Horseshoes, you have to love horseshoes. I love them, you love them, and Kentmere has one of the finest. But there are times when you might want to take a different approach. Maybe you’ve trotted around that horizon a thousand times already. Maybe the ridges are thronged with folk. Maybe it’s hot and you want to stay close to water for longer. Or maybe you’d just like to explore, close-up, this beautiful valley you’ve only ever seen in aerial view. It has a lovely reservoir (two words that rarely sit well together, but do here), many beautiful waterfalls, and good populations of deer, fell ponies, foxes, badgers and ring ouzels (a.k.a. mountain blackbirds). You could make this a valley exploration only , dropping into Hall Cove from below Nan Bield Pass. That would certainly make a sensible bad-weather option if the mist is low. But this site is all about hillwalking, and the peek over to Mardale is particularly good, so Mardale Ill Bell is included as a summit to aim for.
And the name? Well, the centre of a horse’s foot is called the frog. If I pass up a joke like that, am I even a dad?
Love it up there. As a one-time caver I always enjoy poking around in the many slate quarries and caverns dotted around the dale head. Do they still do teas at Maggs Howe? It's a great place to sit and enjoy the view after a walk.
