Hull How [Great Intake] Circular

This moderate-challenging route takes you to some of Little Langdale Valley's historical features, such as Slater's Bridge, Cathedral Cave, then off the 'beaten-track' to the quiet, rarely visited summit of Hull How [Great Intake] with stunning views of the Langdale Pikes. Its summit, like many of the fells, is identified from a Cairn [a manmade pile of stones], at a mere 337 metres high.

This walk is based on Andy Beck's walk, that is beautifully illustrated in his video HERE

WALK DISTANCE: 4.5 MILES/7.3 KILOMETRES

ASCENT: 337 METRES

DIFFICULTY: MODERATE with some MODERATELY-CHALLENGING PARTS

WALK TIME: 2.5 HOURS

MAP LINK

From Lowfield House, turn left onto Side Gates road. Walk all the way through the village for approximately 12 minutes, passing the Three Shires Inn on your right. Continue on out of the village for another 12 minutes or so, then turn left onto a Farm Track signposted for Birk How Farm. Continue on the track to Slater's Bridge.

This is a stunning part of the valley with Lingmoor Fell ahead of you.

The bridge, dating back to the 17th century, is in two parts that take advantage of a central large rock and a very long slate slab to cross the River Brathay on its way from Little Langdale Tarn to Elterwater. It is thought that the bridge was originally built by the quarrymen of Little Langdale to provide shorter access from their homes to the slate quarries on the other side of the river, one of which is the impressive Cathedral Quarry.

Slate quarrying was discontinued in the 1950s but the bridge became a Grade II listed building in 1967.

Cathedral Quarry is 400 metres on from Slater's Bridge. 

After having crossed the bridge, walk on the track with the slag heaps on your right towards the trees, until it is possible to take a path on the right via a stile, up to Cathedral Quarry, where the entrance is signposted. Enter the tunnel-cave, where you will come through to its impressive high chamber. It is easy to spend an hour or so exploring the various tunnels, and marvelling at its scale.

The main chamber reaching forty feet in height, is aptly nicknamed, today ‘The Cathedral’.

The Quarry is a disused Slate Quarry dating back to the 16th century, and one of the many various quarries in the area. The quarry reached its prime during 19th century when Slate was extracted for housing. 

The Quarry was once owned by Beatrix Potter before she gifted it to the National Trust who continued to quarry under lease until the 1950s.

After having returned to the main track after coming back out of Cathedral Cave and Quarry, go over the stile just before the fork in the track that you went over earlier, turn left as though heading back to Slater's Bridge. As you pass the Money Tree on the left, take a small path that leads off to the left up to Black Hole Slate Quarry [54.41684° or 54° 25' 1" north]. This is a small detour with super view of the valley.

After having enjoyed the views, and exploring the small quarry building that has worn into the landscape, come back down the pathway and take a left back onto the track. Follow the track as it joins a lane heading for Greenburn Reservoir. On route, after approximately 12 minutes, you will pass a white house named Low Hallgarth [climbing hut]. Carry along, then head right on a track past High Hallgarth house, pass through a gate, then walk a little further, then turn right at the track's t-junction. Follow the track for a short while, then fork off to the left along a smaller track [see image].

As you come to a sheep fold, pass over the gate/stile ahead of you, then immediately after head left up the hill following the stone wall to your left. You can take your time up the incline, and look back toward the beautiful view and the Langdale Pikes in the distance.

Continue up the incline, where there is a slight dip, then an incline again, then take the ladder step over the wall. 

Cross a peaty-moss then head up to the top of the hill. There are two summit's to Hull How, for which this walk takes you from the lower summit, down a dip, then up to the highest summit, that provides stunning 360° views, but you can always cut out this part of the trek if you wish.

Head down Hull How heading south-east as the map suggests toward the path onto Betsy Crag Quarry. Bypass the Quarry when you reach it and head down the fell side, then walk carefully down the slag heaps, over a wall and after reaching the end of the path, turn left onto the track, where you will come to the T-junction before heading up to Hull How on the west side. Turn right at the junction, past High Hallgarth and Low Hallgarth cottages, across Slater's Bridge, then back up to Little Langdale village where you could call in at the Three Shires Inn for a well earned drink and bite to eat before heading back down the village on Side Gates Road to Lowfield House on your right.