Borrowdale from Great Crag

Great Crag

Route: Great Crag

Area: Central Lake District 

Date of walk:  16th August 2024

Walkers: Andrew and Gilly

Distance: 5.6 miles

Ascent: 1,400 feet

Weather: Mostly cloudy with a few sunny spells

Great Crag is a mid-level lakeland fell which is covered with a coat of purple heather at this time of the year. Hoping for more of the same, we decided to revisit the fell

We parked just outside the small hamlet of Stonethwaite, where there are several roadside parking spaces. About halfway through the village we turned left and crossed nearby Stonethwaite Beck via Stonethwaite Bridge, turning right immediately to join the Cumbria Way for a short distance. We then left the Cumbria Way to join a path heading uphill. This is easily missed – look out for an old sheepfold at the junction. It was a steep climb, but the addition of rock steps made the ascent a straightforward affair and before long we arrived at Dock Tarn. The tarn is surrounded by numerous mounds and tors, all covered with heather, and it’s a lovely sight. In the words of Alfred Wainwright, ‘Dock Tarn is a place to lie adreaming, and life seems a sweet sweet thing’

In common with its neighbour Grange Fell, Great Crag is a complicated place, full of ups and downs, and determining the summit and the path to it is not a simple affair. There are numerous small paths, some of which peter out. There are two tops on the fell, both marked by cairns. Both are wonderful spots and there’s little to choose between them. After admiring the views we descended to rejoin the main path below and headed in the direction of Watendlath and its tarn. The path took us across some wild and very juicy terrain leading to Puddingstone Bank. It’s possible to extend the walk by continuing down to the idyllic hamlet of Watendlath but we didn’t have time for that today, so descended alongside Bowdergate Gill. The path offers wonderful views into Borrowdale. Eventually it merges with the Cumbria Way and the path continues beside Stonethwaite Beck back into Stonethwaite to end a superb walk

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