Goose bield

Goose bield

Goose bield

Fox Trap 4 is the most interesting of the traps so far visited. Not visible from the busy road in the valley below, it is also difficult to locate and actually get to as it is situated not at the base of a crag but almost at the top on a grassy plateau. Being approximately 70% intact, the floor area is covered with rubble from the overhanging walls and some slabs which appear to have come from the roof.

I am at a loss to offer any explanation as to the choice of site. The trap is situated at the top of a gully which appears to contain a borran lower down, as I saw evidence of fox activity, but the local farmer was not sure.

At the base of the aforementioned gully is a Goose Bield*. With an external diameter of 8.6 meters, the walls are approximately 1.6 meters high and 0.80 meters thick. There is no entrance. At the time of visiting a large sycamore tree was growing in the Beild and there is a danger of stones being knocked off the wall and damage to the foundations. I suspect the Bield pre-dates the fox trap.

The walls on the northern and eastern sides of the Goose Bield are capped with large blocks, presumably to prevent foxes or other animals jumping in, the blocks on the other two sides having fallen off.

A track to one of Lakeland’s most frequently climbed mountains passes a few meters away from the Goose Bield.

*Goose Bields have not been mentioned before on this site as few exist. My understanding of them is that they were used to shelter geese overnight, thus allowing the farmer to get some sleep! The farm to which this particular Goose Bield belongs is situated some 200 meters away.

Construction & Purpose

Fox Trap 1

Fox Trap 2

Fox Trap 3

Fox Trap 4

Fox Trap 5

Fox Bield