Height: 361 metres / 1184 feet Grid reference: SD 22371 92918
Raven’s Crag
Raven’s Crag
Dunnerdale Horseshoe
Start point: Kiln Bank Cross (SD 215 933)
Kiln Bank Cross – Stickle Pike – Tarn Hill – Great Stickle – Scrithwaite Farm – Knott End – The Knott(OF) – Raven’s Crag – Stainton Ground Quarries – Kiln Bank Cross
Distance: 4.8 miles Total Ascent: 700 metres Time Taken: 2 hours 30 minutes
Weather: Overcast, clearing later. 14oC.
It was the same today as yesterday – it looked like someone had ruled a line at 400m and that was the cloud base across the whole of the southern Lake District. The Dunnerdale Fells were beneath the clouds, so that’s where I headed but even that looked a bit iffy at the start with the odd shower whilst I was on Stickle Pike. By the time I reached the return leg, the clouds quickly cleared away and even gave a hint of blue sky – it just shows how quickly it can all change.
Looking over Dunnerdale to Raven's Crag and The Knott, to be used on the return leg. The weather didn't look too hopeful as even these lowly tops were catching a bit of the cloud.
Stickle Tarn.
The route to Stickle Pike.
Casper caught in flight near Stickle Tarn.
Getting cosy on Stickle Pike.
The way ahead is the Tarn Hill - Great Stickle ridge running from right to left.
Stickle Pike from Tarn Hill.
Tarn Hill and Great Stickle with the Duddon Estuary beyond.
Looking back to Stickle Pike with Caw putting in an appearance from the cloud as it starts to lift in the distance.
The cloud starts to lift from Green Crag to the north.
Stickle Pike and Caw from one of the many tarns on the aptly named Tarn Hill.
Still a heavy looking sky over the Duddon Estuary, from Great Stickle.
Looking across Dunnerdale to The Knott, the next objective.
Stickle Pike along Dunnerdale.
Amazingly, blue skies appeared as I climbed The Knott, here looking along the Lickle Valley to the Duddon Estuary.
Even Black Combe is there now - so that's what it looks like!
A panoramic view of the Great Stickle to Stickle Pike ridge.
Raven's Crag from The Knott.
Stickle Pike over Hoses.
Even the higher fells can be seen now with Harter Fell left of centre distance with Scafell behind. The distinctive 'crinkly' Esk Pike and the pyramidal Bow Fell are in the right distance.
Caw.
A close up of Stickle Pike, the disused quarry giving away the secret of it's industrial past.
Hesk Fell.
Caw and the Dunnerdale Fells
Start point: Stephenson Ground (SD 235 931)
Stephenson Ground – Green Pikes (OF) – Pikes (40) – Caw (41) (OF) – Brock Barrow (42) – Fox Haw (43) – Raven’s Crag (44) – Carter Ground – Stephenson Ground
Weather: Overcast turning to drizzle.
A short walk this morning over another almost undiscovered jewel – Caw and the Dunnerdale Fells. It is not often you can walk completely alone for miles, especially during half term, but this was the case today.
The path from Stephenson Ground
I started from the tiny hamlet of Stephenson Ground and walked high along a ridge overlooking the River Lickle as far as Natty Bridge where the path began to rise. A heron was sat here, looking for its breakfast before it spotted me and majestically flew away.
Rock formations on Green Pikes. As the path levelled out, ahead of me was Dawson Pike with its vivid white quartz summit and a sharp left turn took me to the summit of Green Crags, a non-descript top with strange slate formations.
Caw from Green Pikes summit. A quick hop and I was onto Pikes, I could see Caw ahead, in and out of the swirling mist.
The Duddon Estuary from Pikes summit.
Ordnance column on Caw with Grey Friar appearing through the mist. A short descent and then a zigzag path led to the summit of Caw, the ordnance survey column seemingly lower than the main top. The views from here were excellent, the distant tops of Harter Fell, Bowfell and Grey Friar in and out of the mist. I hung around here for a little while to try and catch the threatened temperature inversion, but it never quite happened.
Harter Fell, The Duddon Valley, Bowfell in the far centre and Grey Friar from the summit of Caw.
Brock Barrow. Again a descent, across a flat hollow (Long Mire) a hurdle over an ancient wall and up to the rocky top of Brock Barrow - decked out with aerial masts for the Duddon and Dunnerdale valleys below.
Stickle Pike (Dunnerdale) from the summit of Fox Haw, Black Combe and Buck Barrow are in the distance. Back over the wall and onto a rocky ridge to find a curiosity, namely a solar panel with a plaque 'Global Seismology Research Group', based in Edinburgh. Along the ridge to the summit of Fox Haw with lovely views of Stickle Pike and over to Black Combe, the Whitfell group and Devoke Water - the fells I had rounded on 13th May.
Caw from Raven's Crag summit. Again following the bumpy ridge I came to the summit of Raven's Crag. A steep descent towards Carter Ground, past the old Copper Mine and through a gate where the bridleway passes through the garden. A short stroll and I was back on the tarmac for the walk back to Stephenson Ground.
Stephenson Ground.