Route: Grange Fell
Area: Central Lake District
Date of walk: 29th March 2019
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 3.2 miles
Ascent: 1,100 feet
Weather: Sunny and warm
I parked in the National Trust Bowderstone car park and from here followed a path which goes through beautiful woodland, gradually curving around the steep crags above
A rocky staircase, quite steep at times, then leads to Long Moss near the summit of the fell. Grange Fell has 3 separate tops, King’s How being the loveliest, though slightly lower than nearby Brund Fell. Time was short today, and so I contented myself with a visit to King’s How. From the summit there is a superb view over Derwent Water looking one way and Borrowdale looking the other
A direct descent from here is out of the question thanks to the crags on the west side of the fell, so I followed a narrow path which snakes round the other side, and which eventually ends at the Borrowdale road. I took a slightly shorter descent route than my normal one, having noticed this on the OS map. I’d not been this way before and wasn’t sure what lay in store – but it proved to be a safe and excellent route down, with some lovely views over Borrowdale
The shorter route also has the merit of reducing an unavoidable road section to a matter of 50 yards or so, and a footpath by the banks of the River Derwent makes this a pleasure not a chore. I crossed back over the road at the sign indicating ‘The Bowderstone’ and from here followed a path through the woods, past the massive Bowderstone and back to the car park
What Grange Fell lacks in height it more than makes up for in beauty – this is a wonderful short fell walk at any time of the year
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of today's walk as I leave the National Trust Bowderstone car park, heading into Cummacatta Wood
I pass by a large boulder below King's How similar to, but smaller than, the Bowderstone which is at the end of the walk
For anyone who loves silver birches, this is a walk in heaven - they are a theme of the walk
Looking across Borrowdale to Maiden Moor
Grange Crags beyond the trees
My destination - King's How. My route will take me up via the left hand side of the crags
The start of the climb, much of it up a rocky staircase...
Grange Fell
Above the tree line now, a view of Derwent Water opens up
Jopplety How and Brund Fell, both part of the larger summit area which is Grange Fell
The path snakes up the fellside
A glimpse of Derwent Water below the summit of King's How...
....and from the summit, Grange bottom left, with Derwent Water, Keswick and the Skiddaw range beyond
The knobbly terrain on Grange Fell, here looking to one of its summits, Brund Fell
The start of the descent
This silver birch commands a wonderful view over Borrowdale...
...zooming in, with the River Derwent below
I continue to descend gently down the ridge from King's How
Another birch sentinel
Rosthwaite in the centre of Borrowdale
The Borrowdale road and the River Derwent working their separate ways along the valley
Glaramara in the clouds
Another birch tree, leaning back in awe of the view
The River Derwent again - on reaching this wall I start to descend beside it...
Castle Crag on the left
Views of Borrowdale on the way down....
Castle Crag on the left - one of the 'Jaws of Borrowdale' (King's How being the other)...
Borrowdale again - it's hard to resist....
More silver birches enhancing the scenery as I descend....
I arrive at the Borrowdale road, but will leave it just around the corner...
...before doing so, a short diversion to the nearby River Derwent
Having crossed back over the road and joined a path, I pass by the famous Bowderstone - the old wooden ladder to the top has become unsafe and has been removed, to be replaced by a new one in due course
The vital statistics of the rock
The car park is just around the corner - the end of a short but superb fell walk
Next morning, moonset over the head of Crummock Water...
...and sunrise over nearby Newlands Valley
