VARIED FELL DAY
1 NY257148 Turn left out of the car park, left again at the Borrowdale road and then right along a lane signed to Stonethwaite. After the bridge, take the lower path on the right.
2 NY274130 About 1.3km after passing, and ignoring, a track on the right to Stonethwaite, bear right to cross a footbridge. At a fence corner, bear left and quickly left again, over a stile. Looking up, Eagle Crag seems almost inaccessible from this angle, but there is a breach in its defences. Keep the woodland on your left and go through a gate. Take the easy-tomiss trail climbing south-south-east.
3 NY276126 After a wall gap on the far side, turn right, ascending with the wall on your right. The trail swings left as it nears Bleak How and then zigzags up to a wall in the gap between Bleak How and Eagle Crag. Cross the stile here. The path continues ascending, leading into a rocky gully with a solitary tree overhanging it – the chink in Eagle Crag’s armour. The scrambling is easy and short-lived, but you will need your hands. At the top of the gully, turn sharp right to begin the next stage of the ascent. On bare rock at times, use a series of ledges to gain the summit – sometimes with amazing views up Langstrath; sometimes looking back into Borrowdale. There is some more scrambling in places, but it’s less greasy and has better holds than in the gully.
4 NY275121 From the heather-covered top of Eagle Crag, follow a trail south, dropping awkwardly at a wall corner. Walk with the wall on your left at first. The path later swings up on to Sergeant’s Crag.
5 NY274113 Drop from the summit rocks to locate a path heading south, crossing a ladder stile. Now aim for High Raise, the bouldery summit 2.1km to the south-east. A faint trail takes you part-way there but then peters out.
6 NY281095 From the trig pillar on High Raise, walk north-east towards a pile of stones and then north to Low White Stones. The path drops to a dip on Greenup Edge and then climbs steadily north-east, roughly following a line of rusty fenceposts.
7 NY291122 The top of Ullscarf, marked by a cairn and fenceposts, enjoys some particularly extensive views north that take in Skiddaw, Blencathra and, in the distance, the Scottish hills. Continue north-north-west along the clear path and then swing north-north-east from a three-legged post to reach a fence corner. Descend north-east with the fence on your left.
8 NY296134 Having followed the fence for almost 1.2km, you near the precipitous edge of Standing Crag. Just before this, bear right along a trail negotiating easier ground to the east of the crag before swinging back to resume a northward journey beside the fence. About 370m beyond a gate in a cross fence, go through the second gate on the left. The path heads west before dropping slightly to pass above Blea Tarn’s north-east shore. About 440m beyond the tarn’s north-west tip, bear right (north-west) at a faint fork on peaty ground. Nearing Robinbank Crag, bear left, soon walking parallel with a wall down to the left.
9 NY280163 About 2.3km beyond Blea Tarn, swing left with this wall and drop through a deer gate. Reaching a lane in Watendlath, turn right, left, then right to cross a bridge. Head left towards Watendlath Tarn and, after a gate, bear right – signed Rosthwaite. At the next signposted junction, turn right through the gate. Go right in the valley bottom and retrace your steps to the car park.