Green Crag
Date: 27-July-2012
Map: Landranger 89 & 90
Weather: Overcast, followed by warm sunshine.
From the cattle grid at the foot of the Hard Knott Pass, cross the beck at Jubilee Bridge and walk up to Spothow Gill. Across to Dow Crag and around below Long Crag. Pass below Crook Crag up to the hause and ascend to Green Crag. Back down to the west side of Crook Crag and descend gently around the slopes towards Tarn Crag. Turn to the east and make your way around to Kepple Crag over rough ground. Follow the old peat road down to Penny Hill farm and return to Brotherilkeld across fields and woods: a gentle 6 miles as measured on memory map.
I finally finished walking the Wainwrights earlier this year and decided that future walks in the Lake District would be to revisit some of the ones where I didn’t get the views due to inclement weather. A good excuse if ever I heard one. I am in the process of moving house soon and this has taken over my walking activities for the moment, and I hadn’t walked for 5 weeks or more. Green Crag fitted the bill as it didn’t involve too much ascent, but on the downside I knew that it could be very soggy up there, so I tailored my route to ascend to the top from another direction, Green Crag alone would only be a short walk of around 6 miles, so I tagged on a walk up to Hard Knott, starting both walks from Brotherilkeld – the route looked like a squashed butterfly, and gave a total of around 12 miles with 3500ft of ascent, much of which is quite gentle.
I drove up to the Lake District overnight and parked up next to the Roman Fort at Hard Knott, hoping for a late sunset and a peaceful glass of wine or two. On the way over Birker Fell there was a fine sunset over the Lake District biggest fells, and I thought if I have the same weather tomorrow I would be more than happy. Up at the fort there were three tents pitched and a group of people enjoying a candle lit evening, so I did a quick round and left them in peace.
In the morning I drove down to Brotherilkeld and parked up by the cattle grid a little way up the road, faffed around, ate two sandwiches for breakfast, and pondered a grey sky above me. Hard Knott was clear but anything higher was covered in clag which was disappointing. The walk up Eskdale from Brotherilkeld is one of my favourites in the Lakes and as usual I didn’t meet a sole on my way up to Lingcove Bridge. I’d decided that I could walk light today with ‘BumBag’ and no waterproofs, so imagine my disappointment when the cloudbase started to descend and envelop the top of Hard Knott, obliterating the Eskdale Needle from view. I really wanted clear views from up here, and didn’t want to get a soaking in the fine drizzle, so a little bit beyond Lingcove Bridge I did an about turn and returned down the valley to where I started. Disappointing but as I got towards Brotherilkeld the cloud had started to rise a little, so I thought that a return to Green Crags might not be so bad. As I approached the telephone box I saw two ladies and dogs coming up the lane and instantly recognised Lexi the Collie. It was a real pleasant surprise meeting up with Catherine (Dibble from the WF) and Helen (Lake District Lady from the WF) and we had a good chat, with the local ladies reassuring me that the good weather was on the way. I had a bit of a dilemma then on which way should I go, but as I hadn’t been walking for ages I decided to go up to Green Crag rather than retrace my steps up the valley.
Once I glimpsed some blue sky I knew the day would be OK. I checked my Wainwright Southern Fells book for Green Crag and decided my route would take me up below Harter Fell and approach Green Crag from the north as there is a good path for quite a way up before I had to cut across some rough ground to reach the summit. I crossed over HardKnott Gill at the Jubilee Bridge and then had a nice steady ascent up the northern slopes of Harter Fell along a well defined path up to Spothow Gill. At the point where two paths met it was time to cut across to a series of crags, skirting around the base of these all the way up to Green Crag. I passed by Dow Crag, the base of Crook Crag and finally up to the hause between Green Crag and Crook Crag where there is a standing stone that marks a parish boundary. Last time I was here I couldn’t see an awful lot as the mist was right down and the snow made everything look the same which can be a bit disorientating, but I remembered the path up to the summit as the one I had taken down. I approached from the south west last time, but this route was much easier and much drier and apart from some rough heather the going wasn’t too hard. A final push up to the summit and I had a fine viewpoint to gaze upon while I had lunch. To the south I had the outlying fells with Black Combe prominent. To the east were the Coniston Fells and Walna Scar. Immediately to the NE was Harter Fell (which would have made a longer route for today if required). To the north and NW was the main show with most of the higher fells now cloud free, exception the Scafells which just maintained their cloud cover, but it was a splendid view nevertheless. To the west was a vista down to the coast and Seascale, but too hazy to see over to the Isle of Man.
After a pleasant break I mad my way back down to the hause and wound my way down below Crook Crags taking care not to venture too far down to the moss and generally heading NNW. The path is a little indistinct as not that many people venture up this way, but it was ok to work around the slopes taking care not to get a soaking in several damp patches. My previous walk here had taken me down to the west side of Tarn Crag beside Low Birker Tarn, passing by Birker Force and down to Low Birker. This time around I opted to walk to the east, crossing rough ground over to Keppel Crag to join another old ‘Peat’ road that zigzagged down the steep slopes to Eskdale below. There are quite a few of these along these slopes, usually grassy paths and the remnants of peat drying stores can be seen – not much use nowadays when there is a nuclear power station just down the road on the coast. But they are good to walk on, down between banks of green bracken. There was quite a bit of wildlife today and I was treated to a yellow\black dragonfly, an aerial dogfight between three crows and a buzzard – fascinating to watch the tactics of the crows, and a flock of Goldfinch going away from me as I approached – no photos though as I don’t carry a zoom on my SLR – maybe I should try for a compact one?
