Combining two mountains of the Yorkshire Dales in one hike

Summary

Contributing to part of the Dales 30, and rarely visited, are Darnbrook Fell & Fountains Fell. They are one of many mountains in the Yorkshire Dales, starting and finishing in the modest village of Arncliffe. Fountains Fell is named after Fountains Abbey and the Cistercian monks who used to walk the area, whilst Darnbrook Fell lies as a near neighbour along with Pen-y-Ghent, Littondale, and Malham. An exposed and challenging hike, that can come with ever changing weather but rewarding views.

The Hike

Our day began beside the rural pub of ‘The Falcon’, which would make a handy place for a pint at the end of the day. From here, we followed a quiet country road, taking us towards signposts that guided us through exposed fields and along the edge of the ‘Broad Beck’ stream. As we continued, the path became increasingly narrow and uneven. We had to concentrate a lot more to avoid losing our footings and falling into the stream. From here, the path continued for almost a mile, and it wasn’t long before we soon emerged from the trail to begin our first ascent of the day.

The path began to gradually rise steeply. We puffed our way upwards, whilst rewarding views of Buckden Pike and Yockenthwaite lying in the valley below. Meanwhile, upon arrival towards the summit, we were greeted by a very tame Shetland pony. It stood gazing at us, not moving, munching on grass. What a simple life! I gave it a pat on the head and continued. Lying ahead in the near distance was Pen-y-Ghent, however, thick cloud was looming in quickly over the mountain.

“Have you seen that cloud over Pen-y-Ghent? I’d hate to be up there now!” Joe said.

I didn’t think much of it, and thought it was generally just going to cover the peak of the mountain. Only did this begin to change once we started climbing again, this time we had to navigate our way through wild moorland where the path was far less visible, taking us to Fountains Fell. Suddenly, the thick cloud that was once in the distance was moving in very fast, until we were in a whiteout, as lashing of snowflakes began to fall on top of us.

“Eh! This is mad! I didn’t come prepared for this” I said

My trousers were soaked in the space of 2 minutes! Luckily, I brought my waterproof jacket, however, it still didn’t get rid of the fact that it was clear and dry 2 minutes earlier, and now we were caught in the midst of a snowstorm. A surreal moment.

The whiteout seemed to pass as quickly as it had arrived, a flying visit so it may have seemed. Good job too, as I wouldn’t have liked to continue all day in that. The summit of Darnbrook Fell felt very dramatic, with the lashing of snow that had fallen previously. The trig point stood high and exposed, on a dry lump of peat which I am guessing would have given great views into Littondale if it had been clear. Needless to say, it was another mountain to tick off from the Dales 30.

From Darnbrook, we continued alongside the dry-stone wall that gradually snaked its way upwards towards Fountains Fell, a rarely visited, rarely loved trig point. All the while the snowstorm had passed, it felt like another world when the sun hit the moorland, revealing its true rustic colours. Fountains Fell sat on an exposed area of bleak moorland, decorated by a mound of large rocks. Exposed, is certainly a feeling I had. The thick clouds were still looming over the peaks in the distance, although gradually passing, giving us a feeling of achievement.

Coming off Darnbrook, we descended towards three cairns that we saw earlier from ascending to Fountains Fell. Luckily, the cloud had cleared and the Yorkshire Dales began to unravel its treasures!

Soon after, we stopped for a spot lunch looking out into the valley. Whilst we watched people make their way up to the summit, I pulled out a nice cool beer. I’ve never done this before mid-hike, but this was a great idea! I’d definitely commend this to anyone. Shortly after, we began to descend down the gravel path, taking us to the last leg of the hike. Although, unknown to us, this turned out to be the most challenging. The path brought us to a long tarmac road. I hate walking on roads.

“Shall we just jump over here?” I said

“We could go across the field and then follow the stream? Saves us walking on the road. Come on let’s just do it!” Joe said.

We hopped over the wall, through the field, and down into the valley. Whilst continuing through the valley, we weren’t completely sure where we were going, debating if we should climb up the steep hillside or continue alongside the stream. We followed the stream, although there wasn’t a path visible, so this proved to be slightly tricky underfoot. Eventually, we came to a stone bridge where the path rose steeply, taking us up along the side of the slanted hillside. Although we were finding our own way, and off the beaten track, this meant that we were able to discover something new.

“Have you seen that cave up there??” Joe said

The cave was nestled high up in the hillside, but to get there we had to scramble up a steep hillside face, over uneven rock. It proved to be quite difficult, especially after 11 miles on our feet, however, it was nice to find what seemed like a hidden gem! This knocked the great views and crowd-free criteria out of the park!

From the cave we scrambled up a steep waterfall face, that brought us to a plateau that was decorated with pockets of limestone pavement, and dramatic landscapes of the valley below. We followed the gentle path, whilst we slowly meandered our way back to Arncliffe village.

One day I’d like to go back and perhaps find the correct path.

Other routes that may be of interest.