Latrigg walk - Keswick walks - Lake District walks

Route: Latrigg

Area: Northern Lake District

Date of walk: 9th November 2022

Walkers: Andrew and Gilly

Distance: 4.0 miles

Ascent: 1,000 feet

Weather: Cloudy with sunny spells, windy on the top

We’d planned a walk in the east of the district today, but as we drove past Keswick there was some promising light so we decided to revisit nearby Latrigg. The fell stands at an elevation of 1,203 feet, but punches well above its height in terms of the views from its summit. These are superior (in my opinion) to those from Skiddaw, which towers up behind it and is nearly 2,000 feet higher. The only drawback of Latrigg is that its proximity to Keswick, the ease of the ascent, and the superlative view make it a little too popular at times. This isn’t a walk I’d follow at peak times, unless setting off early

We parked as usual on the roadside at Briar Rigg and walked up Spooney Green Lane, crossing the bridge over the busy A66 along the way. After a while we joined the path leading to the top of Latrigg. The climbing was easy throughout and, as Wainwright puts it in his Guide to the Lakeland Fells, ‘anybody who cannot manage this short and simple climb is advised to give up the idea of becoming a fellwalker’

Before long we arrived at the wonderfully situated bench near the summit. We’d been keenly anticipating this moment and weren’t disappointed. The view was as glorious as ever – the rooftops of Keswick below, the full length of Derwent Water beyond, and an array of lakeland peaks, all displayed in fast changing and sometimes dramatic light

We lingered here for a while and having drunk our fill of the views we retraced our steps back to the start

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