Height: 523 metres / 1716 feet Grid reference: NY 09729 14384 Category: The Western Fells

Early morning light on Crag Fell over Ennerdale Water

The north-western fells from the summit of Crag Fell

Grike and Crag Fell from Ennerdale Fell
Height: 523 metres / 1716 feet Grid reference: NY 09729 14384 Category: The Western Fells
Early morning light on Crag Fell over Ennerdale Water
The north-western fells from the summit of Crag Fell
Grike and Crag Fell from Ennerdale Fell
Walked on
Cold Fell Road – Blakeley Raise – Grike – Crag Fell – Whoap – Lank Rigg – Cold Fell Road
Distance: 6.4 miles Total Ascent: 565 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 45 minutes Start Time: 09:50
Weather: Showers and a strong wind. 12C.
It was damp with a strong wind today making it feel decidedly chilly; I wore gloves throughout which shows how cold it was. There were quite a few showers but at least the strong wind made sure they blew away quickly.
Grike ahead (there is a descent at the midline of this photo, so not quite as easy as it looks here!).
Wainwrights treasure seems to have moved but there are still plenty of coins - I added by two bob's worth!
Grike and Crag Fell from the direct descent of Lank Rigg - I could see where the car was from the top so I went for it. I knew it would be a bit boggy going this way but the heavens opened too making it a bit of a damp affair. Then I had to cross the River Calder...good job it wasn't far to the car after that! On the way home, you guessed it...
Walked on
Start point: Bleach Green, Ennerdale (NY 085 153)
Bleach Green – Bowness – Great Borne – Starling Dodd – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) – Red Pike (Buttermere) – High Stile – High Crag – Memorial Bridge, Ennerdale – High Level Traverse – Shamrock Traverse – Pillar – Black Crag (Pillar) – Scoat Fell – Steeple – Haycock – Little Gowder Crag – Caw Fell – Ennerdale Fell – Crag Fell – Bleach Green
Distance: 18 miles Total Ascent: 2183 metres Time Taken: 10 hours Start Time: 06:00
Weather: Sunny and warm. 15°C
It’s a good while since I have done a full day walk and today seemed like a good opportunity to do a circuit of lovely Ennerdale. The weather was superb, a bit fresher than of late and the air was clearer for it. It was a great day out amongst my favourite fells and it was relatively quiet up there too, although it was good to chat to StridingEdge fans on Scoat Fell and then on Steeple.
A great panoramic view from High Stile - Red Pike and Dodd to the left, Crummock Water and Grasmoor to the right.
Instead of descending Gamlin End, I decided to go for a route 1 steeper than steep descent to Ennerdale direct (for masochists only this one, a real leg trembler!). I can see the Memorial Bridge from here (to the left of the tree line) where I want to cross and then the route of ascent is up and above the rocky knoll then to the right following the line of the beck before cutting diagonally left beneath Pillar Rock.
You see yon precipice--it almost looks Like some vast building made of many crags, And in the midst is one particular rock That rises like a column from the vale, Whence by our Shepherds it is call'd, the Pillar. Extract from 'The Brothers', William Wordsworth 1800
Time for lunch (even though it is only 10.30!) and a seat with a fantastic view of Pillar Rock towering above. Now all I have to do is climb up there. To be continued...after my lunch...
Looking back across to High Crag from the climb to Pillar. The route I used in descent is the diagonal scree run to the right.
The route to airy Steeple and Dougal and Casper have spotted yet another StridingEdge fan to greet us.
Walked on
Start point: Cold Fell Road (NY 066 130)
Cold Fell Road – Blakeley Raise – Grike – Crag Fell – Whoap – Lank Rigg – Cold Fell Road
Distance: 6.4 miles Total Ascent: 565 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 45 minutes
Weather: Sunny with slight haze but cool on the tops. 8°C.
This was another area I have left too long to visit since the last time I was here in 2004. The weather was much better than on any previous visit but the breeze had a cold edge to it and gloves were required throughout. Nice to see the hidden treasure had made a reappearance on Lank Rigg once more.
