Gowbarrow Fell, Aira Force & an Unexpected Red Squirrel Encounter

bootsandbanter

11 minutes ago

5 min read

A Little Leg Stretcher Before the Main Event

Date: 17 October 2026

📍 Route: NT Aira Force carpark > Gowbarrow Fell (481 m) > Aira Force, followed by Dunmallet (240 m), also known as Dunmallard Hill

📏 Total Distance: 11.36 km

⬆️ Total Ascent: 525 m

⌛ Total Time: 3 h 45 min (including stops)

☀️ Weather: Clear, sunny and crisp in the morning (3°C)

Mood: Peaceful, content, slightly irritated by missing manners, then absolutely chuffed to bits by a red squirrel! 🐿️

A Little Leg Stretcher Before the Main Event

View from Gowbarrow towards Helvellyn range

I drove up to the Lake District on Friday, with a rather exciting Saturday evening adventure ahead of me. But first, a little leg stretcher was in order! I decided to revisit Gowbarrow Fell and Aira Force, somewhere I'd last explored in March 2025. I remembered being rather impressed by just how spectacular the views were for such a small fell. Back then, I'd been treated to glorious sunshine and beautiful light, and a year and a half later, I got exactly the same!

It was a crisp, cold autumn morning, but a T-shirt and a light down jacket were perfectly sufficient. I arrived early at the usually busy National Trust car park at Aira Force and couldn't quite believe I was the only car there! A rare sight indeed.

The walk was absolutely lovely. I knew the paths, the surrounding fells and the landscape, which made everything feel strangely homey. There's something rather comforting about returning to a place you know, particularly when it's looking this beautiful. The light was superb, with the deep blue of Ullswater, Glenridding in the distance, the warm browns of the fading bracken and patches of green still clinging on. Autumn really does know how to put on a show. And what made the views even more exciting was that I could see exactly where I'd be heading later that evening! Helvellyn, Striding Edge and the surrounding peaks were all there in the distance, looking rather magnificent in the autumn sunshine. Little did I know just how different that same landscape would look a few hours later, when I'd be making my way across it in complete darkness, with nothing but torchlight!

And as always, I found myself thinking that no amount of photographs or videos can quite capture the beauty of actually being somewhere like this. You can photograph the views, but you can't quite capture the crisp air, the silence, the colours all around you and that wonderful feeling of simply being there. However, I still make them.

The First Seven Years...Or Lack Thereof!

There was one slightly irritating encounter early in the walk. I was making my way through a wooded section when a woman approached from the opposite direction. Nobody else around, just the two of us. I said a friendly hello, as you do. Nothing. Not a nod. Not a smile. Not even a grunt. Absolutely nothing! I mean, seriously?! Have I turned into a ghost unknowingly? As I like to say, the first seven years were clearly missing!

Thankfully, the rest of the walk was peaceful and thoroughly enjoyable. And of course, there was Aira Force itself, which was very much in full force! Plenty of water thundering down the falls, making quite the racket in an otherwise peaceful woodland. I've visited before, but it's one of those places that's always worth stopping to admire, especially when there's a good amount of water coming down.

Rather amusingly, the day ended almost exactly the opposite of how it began! Walking through another wooded section after Aira Force, I came across a mum and her little girl, probably about five years old, sitting on a bench. The mum smiled at me and gently said to her daughter, "Say hello to the lady." Well, there they were! The first seven years I'd been talking about earlier! Such a simple little interaction, but I couldn't help smiling at the contrast. One woman couldn't spare a hello, while another was teaching her daughter why one matters.

Just One More Fell...!

Having finished my lovely morning wander, I headed back to the Sun Inn, where I was staying, to drop off my backpack. That should really have been the end of my little leg stretcher, especially considering what I had planned for later that evening. But then I made the mistake of opening my Wainwrights app.

I was having a little look around when I toggled on the Outlying Fells. And what should appear practically on my doorstep? Dunmallet! Well, I couldn't just leave it there, could I? So off I went again!

Dunmallet is a tiny hill near Pooley Bridge, and quite unusually, the entire thing is covered in woodland. No sweeping summit panoramas this time, just trees, more trees and a little wander to find the highest point. As I approached the top, I got my phone out to establish exactly where the true summit was. Because being somewhere near the top isn't quite good enough. I need to stand on the actual spot!

There wasn't another soul around, and then suddenly I heard a noise. A strange little sound coming from somewhere above me. I looked up and... A RED SQUIRREL!!! NO WAY! I genuinely couldn't believe my eyes. Only the second red squirrel I've ever seen in my entire life!

And this wasn't just a fleeting glimpse of one disappearing into the trees. This little creature was putting on quite the performance! It started jumping from branch to branch, making all sorts of strange noises, then bending over the branches to stare directly down at me. It would move again, make more noises, then lean over for another good look! I suspect it wasn't particularly pleased with my presence and was giving me a rather vocal telling-off. Meanwhile, I was absolutely chuffed to bits!

I had my phone out and was convinced I was filming the whole encounter. The jumping, the strange noises, the little face peering down at me, all of it! Except... I HADN'T PRESSED RECORD!!! I only discovered this later, and I was rather annoyed with myself. Of all the things to forget! The squirrel had been behaving so unusually, and I'd been so excited that operating a phone had become beyond my capabilities.

Still, I suppose that's another reminder that not everything needs to be captured on camera. Although, in this particular instance, I REALLY wish I'd captured it!

An Unexpectedly Lovely Start to the Weekend

What was supposed to be a simple leg stretcher turned into two little fell adventures, beautiful autumn scenery, a lesson in basic manners and an unexpected encounter with one of Britain's loveliest little woodland creatures.

I hadn't planned Dunmallet, and I certainly hadn't expected to see a red squirrel. Don't the best moments happen precisely because you decide to take that little extra detour.

And all of this was before the main event of the weekend had even begun!

Next up: Striding Edge by torchlight. A rather different adventure, and one that definitely deserves a blog of its own!