Yew Crag

Yew Crag

Route: Yew Crag, Ullswater

Area: Eastern Lake District

Date of walk: 6th October 2022

Walkers: Andrew and Gilly

Distance: 4.2 miles

Ascent: 800 feet

Weather: Mixed cloud and sun, some showers and very strong winds where exposed

After yesterday’s non-stop torrential rain the waterfalls of Aira Beck promised to be on good form, so we decided to revisit them, and to combine the walk with a visit to Yew Crag, a wonderful viewpoint overlooking Ullswater. I normally include Gowbarrow Fell in the itinerary but it was blowing a gale today and a fell walk would have been arduous (though perhaps not as arduous as the route which we chose as things turned out)

In order to avoid the main Aira Force car park, which is always crowded, we parked in the National Trust High Cascades car park near Dockray. We crossed the road and entered into the woodland above High Force Fall. We crossed the bridge over Aira Beck and followed the east side of the beck, passing by innumerable waterfalls large and small. The main waterfall, Aira Force, is difficult to access at the moment. A severe tree fall has caused access to the viewing platforms to be closed. We were already aware of this, so it didn’t come as a disappointment

We turned away from Aira Beck to follow a path out of the woods, which took us above Lyulph’s Tower. The path split at this point. The Ullswater Way headed uphill and we followed a fainter and lower path through woodland. Eventually we arrived at the foot of Yew Crag where the path petered out. There’s a clear path shown on the OS map but it’s not clear on the ground. A glance at the contour lines on the map shows that the climb up to Yew Crag is a steep one. We ignored an obvious route up a very steep gully (a mistake perhaps) and followed an increasingly difficult and faint path up through the crags. There were no dangers but it was a tricky though thankfully short section of the route. Anyone who enjoys a mild scramble will enjoy the climb, anyone who doesn’t is advised to visit the viewpoint above Yew Crag via the Ullswater Way and to return the same way

We arrived huffing and puffing at the wonderful viewpoint, with views to the foot and the head of Ullswater. It was blowing a gale up there, and no place for a picnic. We passed by the Memorial Seat, shown on the OS map, and set off along the path below Gowbarrow Fell, part of the Ullswater Way, and one of the finest paths in the district thanks to the views along Ullswater

We rejoined our earlier path and entered into the woodland again, this time following Aira Beck uphill via the other bank on the west side. After passing by the higher falls we joined up with our original path and retraced our steps back to the start

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)

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