High Spy from Catbells and Castle Crag
Date: 02-May-2008
Map: Landranger 89, 90, OL4
Weather: Rain early, then overcast, cold wind on the top. Later sunshine in the valley.
A circular walk from the base of Cats
The BBC forecast was
good for the
The
view from Swinside towards the Derwent Fells But on the bright side it meant I could test out my
new gear – boots, jacket, over-trousers, micro fleece, day
sack and last but definitely not least the new camera. Once
through Keswick it took sometime to reach a parking spot
through the windy roads. As Cat Bells is a very popular spot
it is advisable to get here early to be able to park the
car. The views around you are impressive even at the start,
with the great lump of Blencathra and Skiddaw to the north
of Keswick, and the Derwent fells ahead of you. Later in the
day some old friends came into view, looming high above the
valleys. The
view across the The walk
today starts with the steep climb up the flank of the ridge
up towards Cat Bells. There were a fair number of people out
and about today, and believe it or not I did pass a few.
Mind you, they were stood at a bus stop! The walk up the
ridge isn’t too bad and has a well worn route, wide in
places. There are some stony shale patches that could be
slippery in the wet, but it is a gentle ascent, with a
couple of steeper pitches. You soon find yourself gaining
height and the views are good to take in. Cat
Bells ahead, Castle Crag nestled between hills in the
distance
Looking down to the Car Park on the left. What’s it like at
the weekend? Pretty soon after
setting off the rain started, but it was only showers and
nothing heavy. It meant fiddling around with my clothing to
get the best position for the camera. I eventually just hung
it around my neck with hood up and that kept it dry. The
paths were well defined up the ridge, all the way up to High
Spy. It was only when I descended off the top that they
became more indistinct due to less use. The rocks up here
consisted of shales that were sloughing away into small
splinters. That made for easy walking and dry feet. Looking
to the hills and valleys to the south west there are some
impressive U-shaped valleys Cat
Bells behind the first lump – easy walking here
Blencathra with his head in the clouds beyond Keswick Today was the first
walk with my new toy. I had an Olympus OM-1 SLR camera from
years ago and it used to take great pictures. So I decided
to buy a new one. It is a bit bulkier than a compact but is
easily handled and not excessively weighty. It has an 18 x
zoom and if you look at the picture above the small dot to
the left of the small island is the boat pictured here on
maximum zoom. I was quite impressed when I saw it downloaded
on the computer. Three
men in a boat – what would happen if one of them caught a
monster Pike? Cat
Bells ahead – Robinson in the distance
Robinson on the left, Knott Rigg on the right That
pimple in the distance is Pike of Stickle in the Langdale
Pikes As I came over Cat
Bells the views began to open up as I got higher up the
ridge. Far to the south west the Langdale Pikes came into
view along with some of the big boys – Bowfell and the
Scafell Pikes. The Scafell range was impressive from here
and looked much bigger than the surrounding neighbours.
The
view over Derwent Water – the route back in the afternoon Cat
Bells, Skiddaw in the distance,
Looking west across the Derwent Fells High
Spy Cairn – looking north to Skiddaw and Blencathra All
the big Boys – Pike of Stickle, Bowfell, Esk Pike and the
Scafell’s I stopped for a bite
to eat at the cairn, a splendid spot if it’s not too
crowded. There are great views all around, I chose to look
upon the Scafells and reflect on my walk up Bowfell in
February, what a great day. I didn’t bring any soup today as
I didn’t think it would be so cold up on the top. I had two
bottles of Apple juice, which unfortunately looked like
samples for the Doctor. Luckily they didn’t taste the same!
I won’t be doing that again. The way ahead now was mostly
downhill, which sounds good but sometimes it’s harder on the
legs than walking uphill. But that’s just wear and tear for
me – knees more than anything else.
