Hutton Roof Crags

16 February 2015

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Hutton Roof Crags, 274m/899', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 97, SD 556775

 

It was only a short drive from Arnside to my next hill, Hutton Roof Crags, situated near the village of Burton- in- Kendal on the other side of the M6 motorway. The starting point was a large car park on the south side of the hill from where a path went all the way to the top. I was really looking forward to this one as it reputedly had some of the best limestone pavements in the area. The path went up at a gentle angle through some rough scrub land and limestone boulders.....

 

Higher up, and just before the path went through a wall (where there was a handy gate) I reached the area of pavements. They were really impressive although I read somewhere that they were not as extensive as they once were having been broken up and removed to be used in walls, buildings etc., something that is now prohibited.....

Back home, I looked up Wikipedia for information on how the pavements were formed. The explanation was "Conditions for limestone pavements are created when an advancing glacier scrapes away overburden and exposes horizontally-bedded limestone, with subsequent glacial retreat leaving behind a flat, bare surface. Limestone is slightly soluble in water and especially in acid rain, so corrosive drainage along joints and cracks in the limestone can produce slabs called "clints" isolated by deep fissures called "grikes" or "grykes", terms derived from the North of England dialect. If the grykes are fairly straight and the clints are uniform in size, the resemblance to man-made paving stones is striking, but often they are less regular. Limestone pavements that develop beneath a mantle of topsoil usually exhibit more rounded forms."

Through the gate and we were almost at the top. We were now above the pavements and the scrub.....

and were soon at the trig, which is not quite the highest point.....

Distant views were a bit hazy, this is looking south to Ingleborough, one of the Yorkshire three peaks and another on my "to do" list.....

On the way up, I had noticed some tell tale signs that cows were grazing here and sure enough, I spotted them on the way down. They were lying down and we sneaked past without Ben noticing.

A really interesting hill.

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