Stickle Pike & Caw
1 SD222905 After two long days over wild empty hills it’s time to enjoy a couple of attractive fells above the pastures of the beautiful Duddon Valley. From the car park (partly hidden behind a hedge) walk down the lane, cross the bridge and immediately fork left. Walk straight ahead and fork right at Green Bank after 200m on a track/bridleway signed to the Duddon Valley. Fork left, by the next house, on a narrow path through trees, with wall on left. Pass through a gate, with gorse ahead, and turn left along a pleasant grass path – there’s even a picnic bench if you need an early snack! Veer left between walls and go through an old gateway. Continue on the grass track, between walls, to a gate with larch trees on the left. Pass a barn on the left and walk up a slight rise to the next gate. Go right after 200m on a path up to a col and turn left for a short climb to the top of Little Stickle. Return to the col, cross the path, trend left and then right to cross flatter ground to the trig point on Great Stickle.
2 SD211916 Go north to descend from the top and meet a path by the valley near an isolated boulder. Keep to left of Red Moss Beck on a narrow path and continue over rough moor to fork right, with Stickle Pike now ahead. A good path climbs up to a col, past a small crag with a holly tree. Turn left to the summit cairn.
3 SD211927 Descend north-east, over steeper ground, to the north side of Stickle Tarn and continue downhill on a good path to the open lane over the pass. A fingerpost on the far side points to a bridleway to Seathwaite. Follow this to the right of crags and meet a junction of tracks after 250m, with a large walled enclosure ahead. Go left towards old quarry spoil and keep ahead on a rough track (named Park Head Road on the OS map). Pass to the right of Brock Barrow and descend to cross a stream in the valley, with Goat Crag and the slopes of Caw ahead.
4 SD222943 Turn right and join a good path up the empty valley known as Long Mire. Fork left after 350m, at a stream, and pick a route steeply up through the small crags to the trig point on top of Caw.
5 SD230944 Leave the summit in a south-east direction and, after more outcrops, aim to walk downhill alongside Broadslack Beck. Once at the foot of the slopes keep ahead, now due south, and cross flatter ground as well as Long Mire Beck. Keep a wall closely on your left and proceed to pass a couple of houses at Jackson Ground. The undulating path now continues in a south-west direction for 1km and climbs to a saddle to the south of
Raven’s
Crag.
6 SD224922 Turn left at the broad col, with views over the valley of the River Lickle, and walk south to the top of the bumpy hill named The Knott. Continue south to join a rough path which eventually zigzags steeply downhill to a ladder stile/gate at a lane, next to a clump of tall pines. Turn right, go round a hairpin bend and go left at the next junction. Continue downhill, past a small church, to the bridge over the river to return to the car park, with the historic Blacksmith’s Arms just a few paces up the lane.