Mosedale

Mosedale origin's are Norse and date from AD 900. Its name comes from the Norse word, “nosi”, for peat moss. Most of the valley to the east of Mosedale contains peat bogs that were the site of a lake thousands of years past.

Tiny Mosedale has a 1702 Quaker meeting house with Tuscan sandstone columns and panelling. Open during the summer months, it presents historical information.

Nearby, on the summit of volcanic Carrock Fell, are the remains of an oval shaped Celtic hillfort, the largest in Cumbria. A few of the stones are still in place. It is thought the Romans destroyed it.

Wasdale and Bowscale are adjacent fells. Wordsworth wrote about the two "talking" fish in Bowscale Tarn, resulting in it becoming a popular Victorian tourist site.

Up the left side of the Mosedale valley behind Bowscale Farm, a large wagon tract once led to the tarn.

A narrow road leads from the hamlet of Mosedale, follows the River Caldew up the Mosedale valley, and ends at the former Carrock tungsten mine. Lead, copper and small amounts of gold were mined here. The Cumbrian Way footpath winds through the area.

Mosedale is best known for the fells surrounding it.

Location Map of Mosedale
Mosedale is located a mile north of Mungrisdale, 8 miles northeast of Keswick, off A66.

Photos courtesy of Graeme Dougal and Ann Bowker

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