A silhouette of Pillar, Scoat Fell and Steeple beyond Iron Crag on Ennerdale Fell. My route after Crag Fell was to descend through the trees and climb with the wall to the kink, then head of to Whoap on the right.
Walked on
Start point: Bleach Green, Ennerdale (NY 085 153)
Bleach Green – Bowness – Brown How (Ennerdale) – Herdus – Great Borne – Gale Fell – Starling Dodd – Little Dodd (Ennerdale) – Red Pike (Buttermere) (357) – High Stile (358) – High Crag (359) – Haystacks (360) – Looking Stead – High Level Traverse – Shamrock Traverse – Pillar – Black Crag (Pillar) – Scoat Fell – Steeple – Haycock – Little Gowder Crag – Caw Fell – Ennerdale Fell – Crag Fell – Bleach Green
Distance: 23.6 miles Total Ascent: 2864 metres Time Taken: 10 hour 20 minutes
Weather: Mainly sunny with lots of snow (!) showers. 7-11°C, valley level – much colder on the tops.
Today’s walk is a long, high level circuit of the beautiful Ennerdale Valley with virtually the whole route being completed at an elevation in excess of 500m. I have had this one on my list of ‘to do’ walks for a while so it was satisfying to complete the walk on a mainly clear day. The photo’s here actually belie the conditions somewhat as the clouds came in when I was crossing from Haystacks to Pillar and there was an icy blizzard. The snow showers continued to come and go throughout the rest of the walk and conditions remained very cold.
Looking from High Stile across Bleaberry Tarn and Red Pike to Mellbreak and Crummock Water. Loweswater is visible in the distance.
Green Gable, Great Gable and Kirk Fell at the head of Ennerdale from Haystacks. The clouds were ominously creeping up behind me now and minutes later this view was obliterated by a blizzard.
Thankfully it had cleared up again by the time I reached the High Level Traverse of Pillar. This is a view of Pillar Rock from Pillar.
Walked on
Start point: Cold Fell road (NY 060 138)
Cold Fell Road – Blakeley Raise (127) – Grike (128) – Crag Fell (129) – Whoap (130) – Lank Rigg (131) – Kinniside (132) – Latter Barrow (133) – Swarth Fell (Kinniside) (134) – Burn Edge (135) – Cold Fell Road
Weather: Rain.
Another muggy, overcast day today and a walk where solitude is virtually guaranteed on the western fringe of the Lake District – a round of the Lank Rigg group of fells.
The walk starts from The Cold Fell road where there are plenty of verge parking places available. I made a direct ascent from the road up the grassy slope of Blakely Raise.
Grike from Blakely Raise summit. From the summit, I followed the fence down to a sheep intake and a gate which had to be climbed as it would not open and onto the main forest road. Following the road to a gate on the left, it was then up more grassy slopes to the summit of Grike, stepping over a wire fence en-route.
Crag Fell and Great Borne from the summit of Grike. An easy descent past a weather station and then a simple climb took me to the summit of Crag Fell with Ennerdale Water below and silhouettes of Pillar, Scoat Fell and Haycock visible through the murk.
Looking to the head of Ennerdale Water from Crag Fell, the High Stile ridge to the left and Pillar just visible on the right. I followed the track down another easy descent to a forest fire break, through the break and over a stile to the stone wall of the Ennerdale Fence. This wall continues for many miles over many summits.
The Ennerdale Fence. I followed the fence until the first gate and then swung right to ascend another grassy slope, Whoap.
Lank Rigg from the stone marking the summit of Whoap. From Whoap, another descent to a dip and then steeply up to the summit Lank Rigg, the high point of this round.
Whoap from the summit of Lank Rigg. From here, I passed an un-named summit tarn and then descended past an ancient cairn on a grassy track between the rocks. Across the very wet Poukes Moss to an un-named grassy mound on O.S maps - Birkett has christened it Kinniside.
Latter Barrow from the summit cairn on Kinniside. From here it's an easy traverse to Latter Barrow, clearly visible ahead.
Kinniside and Lank Rigg from Latter Barrow. From Latter Barrow, I had a steep descent to the River Calder, decisions-decisions on the best place to cross and then steeply up the bracken slopes to Swarth Fell. For this part of the journey I was accompanied by a buzzard soaring overhead - I'm not sure if he thought I was on my last legs...