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BB2629 : The Last Wolf?
Wednesday
16th 2026
To
a BOOTboy,
a WOLF,
as if I need to remind you, is a Wainwright
OutLying Fell, of which
there are 56. Before today, we had
visited a quarter of them. This outing
would add one more and feature the last
Wolf. How does that make sense? In
time, all will be revealed.
Once
again, with rain threatened in the afternoon,
we opted for a shorter outing. Indeed it
could have been a very short walk to the
smallest Wolf but we decided to follow the
Wainwright route. If you are tempted
to walk in our (or his) footsteps, my advice
would be: don’t.
Parking
by Kents Bank Railway Station is easy and
there are several novel features there.
An art shop . A book shop. And
a pump with which to operate the level crossing.
Fortunately there is a gate for pedestrians
but if you are in a vehicle, then you need
to get out and use your muscles to pump
the gate open. Then turn round and
go back again as there isn't really anywhere
for you to go.
On
the other hand, as a pedestrian, once through,
you are on the edge of the marsh and need
to head west. In the distance our
target, Humphrey Head, could clearly be
seen.
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The
tide was out, which was good news as it
meant that we could take the footpath across
the moss. Or could we?
Actually,
the first section is better on the parapet
of the railway embankment, albeit that a
stumble to the left could be painful though
probably not life threatening.
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Eventually,
you have no choice. You have to get
your boots dirty. And wet. And,
if like two of us, you have opted for trainers,
your feet. And possibly your trousers
as there are stretches where it is impossible
to avoid water, some of which is uncomfortably
deep. And charming little buzzy things
that leave love-bites on face, neck, arms
and any other exposed parts of your body.
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We
rounded the corner beyond the farm where
you are warned that trespassers will be
composted! Wainwright shows a way
into the woods about halfway along this
peninsular. We couldn’t find it and
had to improvise a route up and across a
field to a gateway on which there was a
sign saying no admittance. That was
on the other side of the gate. Hmm!
Now
we were on the open ground with a view to
the west.
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The
only obstacles to reaching the trig point
at top were the cows and the rain which
had arrived early.
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But
not too early to obscure the view of the
Kent estuary.
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Wainwright
returned the way he came but that was definitely
not our plan. None of us wanted that
ordeal again. Ever. So we took
the road that leads to Allithwaite, passing
en-route Wraysholme with its 15th century
Pele Tower built by "an intrepid knight
named Harrington".
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A
new development, there is now an ice cream
parlour.
A
rather less marshy footpath led us across
a few fields. Behind us we could see
the Wraysholme Tower. To our right,
on the hill, we could see the Kirkhead Tower,
a rather more recent structure being only
200 years old. Although this is a
19th century summer house, it is thought
that an ancient church stood on the site
and might even have been a Roman signal
station.
In
the garden of a building lay what appeared
to me to be the remains of a dead donkey.
Having
passed the Pheasant Inn, we took the road
that would take us back down to where the
cars were parked. I was hoping to
get a better look at the Kirkhead Tower
but we were not really close enough to make
out much detail.
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We
found a gate into a field that led to another
gate the leads to the Tower. On the
web are reports of visits to the Tower and
it seems that it used to be a blind-eye
opportunity. However, these days it
is verboten except for rare occasions when
access is permitted; the last time was in
2023 and I haven’t discovered if there are
any more opportunities planned.
At
the bottom of the hill is Abbot Hall, which
has had a chequered history. It stands
on the site of an 12th century building
that was probably used by the Abbot having
crossed the bay on his way to Furness Abbey.
Or the other way round. The
present Victorian building has been used
variously as a private residence, a prep
school, a Methodist guest house and a hotel
but has now reverted to being a private
dwelling.
So
that concluded WOLF 15. But, I hear
you ask, what’s that about it being the
last, when you have dozens more to do? Simples.
Nothing. It’s just that Wrayholme
was the home of Sir Edgar Harrison who was
allegedly responsible for killing the last
wolf in England in 1390.
Maybe
it was not a dead donkey that had been dropped
at Wolf Cottage? Gemini thinks it's a stone
carving of the last wolf.
Not
ours, though. Not yet. Hopefully,
we have plenty more WOLFs ahead of us!
Don,
Wednesday 16th September 2026
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