Derwent Water from Walla Crag

Walla Crag

Route: Walla Crag

Area: Central Lake District

Date of walk: 20th September 2018

Walkers: Andrew

Distance: 5.1 miles

Ascent: 1,200 feet

Weather: Light cloud with some soft sunshine, becoming duller later on

Standing at 1,234 feet, Walla Crag is one of the smaller lakeland fells and, as Wainwright points out, its height is easily remembered by anyone who is able to count up to four. It’s a wonderful little fell with various possible approaches, all of them beautiful. I ruled out a longer walk today as rain was forecast in the afternoon, which proved to be the case

I parked in the National Trust car park in Great Wood, and as I did so a large group of 20 or more walkers were booting up and chattering away noisily. I quickly set off in order to leave them behind and followed the path south through Great Wood. In my haste to escape the pack I took the first path to the left, mistaking this for the path up beside Cat Gill, which was my intended route. I quickly realised my error but rather than retracing my steps and encountering the group I decided make a virtue out of necessity and to carry on through Great Wood, approaching Walla Crag via Rakefoot

This is a much longer, but less steep, alternative. After a long gentle climb I emerged from Great Wood to follow a path and a narrow road through Rakefoot, and beyond here I climbed up onto the open fellside above Great Wood, with some lovely views of Skiddaw, Blencathra and Derwent Water

At a prominent cairn I passed through a small gate to follow a narrow path with the steep rock face of Walla Crag close by on my right. A short and simple climb soon brought me to the summit of the fell, from which there are superb views towards Borrowdale looking one way, and Keswick and Derwent Water looking the other. Having savoured these for a while I continued in the same direction and passed by the Cat Gill path, which had been my intended route at the start. The path descends gently in the direction of Borrowdale, with lovely views all the way, and eventually arrives at the well known beauty spot of Ashness Bridge. After taking the obligatory photo here I joined a path signposted ‘Great Wood’ which contours along the fellside above the road to Watendlath

I followed the path back into Great Wood, passing by my earlier ascent path, and from here I retraced my steps back to the start of a great walk

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