Route: Walla Crag
Area: Central Lake District
Date of walk: 7th February 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.7 miles
Weather: Cloudy with a few bright spells
We parked in the National Trust car park at Great Wood and followed a track in the direction of Ashness Bridge, turning sharp left after a short distance to begin the easy and steady climb up through Great Wood and towards Castlerigg
We emerged from the wood and walked past Rakefoot onto open fellside with gradually improving views over Keswick and Derwent Water, with the views from the summit of Walla Crag being superb
We continued along the edge of the crag for a short distance until we reached the descent path which runs beside Cat Gill. I’d forgotten how steep this path is, and it’s better to use this for the ascent (I’ve reflected this on the maps page). We gingerly climbed down the rocky staircase, slippery when wet, with a series of cascdes on our left as we did so, and near the bottom we returned into Great Wood to retrace our steps back to the start
An excellent little walk, though as mentioned best done in an anti-clockwise direction
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)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Start of the walk from Great Wood car park and we follow the path ahead
Climbing up through the wood along a very easy path
We emerge from the wood near Castlerigg
Looking across to Skiddaw Little Man and Skiddaw beyond
Derwent Water and the distinctive knobbly outline of Causey Pike
Looking back along the path
This sheep had escaped from its field but fortunately jumped back through the fence gap on our approach
Maiden Moor
Causey Pike again, and Grisedale Pike on the right
We cross the footbridge over Brockle Beck at Rakefoot
Looking back to Latrigg and the Skiddaw fells…
…and to the Blencathra range
We continue the gentle climb up to Walla Crag
More views of the north west fells open up as we gain height
Keswick, and a glimpse of Bassenthwaite Lake
Looking back along the path
Approaching the summit as Bonnie enjoys the view…
…and what a view it is - Derwent Water and its islands, including the inhabited Derwent Isle
And again, zoomed out to include the north west fells
Maiden Moor
Derwent Water, Bassenthwaite Lake and Keswick - and Skiddaw fells thrown in for good measure
Gilly admires the view of the north west fells
Maiden Moor, Hindscarth and Robinson
Keswick at the foot of Skiddaw
Borrowdale fells
The summit cairn, looking east to Clough Head
Another view east towards the Eden Valley
Catbells
There is a gentler and longer descent via the path ahead, but we take the steep short cut to the right via Cat Gill
The path to Bleaberry Fell, not on our route today
More good views ahead before we reach the deep cleft of Cat Gill
Maiden Moor again
Borrowdale
Descending to Cat Gill
A rocky staircase leads us steeply downhill
A waterfall as we re-enter Great Wood and retrace our steps back to the start
Next day, and a quick visit to Buttermere at dawn
Back home, a red squirrel at breakfast
And a rather less welcome, but undeniably cute, garden visitor
