HUNTING ON THE FELLS 77 



Except in certain parts of the low country, 

 which are visited once or twice a season, riding 

 to the fell hounds is out of the question. Even in 

 the aforementioned districts it is a case of riding 

 to points, and nicking in with hounds when the 

 opportunity presents itself. There are places 

 where, should you be lucky, you may chance to 

 see the best part of a run from a main road below 

 the fell. Such a place is the road which circles 

 Thirlmere Lake, from which I have watched many 

 a good hunt with the Blencathra. As a rule, 

 however, it pays best to climb the feU, from which 

 vantage point you are more likely to keep in 

 constant touch with hounds. If you hang about 

 the roads hounds may come back to you, but again 

 they may not, and it requires a good deal of 

 patience and self-control to remain where you are 

 on the off-chance. Once on the fell top, it pays 

 to stay there until hounds either drive their fox 

 for the last time into the dale or run him to ground 

 in some rocky " borran " (earth). It is much 

 easier and quicker to walk round the fell tops 

 than descend to the dale and have to climb out 

 again. 



In addition to the type of hound used, the 

 method of hunting on the fells differs from that in 

 the riding countries. There hounds are thrown 

 into covert, from which in a few minutes they get 

 away almost on top of their fox. While the same 



