Raven Crag and Great How

Monday 22nd December 2014

During the autumn I was too busy at work to do any walking and as November merged into December I dreamily thought of the Lake District. I hadn’t been there all year, and this was the first year that that had ever happened since I’d started going there in 2002, so even though I hadn’t originally planned to go away at Christmas I had become so fed up with the never-ending stream of work I eventually realised that I desperately needed to go to the Lake District. I had planned on going on a short trip to the Lake District in the autumn but a busy work schedule prevented me, so it wasn't until the Christmas orders were all complete that I was finally unleashed and able to go to the place that I love. At the earliest possible opportunity I drove all the way to the Lake District only to find abysmal weather. It was really windy and persistent rain resulted in flooding in some of the valleys so my planned walk had to take account of the weather.

My plan was to walk up Raven Crag, which is a hill that I had climbed only once before, on New Year’s Day, 2009. Although this was a similar time of the year the weather then was completely different with clear blue skies and icy conditions underfoot, whereas now I had rain and mud underfoot. After four hours spent trundling up the M6 I parked at a small car park at the western end of the dam for Thirlmere Reservoir and once I had all my waterproofs on I set out, but was already frustrated at not being able to find a glove. One glove is useless without the other and though I had a spare pair of gloves these were not ideal as they were warmer and more suited to much colder temperatures. Nevertheless I put these on complete with a woolly hat and set off up the path that steeply climbs the tree-covered slopes.

Wainwright described this climb as ‘having no resemblance to fellwalking except in the matter of upward progression’ and it wasn’t long before I was sweating in my waterproofs and taking my hat and gloves off. When I visited Raven Crag on that New Year’s Day I had come from the opposite direction down to Thirlmere on this path so this was my first ascent in this direction, and in these conditions the wet path was very slippery with streams running down the path. On reaching a forest road I suddenly had my first view of Raven Crag looming over me in the mist and was an awesome sight that was perhaps better than I actually got from the mist-enveloped summit. The final climb through an area of felled and fallen trees brought me to the top of the ridge where I turned left and headed along a good, but very muddy path that slowly brought me to the summit.

There were no views from the top so I turned around and headed back down the way I’d come to the top of the ridge where a signpost directed me towards Castle Crag, the site of an old hill fort, that I had not visited the last time I was in the area. A well-made path brought me to the foot of a small rock mound on the far side of the ridge where a stunning view could be seen of the rarely visited Shoulthwaite Gill. A small scramble was required to get to the top of Castle Crag but it was so windy at the top I got straight back down the way I’d come, and only then did I discover a much easier route up (or down) on the other side. My attention was directed towards a distinctive top that could be clearly seen from Castle Crag, so on returning to the top of the ridge I made my way north along the ridge, initially on a forest road, but soon on a faint path that maintained the top of the ridge.

This path weaved a cunning course around the trees until finally climbing a short, steep slope to the top of the Benn. The heather covered top gave me a hint of what the terrain would have been like before trees had taken over, but once again the views were poor in the mist, however in good weather they must surely be good as they looked north towards Skiddaw and Blencathra. Continuing north from the top I soon joined a muddy forest track that, turning left, brought me down the hill while the track gradually improved with the scenery. The forest road eventually started to afford me with awe-inspiring views of the crags that line Shoulthwaite Gill and I finally found that the four hour drive had been worthwhile after all. The rain had briefly stopped at this point which made for a thoroughly pleasurable walk as I slowly descended along the forest road parallel to Shoulthwaite Gill.

Eventually I reached a gate that led me to a bridge from where I could stand in awe of stunning views up the narrow ravine past the craggy walls of Shoulthwaite Gill. I have used this bridge several times before, when in Shoulthwaite Gill, but it was not actually on my route for this walk so I returned over the bridge back into the wood and made my way along forestry roads past the tranquil Shoulthwaite Moss to Bridge End Farm. Ahead of me was Great How, a wooded hill that Wainwright failed to pay much attention to, so despite the rain that was pouring down again I thought I’d take this opportunity to visit it. A wide forest track leads to the southern end of the hill where a narrowing and steepening path led me all the way up to the top. The dull path got better as I neared the top, but the rain was making the path very wet and slippery until eventually I got to a recently cleared area around the summit. The trunks and wood on the ground made navigation around the top tricky, but a clear path led me to a seat that must have tremendous views across the reservoir when the weather is good, but not on this walk.

