Castle Crag and the Borrowdale Valley

Date: 26th July 2018
Start/Finish: Rosthwaite Hotel
Wainwrights: Castle Crag (951 feet)
Distance: 5.6 Miles
Height Gain: 2080 Feet
Time Taken: A very leisurely 4 hours

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The Route: Clockwise from the Rosthwaite Hotel

Castle Crag is a bit of an outlier as it doesn't easily link up with any surrounding fells without significant height loss. Its nearest neighbours of High Spy to the west and Grange Fell to the east are best climbed in a circuit of their respective neighbouring fells. For this reason, Castle Crag is often the last Wainwright climbed on the circuit of 214. However, I was in the area on a family camping holiday and it was a balmy windless day ideal for a low fell with good views. So instead of marching my 11 year old lad up one of the high fells we decided to tackle something lower. Castle Crag fitted the bill nicely, especially as part of a circuit of the Borrowdale valley. It also had the advantage of finishing by the River Derwent where we could cool off afterwards.

We parked on the Rosthwaite Hotel car park and duly paid the £3 all day fee. The walk took us on a wide circular route out towards Seatoller and then looping back towards Castle Crag before descending steeply down to the Derwent. 

Views over to Stonethwaite

First sight of Castle Crag (centre left)

Surveying the destination

A steep ascent

Remnants of previous quarrying

Views southwards from the ascent path

Slate cairns 

Summit views of Derwent Water

The summit

Cooling off in the Derwent 

Those fish were actually nibbling our toes!

Glaramara & Great Gable from Seatoller

Date : June 29th 2011
Start/Finish : Seatoller
Wainwrights : Glaramara, Allen Crags, Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth, Grey Knotts
Distance : 10.5 Miles
Height Gained : 4400 feet

The route : anticlockwise from Seatoller

  
This is a great circular route which weaves its way around some of the most impressive Lakeland scenery before culminating at Great Gable (2949 feet), the ultimate vantage point from which to survey the very best of the Cumbrian fells. 

The walks starts at Seatoller, a small village at the head of the Borrowdale valley and the foot of the Honister Pass. The route heads up Glaramara along a good path which reveals ever more impressive views with every step towards the summit.

Views back over the Borrowdale Valley

The glacial hanging valley at Combe Head

Looking over Base Brown to Fleetwith Pike & Dale Head

 The summit of Glaramara is a long rocky plateau with a few small tarns dotted along the wide ridge. It occupies a great position overlooking the Seathwaite and Langstrath valleys with spectacular views east towards the Langdale Pikes, west to Great Gable and south towards Bowfell & Great End.

Glaramara summit panorama west

Glaramara summit panorama east

Lincomb Tarn with Bowfell and Esk Pike behind

Great Gable & Green Gable

Glaramara then morphs into Allen Crags which is really just a rocky pimple between Glaramara itself and Esk Hause. It is one of those fells which has questionable merits to justify its inclusion into the 214 although it does undoubtedly occupy prime position from where to admire Great End.

The aptly named 'Great End' from Allen Crags

Esk Hause

Great Gable and Sprinkling Tarn complete with wild campers

As usual, there was the usual smattering of tents beside Sprinkling Tarn. These folk obviously forgot about the wild camping etiquette of 'pitching only when the last of the day hikers are off the fells and pack up before they return'.  

The mighty Great Gable

Piers Gill and Lingmell from Sty Head

Broad Crag and Scafell Pike from Sty Head

Styhead Tarn from the ascent path up Great Gable

The path up to Great Gable is a steep slog but the effort is well worth it. Great Gable summit views are just stunning in all directions.

Great Gable summit panorama east

Great Gable summit panorama west

Kirk Fell & Pillar from Great Gable

The Scafells from Great Gable

Haystacks, High Crag and Crummock Water from Great Gable

Allen Crags over Sprinkling Tarn from Great Gable

Views down to Wastwater from the Westmoreland Cairn

After spending 45 minutes exploring the summit it was time to move on. The steep decent to Windy Gap is an awkward affair on loose stone. There is a path of sorts but it is in poor condition and is no doubt on the radar of the 'fix the fells' team. 

Green Gable summit panorama west

Green Gable summit panorama east

Great Gable from Green Gable

The Ennerdale valley from Green Gable

Buttermere & Crummock Water over Haystacks, from Green Gable

Pillar & glimpses of Ennerdale Water from Brandreth

Grey Knotts summit panorama west

Grey Knotts summit panorama east

Final look back at Great Gable before descending to the Honister Slate Quarry