As I made my way to the east of Tarn Crag over towards Keppel Crag I passed by another perched boulder – there’s one or two dotted around here, but this one caught my eye. It appears to have been ‘propped up’ by a small boulder and underneath the perched boulder is a square cut out. Below the rocky ledge it sits on are a couple of upturned stones, possibly the remnants of a wall or shelter used by a Sheppard? Maybe the square cut below the perched boulder was used for a beacon or maybe just a bedside lamp – very interesting though and it sits on a crag that is one of three in a line that run down the hillside – I shall have to investigate further. The ground across to Kepple Crag was OK and a small rocky ridge led me up to Kepple Crag where I was careful to locate the old peat road, but once I was on it there was no mistaking what it was. I passed a couple of old stone ruins on my way down and my view now was towards all the big fells now gloriously clear in the afternoon sun. Bowfell was easy to spot with it’s pointy summit, and even Scafell was clear now that it knew I wasn’t going anywhere near. An air ambulance circled overhead before landing down at the outward bound centre in Eskdale – I hope whoever was injured makes a speedy recovery. My route back to Brotherilkeld was along an old farm track then through fields a little above the River Esk to the north. Through some woodland and welcome shade, a herd of Jersey cattle, bull included and finally back to the Jubilee Bridge where I had started from. As I was driving off towards the Hard Knott pass I met the ladies once more who had been resting in the sun on the Hard Knott fort – what a great thing this walking malarkey is. As I drove up the steep hairpins of the road I passed a cyclist and thought ‘I’d rather walk’, and then down the other side I met an Asian gentleman and his family who were firmly stuck in their big 4×4 at a hairpin bend. So I stopped and jumped out, reversed his car around, said my goodbyes and continue home after another great day on the fells, and another one ticked off from my cloudy walks.
the evening before looking from the road over Birker Fell - Bowfell is the spikey one in the middle.
early morning cloud tops Bowfell up the Eskdale valley
through this gate to a peaceful scene
looking gloomy behind me
some of the Esk Falls
Tongue Pot with Throstle Garth up behind it
and the view back the other way
some wonderful falls up here just before Lingcove Bridge
Hard Knott up to the left
Lingcove Bridge and it's starting to drizzle on me - my route was up to the right
a very picturesque site especially in the sunshine
and some lovely small falls
the view when I got back down the valley to the start - not promising, but it did clear up
I could see the route ahead of me gently ascending through the bracken
looking back to my start point with Hard Knott Fort up to the right, and Bowfell in the distance
starting to clear now except for the Scafells and Hard Knott on the right
looking down Eskdale valley to the west
a little steeper but not too bad. Kepple Crag is up to the right
Whin Rigg over in Wasdale in the distance
the fells of Wasdale appearing beyond Eskdale - Whin Rigg and Illgill Head, with Great Gable beyond
Harter Fell up to the left
a good track led me up to Spothow Gill before legging it across rough ground
Harter Fell
looking up to Long Crag - a little boggy up here
looking back to my route up with a grand view beyond of the big fells still in cloud
the view across towards Seascale in the distance
there is a sheep trod or two through some rough heathery ground over towards Long Crag
looking at the Coniston Old Man in the distance
the view back to the Scafells and Bowfell from Long Crag
getting closer with Green Crag now in view - it's just a case of picking out a line to get there
I aimed for the col between Crook Crag and Green Crag
looking back down at my route up
looking back at the start of my ascent up Green Crag behind me - Harter Fell on the right
the last little pull up to Green Crag summit
up on top and this time round great views over to the Furness Fells
looking west to the coast and the Walna Scar road
a nice little summit area, a great spot for lunch
and a great view back - Crook Crags near, Harter Fell to the right and the big Scafells now free of cloud
looking over to Seascale on the coast with Low Birker Tarn down below
zoomed in on the standing stone that marks the parish boundary - centre picture
walking down below Crook Crag you have to drop down a fair bit before contouring around the hillside - it's wet as well
this perched boulder is a good indicator that you are on the right track - it's not a well trodden way
Tarn Crag and Low Birker Tarn below. I walked around to the right before I got down there
looking up to Crook Crags
my route down took me from the crags on the left and along the hillside
the interesting boulder
wedged up by a smaller stone - maybe it was a Roman beacon?
there are a couple of small wall stones either side of my walking stick
next stop is Keppel Crag across this pathless stretch
where I found a little ridge of rock to take me above the wet ground on the right
looking back over to where the perched boulder sat, 3rd crag to the left
great views ahead await as I approached Keppel Crag
there is an old 'Peat Road' that runs right down to the valley below
with the remains of several drying huts still standing amongst the bracken
as I rounded a corner the full vista of the Scafells and Bowfell comes into view
the path winds in a zigzag down to Penny Hill Farm - Hard Knott now in sight just above the end of the fields
Penny Hill Farm
Yewbarrow in the distance
an Air Ambulance circled before landing at the Outward Bound Centre
not an easy landing in the trees
down in the valley the path took me through fields and woods. Harter Fell up to the right
a real pleasure to be on level ground once more
well maintained as well
making my way back to Brotherilkeld. Hard Knott ahead
Where now: Home : Day Walks Menu : Lake District Menu