Great Crag, Grange Fell and Walla Crag

Tuesday 29th December 2009

After fulfilling my obligations over Christmas I returned to the Lake District the day before this walk to find that the weather had not improved. In fact, the clear skies of Christmas Eve were a distant memory as it was now becoming rather windy. The walk I did on this date was originally planned for the final day of this holiday but a reassessment of my plans due to the snow brought it forward to the first day. After a visit to Friar's Crag I caught a bus to Rosthwaite where I started walking along the Greenup Edge path but veered left just after the turning to Stonethwaite on a path that climbs the steep tree-clad hillside on an excellent route. I'd never been on this path before, but I found it to be wonderful; a delightful path that snakes up the hillside through woodland on a brilliantly designed route with solid rock under foot. All these years I had missed a gem, I thoroughly enjoyed the walk up that path.
Eventually I emerged from under the trees onto the open fell and made my way across snow covered slopes along the narrow path to Dock Tarn. I visited this lake, and the nearby Great Crag, a couple of years ago, also under wintry conditions, but the snow was not as deep then and the lake wasn’t frozen solid as I found it on this walk. Leaving the path I waded through knee-deep snow to the summit of Great Crag and after a picture or two I returned to the path, which I followed down the hill and across snow-covered, frozen wetlands to the busy Watendlath to Rosthwaite bridlepath. Crossing the path I ventured once more through snow straight towards the summit of Grange Fell, known as Brund Fell. Having located the correct top (though I don’t think there is much difference between them) I descended a gully that I distinctly remembered as containing the path (and it clearly looked like it to me) but there were no footprints in it, so it seems no one else had discovered it.

Rather proud of my discovery I joined a trail of footprints as it skirted Jobblety How and started descending the eastern slope of Grange Fell. I had originally planned to walk along the north ridge over Ether Knott but the deep snow once again ruled out this plan. Following a wall all the way down the slope I eventually reached the small hamlet of Watendlath where I had my lunch while gazing over the lake and relishing the lack of people in this usually tourist heavy location. Before too long I set off along the bottom of the valley, beside the Watendlath Beck, on an interesting path that eventually leads into Ashness Wood and then onto the road. Since the road was closed due to the weather I had no trouble walking along it and soon reached a surprising view over Derwent Water. The trees parted to reveal an awe-inspiring panorama from the top of a high, sheer cliff that quite took my breath. I'd never been to Surprise View before but I wish I’d seen it long ago, and in better weather.
Reluctantly I left the viewpoint and returned to the road walking down to Ashness Bridge, which I had last visited in September 2008 with my parents. I had hurt my leg after a week in Scotland and my parents didn't want to go for a walk, so despite the excellent weather we just looked at the view. Leaving the road at the bridge I set off up the hillside through bracken on an increasingly icy path. It was quite a surprise for me to discover how slippery the path was over Walla Crag. When I’d decided I wouldn’t use crampons I had assumed a low hill like Walla Crag (only 379m) would be safe, but this turned out not to be the case. Walla Crag is a very popular hill with people staying in Keswick, so over Christmas it must have seen many people visit its stunning viewpoint. By the time I was walking up it the paths had been beaten hard and slippery which made the use of crampons quite advisable. I did actually see someone with crampons on while I was climbing towards the top, and I’m sure they are very helpful in these sorts of conditions, but I’m still reluctant to take the plunge. I was using two walking poles which I think were sufficient for me and throughout my holiday my poles prevented me from slipping over, but I never felt confident to go particularly high. Crampons would have given me that confidence.

Eventually I reached the summit of Walla Crag but by this time it was beginning to get dark and the wind was picking up. With the snow whipping into my face I made the arduous, slippery journey, thankfully safely, down into Keswick eventually reaching the town before it got too dark. This was a really enjoyable walk, even though towards the end it was in tricky conditions, but I believe I was adequately equipped for it. Throughout my holiday I made sure that I didn't do any walk which I couldn't handle, or wasn’t equipped for.

Crag Fell and Grike

Thursday 24th December 2009 

 

Last Christmas Eve I had intended on walking up Fellbarrow but soon after setting off from the village of Lorton I discovered that Lorton Bridge had been washed away in November’s floods. With no other way across the river I returned to my car and drove elsewhere to try a completely different walk. Later I discovered that the walk that I had intended on doing was not possible. The walk had been in the first edition of Wainwright’s guide to the Western Fells, but in the newly published revised edition this walk has been removed at the request of landowners and is described as ‘impracticable’, so it is maybe fortunate that fate intervened and forced me to do a walk elsewhere. The walk I actually did had originally been planned to be done at the beginning of the week, but bad weather had forced its abandonment. Fortunately it was now being given a reprieve, and produced a thoroughly enjoyable walk, apart from at one little point. 

 

I parked near Ennerdale Water at the end of a road through the tiny village of Ennerdale Bridge. The walk had originally been abandoned because I doubted I would be able to get my car along the icy country lanes to the start, but in the event a little thawing over the last day or two and very cautious driving on my behalf successfully got me to the admittedly well-used car park. My walk started beside Ennerdale Water which has a wonderful view across the lake towards the high fells in the valley. I'd never been to Ennerdale Water before so I was enjoying this chance to see it at close hand rather than from a distance, which was the best view I’d had before. After a short walk along the shore I took a branching path that climbs the heather clad hillside up to the top of the low promontory of Angler’s Crag. 

After another look at the stunning view towards Ennerdale, I started to climb the steep hillside opposite. With hindsight this wasn’t the right route to take up Crag Fell, especially with snow on the ground, and yet I made it even worse by not taking the route that I would have taken at any other time of the year. I should have taken a path “up the slope to a green rake that slants up to the right of some pinnacles (there is also an easier path below the pinnacles),” but instead I moved too far east and climbed a scree slope to the bottom of Revelin Crag. This was very steep and rocky underfoot that forced me to use mountain climbing methods in order to get up the snow slope. Once I had climbed up to the foot of the escarpment I was supposed to walk along the shelf until the escarpment ended, but I was too impatient to do that so I tried climbing Revelin Crag. In summer conditions this might have been an entertaining scramble but not under snow. Eventually I realised my error and slid back down to the shelf. 

 

Feeling frustrated with my futile attempts to climb the escarpment I eventually managed to get to the top only once I had reached the end of the escarpment after starting to go downhill for a while. Joining the main path that I probably should have been on, I climbed above the escarpment all the way to the summit of Crag Fell where I was greeted by tremendous views up Ennerdale thanks to the cloudless skies that I was once again enjoying on this holiday. After lunch I joyfully crossed the vast snow covered slopes to a fence which I followed, trudging through the ankle-deep, powdery snow all the way up to the top of Grike, a bland grass (well, in this case, snow) covered fell. I needed to be back home for Christmas so I quickly dropped down the wide northern slopes of Grike to the Ben Gill ravine where I picked up the main path from Crag Fell at the point where it crosses the stream. The path soon enters a wood along a wonderfully enjoyable terrace route that gradually drops down to the valley floor and the car park. I really enjoyed this walk, despite my mountaineering efforts trying to get up to the foot of the escarpment. I’m sure this was a lot better than any walk over Fellbarrow would have been. In future I resolved that I would use simpler routes to get to the top of snow-covered fells. I am not a fan of snow on hills as it robs me of the most enjoyable parts of hill walking, like scrambling up the escarpment in this walk. Spring can’t come soon enough.