing, camping out beneath High Raise, but it is certainly possible to do parts of it and loop back around to Troutbeck or Pooley Bridge in a single day. Plenty of people do this, and the multitude of available variants is just one of the things that make this area of the Lakes so special.
The Roman Road
Roman fort at Ambleside. Image credit: Bill Boaden
The Romans
had landed in Britain before , but it was 43 AD when they really arrived in earnest. Over the next four centuries, the sprawling Roman Empire covered much of Britain, leaving a legacy that remains with us to this day.
“What did the Romans ever do for us?” is a commonly repeated joke, generally followed by a list of social, recreational, and administrative benefits that helped to shape early Britain. Up here in the Lake District, however, it was an altogether grimmer affair.
The occupiers weren’t building sprawling cities, bathhouses, and amphitheatres up here. Instead, they deployed their legions in an effort to pacify the local groups. The infrastructure was
military, rather than
civilian, and so this is what is left behind.
Among the most famous pieces of Roman architecture in the Lake District is the
fort at Ambleside [LINK https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ambleside-roman-fort/history/
fort at Ambleside] . Possibly known as Galava in Roman times, although this is uncertain, the fort served as a supply base and also as a protective bastion along the roads crossing Cumbria.
One of these roads connected Ambleside to another fort at Penrith, more than twenty miles away over the higher-ground to the northeast. It’s this journey (or at least part of it) we’re going to be retracing as we venture over High Street – a Lakeland fell that takes its name from this ancient thoroughfare.
The Walk
Part 1 – Joining the Ridge, Troutbeck to Yoke
Following the trail towards the peak of Yoke
Yoke isn’t the tallest of the Lake District fells by a long shot, but it certainly cuts an imposing figure from the bottom of the valley. Stepping down from the bus at Jesus Church, you get an inkling of what’s ahead of you, as the track meanders up its slope and joins the ridge line above.
Behind you is Troutbeck itself – a charming little village which is a popular spot for walkers and visitors, and something of an overspill from the chaos of Ambleside on a sunny summer’s day. A stroll up to the village centre, and a bite to eat and a cup of coffee at the Old Post Office cafe, is a pleasant way to fuel up ahead of the journey.
The walk up to the summit of Yoke is not as taxing as it first appears. The trail stays steady throughout and doesn’t steepen until you’re on the upper slope of the fell itself. From here, the full extent of the Troutbeck valley is visible, and the Kentmere valley begins to emerge to the west.
Part 2 – The Ridge Line and the Roman Road
Thornthwaite to High Street
After the false summit of Yoke has caught you off-guard, and you’ve steeled yourself for another few hundred metres of walking, you’ll reach the top of the fell
proper.
Now you’ll be able to pick out the line of the route ahead of you – the soaring ridge that leads directly north before disappearing beyond Thornthwaite Crag. The old Roman legions wouldn’t have ventured up here, and you can actually see the line of the Roman road beneath you to the west. This is the trail that follows Hogg Gill beyond Lowther Brow, and then rises steeply towards Wander Scar closer to the head of the valley.
For now, you’ll stay above the old road. The scenery to the east becomes more dramatic, as the fell drops away steeply down to Kentmere Reservoir between Yoke and the next top at Ill Bell. Descending from Yoke is technically the toughest section of the trail, and requires some care and attention as you pick your way down the rocky incline.
Easier, though still steep, the ground takes you up to Ill Bell and then beyond this to Froswick. Kentmere is closer to you now, and glimmers enticingly in the valley below you to the east. Unfortunately, it’s too far away for a dip. North of Froswick, you’ll notice the ribbon of the trail emerging above Wander Scar – this flatter section of the path is where you’ll join the old Roman Road.
Pulling back up onto Thornthwaite Crag to the north, you might want to take a little detour over to the rocky tower that crowns the summit. A bit different to your standard trigpoint, this impressive beacon stands guard at the head of the Hayeswater valley.
Head east and then northeast from Thornthwaite to High Street – the highest point of the walk at 829 metres. Another slight detour from the Roman Road takes you over the summit of High Street, and gives you a worthwhile view down into Blea Water, some 300 metres below.
Part 3 – High Raise, Loadpot Hill, and Ullswater Appears
Looking back at High Street from High Raise
You’re leaving High Street
fell behind now, but the High Street
path continues on, north along the Straits of Riggindale to High Raise. It was getting late now on my own visit in late summer, and I was thinking about where I would be spending the night. But the long August evenings meant I had a good bit of daylight left in reserve.
I was grateful for that daylight when the rugged spur of Kidsty Pike appeared off to my right hand side. Those who have cut their teeth on Scafell Pike and Pavey Ark might feel a tad disappointed by the lack of the dramatic cliff faces the Lakes is so famous for, but Kidsty Pike certainly goes some way to making up for this.