Eventually I reached the summit where the views were dreary in this weather and across the felled ground, so I made my way back down to the southern end of the hill where after a moment of confusion I found a narrow path that drops steeply to the shore of the lake. This was a delightful path that was sadly far too short as just as I was beginning to enjoy it the dam loomed into view and the path came to an end. This may have been a short walk, but I think it was the best I could have done in the poor weather. The walk was saved by the views of the crags in Shoulthwaite Gill that were exactly what I had been missing, not only all autumn, but all year. Those moments when the rain had briefly stopped, while beside Shoulthwaite Gill, made the whole trip worthwhile, and fortunately I would not be going home for another two days.

High Street

Saturday 17th April 2004

This was the last day of my holiday in 2004 and I felt rather sad about it as I walked over the fells for the last time on this holiday literally walking out of the Lake District. Even though this was only my third ever trip to the Lake District I had already developed such a love for the Lakes that I regretted having to leave. I had a deadline on this walk because of a bus I had to catch at the end of the day that I mustn't miss, so on parts of the walk I went very quickly to ensure I wasn’t stranded. I left Patterdale as early as I could and after heading over the river I walked south along the eastern side of the valley until eventually I reached Hartsop. From the car park on the far side of Hartsop I made a hard slog up the north ridge of Hartsop Dodd, but was rewarded with tremendous views of the surrounding hills and after passing over the top I had a rather uneventful, but relaxing, walk beside a wall across the broadening ridge that led me onto Caudale Moor and the summit of Stony Cove Pike.

Turning left I enjoyed a fun scramble down the rocks to Threshthwaite Mouth and then climbed up the scree slope beyond to the prominent beacon on Thornthwaite Crag. The area around Threshwaite Mouth is fabulous with shattered rock in abundance in an area that is otherwise sparse on scrambly ground. From Thornthwaite Crag I descended slightly to join the bridlepath that heads north following the course of an old Roman road called High Street. This heads gently uphill onto a broad grassy ridge keeping to the western slopes, so in order to reach the top of the hill I veered away from the path aiming for the summit of Racecourse Hill. The name of this fell is usually given by the Roman road that has its highest point on the fell and after lunch at the summit I headed north from High Street down the narrowing ridge to the Straits of Riggindale. Bearing right just after the col I followed the Roman road, High Street, up to Rampsgill Head and around the top of the valley to High Raise.

After a pause at the summit cairn of High Raise I headed in what I assumed was the right direction, but when I saw another ridge on the left I realised that I should have been on that one! Maybe sometimes a compass should be used even in clear weather! On reaching the correct path I followed it at a quickening pace over easy ground with the bus times ever in my mind while the tops of Raven Howe, Red Crag, Wether Hill and Loadpot Hill passed beneath my feet. These are not very interesting hills as the terrain has gradually changed on this far eastern edge of the Lake District from the rugged Borrowdale Volcanic Group, so typical of Lakeland, to the Carboniferous Limestone of the Pennines. Fortunately the good weather that I had enjoyed the day before this walk continued and I remember a thoroughly enjoyable walk in warm sunshine along the ridge all the way to Loadpot Hill.

From Loadpot Hill I continued to follow the route of High Street as it makes its hilltop way towards the fort of Brocavum at Brougham, near Penrith, downhill all the way bypassing the two Wainwrights of Bonscale Pike and Arthur’s Pike to cross Moor Divock. By this point Lakeland geology had been left behind and shake holes, typical of limestone country, started to appear across the flat moorland. High Street is very indistinct at this point and on the ground it was even more chaotic with many paths seemingly going in all directions but many going nowhere. The map indicates that there is a clear path straight across Moor Divock, but this was not the case on the ground. With time quickly passing before my bus soon arrived in Askham, and potentially left without me, I frantically tried to determine where my destination was using my map & compass and desperately headed in that general direction. Once again I found that a compass is necessary even in clear weather.

I made it to Askham in plenty of time for the bus and so I was able to begin my journey home. As I settled onto the train from Penrith I felt very satisfied with my week in the Lake District. I felt that I had come of age on this holiday as I had finally been able to overcome my problems with inadequate equipment and lack of experience to walk in any weather that I encountered, including torrential rain when I successfully walked all the way from Ennerdale to Grasmere. I felt that I would now be able to move on to bigger and more challenging country. Just as two years earlier I had graduated from the Brecon Beacons to the Lake District, and now later in this year I graduated to the Highlands of Scotland. However, I never wanted to abandon the Lake District and I remember thinking that I would be happy to keep coming back to the Lake District every Easter, and more often than not that is what I’ve done.