Reflections from Eel Crag Crags across the Derwent Fells The
way ahead is past the tarn to the crest of the hill The path down from
High Spy is a little rocky in places but is stable enough. I
headed for the tarn at the foot of Dale Head and passed a
small beck flowing over some falls. Here there was a good
view back down the Newland valley. I took a compass bearing
to make sure of the route ahead as the path becomes grassy
and a little boggy. But even if you wander offline a little,
it is no big deal because you will still come out above the
Looking back up towards the route down from High Spy
Nearly at the crest of the hill – High Spy way behind you
now The
Scafells ahead, Once you
reach the crest of the hill, the ground slopes steeply away
below you down to the
Honister Crag with the roads to the slate works The
view down the High
Knott – who built the walls up there?
Looking back from Longthwaite to Comb Gill with Stonethwaite
on the left
Combe Gill with
Glaramara at the head of the valley
Nearly at the crest of the path up next to Longthwaite As I
approached the top of Longthwaite I was used to seeing the
surrounding crags and hilltops, and I had a picture in my
minds eye what Castle Crag would look like. But when it came
into view it was still such a surprise to see. It is so
different from the surrounding fells, not because of its
stature or rock formation, but because of its vegetation and
tree cover. The old slate workings are in evidence with the
large spoil heap below the crag, with the distinct zigzag
path up to the top. It doesn’t have a Castle but it deserves
one. The path towards Castle Crag winds down from
Longthwaite, steeply at first then higher up the slopes.
There are quite a few paths towards Castle Crag but the best
way is to stay slightly higher, otherwise you could drop
right down into the valley and then have to walk all the way
back up. The ridge I had walked this morning dominated the
skyline to my left all the way now, further across the
valley was High Seat beyond Castle Crag. The
first glimpse of Castle Crag
Getting closer – stay up towards the left side If
you go over this footbridge you’re on the right path
Looking across towards Grange Fell and Great Crag,
Rosthwaite down below The
retrospective back to Longthwaite and beyond. Glorious in
the sunshine The
main route back towards the start down below Castle Crag The paths lead up
from below and before the screes. The way ahead is not too
steep, and the zig-zags are quite stable underfoot, but
don’t stray from the path. The old slate works are above the
spoil heap and have some interesting looking installations!
The actual quarry isn’t very big. On the top is a memorial
stone to the men of Borrowdale lost in the 1st
World War, a fine location. The views down to Keswick and
beyond are lovely and looking back to where you have walked
from is equally impressive. The trees below the crag give a
look almost oriental in nature, a very peaceful setting and
would make a good spot for a picnic. The freshness of the
foliage, a splendid lime green in the sun. The
approach to the slate spoil heap The
zigzags ahead
Almost Japanese? The
view from the top towards Derwent Water, Skiddaw in the
distance The
memorial stone Very
tranquil at the top
Derwent Water, Skiddaw next to Blencathra The
spoil heap below Castle Crag The
main path below Castle Crag back towards Derwent Water After a
nice rest in the sun, I returned down the zigzag path and
onto the main path below. It was well maintained with large
boulder stepping stones and brings a gentle descent down to
the River Derwent. The walk continues along through some
woods, passing an interesting quarry, then through a camp
site and onto the road to Grange. I stopped here for a very
welcome ice cream and wandered slowly through the village,
passing the small neat church. There are lots of cottages
for rent, which must be busy in the summer as it’s such a
lovely area. The remainder of the walk is along the flank of
Cat Bells along the Allerdale Ramble. The temperature in the
shade of the hill was cool after the afternoon sun. An
interesting quarry face – looks like sweeties to me…mmmm The
River Derwent flowing towards Derwent Water A
last look back – Castle Crag nestled below High Spy
Skiddaw and Blencathra behind Keswick – a couple of miles to
ramble Gorse
resplendent in Yellow The lower slopes had
a covering of Gorse in full bloom. It was smelling very
sweet on the evening breeze. A fine end to the day, tired
legs and slightly sore feet from my new boots. A good prep
walk for the WHW, all I need now is fair weather and a
following wind.