In contrast to the drama of Kidsty Pike, the top of High Raise is long and flatly angled. Leaving the Roman Road once again takes you over the gentle summit, and in the evening the lights of Penrith begin to sparkle in the distance. The young man I greeted on the summit of High Raise on that August evening was the last person I encountered on the trail, excluding the three people I spotted later on in the distance, enjoying the sunset above Ullswater.
The final top of the old Roman Road route is Loadpot Hill, where a junction of trails leads you variously down to Ullswater, north to Pooley Bridge, or northeast towards Penrith. The light was fading now, and I sat down to enjoy the evening rays over the mountains to the west.
With my head torch on, I left the trail here, heading out into the dusky moorland to find a suitable campsite, and bed down for the night.
Part 4 – The Descent to Penrith
A rainbow in the sunrise
Though the sun is fully gone by 8:45pm in August, the sky retains its blue-tinge and the light remains for long into the evening. Eventually, though, the stars begin to twinkle up above. I must have fallen asleep not long after that because by time I awoke that blue-tinge was entering the sky from the other direction and it was almost morning.
The gorgeous evening had given way to a damp and drizzly dawn. Breaking camp and getting my things ready for the descent into Penrith, I was treated to the fiery glow of a rainbow to the west over High Raise, illuminated by the sun rising above the town and the Pennines beyond to the east. It was quite something to witness, and one of those things that make camping out overnight extra special.
There’s not much climbing left now. The pleasant meander of the Roman Road makes for easy walking as you descend from Lord’s Seat and Loadpot Hill, and you’ll lose a lot of height without even realising it. As you draw closer to Heughscar Hill ahead, you’ll cut eastwards on another obvious track, passing the remnant of an ancient stone circle – a reminder that Roman occupation is only one of the myriad histories that criss-cross this ageless terrain.
Heughscar requires a bit of a pull up, but nothing compared to what you’ve already encountered on High Street and Yoke. It’s best to remain high on the hill, as the trails become a little difficult to find beyond. To the north, you’ll skirt near a private woodland belonging to the Lowther Estate, but a public bridleway makes it easy to bypass this, before you join the narrow road leading to Sockbridge.
You’re well and truly out of the Lakes now. The wildness of the terrain is replaced by a gentle ramble through countryside as you follow the Eamont Trail connecting Penrith and Pooley, crossing the Eamont River and descending beneath the railway line on the trail into Penrith itself.
Penrith Castle
Penrith Castle
It would be conveniently neat and tidy to tell you that this walk culminates in an old Roman fort – the destination for those imperial soldiers who traversed this route millennia ago. But history doesn't work like that.
As you might have guessed from the stone circle you passed on the descent towards Heughscar Hill, the Lake District is a patchwork of historical and cultural influence that stretches back for as long as humans have called this place home. And Penrith Castle is a relic from a very different era to either of these landmarks.
Penrith Castle was
built by Ralph Neville around 1396 . His son, Richard, would make the place his stronghold, adding the Red Tower in the following century. This would have been an impressive bastion, and a real statement of power over the Cumbrian landscape.
Another descendent of Ralph Neville – known as the Earl of Warwick, or more famously, The Kingmaker – lived here in the late 15th Century. On his death the castle was passed down to Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Better known to history was Richard III; the future king lived here from 1471 onwards, right up until 1485.
Anyone familiar with the Wars of the Roses and the rise of Henry Tudor will know that 1485 did not go well for Richard III.
In the centuries following Richard's death at the Battle of Bosworth, the castle fell into disrepair. After a short spell as a Parliamentarian headquarters in the 17th Century – its regal former owners likely turning in their graves over this indignity – the site was used for farmland and cattle grazing. Eventually, a 20th century restoration project gave us the site we see today.
Penrith Castle is free to enter, and if the gate to the park that surrounds it is open, then the castle is open too. If you've got an hour to spare before your train out from Penrith (North Lakes) Station, five minutes away over the road, it's well worth spending it in the grounds of the castle.
Peeling Back the Layers of the Lake District
Looking west from near Loadpot Hill at sunset
The walk over High Street gives you a glimpse of how the Lake District has changed. The Romans hammered their own stamp into the landscape, replacing many of the ancient Celtic traditions and places of worship. Centuries later, the Plantagenets attempted to do the same thing, eventually losing their grip on the throne and being swept away by the Tudors.
All of these histories are written here, on the landscape.
And yet, at the same time, the walk is a record of how the Lakes have remained largely the same. Feet still follow the same old pathways and thoroughfares, in the way they have done for millennia. We still marvel at the beauty of the place, and shudder at its changeable weather, the same way humans have always done, and will always do.
This is the beauty of the Lake District – changing, evolving, and yet retaining its unique, timeless character.
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#history 293594 - 2024-09-09 13:36:54