Explore with Amie

In this blog post, I am sharing what is potentially my favourite walk of the year so far and within my top 5 in the Lake District. That’s no easy feat as every walk is so fantastic in the Lakes! One of the reasons for the high praise are the incredible views – from the summits we were granted incredible views of some of the Lake Districts most iconic mountains, as well as Crunnock Water in the valley. On a good weather day, as we were luck enough to have, we could see as far as the coast, Morecambe Bay, and the Isle of Man and Scotland. I mean, can you get any better than that?

This walk begins by heading up Rannerdale Knot. I’d not heard of this wainwright before, but I have since realised that it is actually incredibly popular. During the springtime, the area around Rannerdale Knot is full of bluebells! It is supposed to be incredibly beautiful and it is definitely something I want to see for myself. Unfortunately, we arrived a little too early in the season on this occasion but, there is always next time! Even without the bluebells though, this is a very cool wainwright to bag. For starters, it’s very close to the road so is an easy one to hike as its a short steep route to the top. Once at the top, you get great views across Crummock Water, especially through the rocks as you can see from the photos below. With the sun reflecting off the water, this was a great start to the walk!

You could easily turn this into a short circular walk by heading along Rannerdale Knot and descending. However, instead of that, we headed left to begin the climb up the second wainwright, Whiteless Pike which is 660m. This was a bit of a slog in places because of the winding nature of the path as it heads upwards. There was also quite a bit of work being done to the path on this occasion as large new rocks were waiting to be put into place on the pathways. I think the volunteers who maintain the paths throughout the Lakes do an absolutely incredible job and it’s such an important one too, protecting the area from erosion and maintaining access so walkers like us can enjoy it.

Once you reach the peak of Whiteless Pike and then onto Thirdgill Head, you’re treated to incredible views across the Lake District and towards the sea. You really need to make sure you do a 360 degrees so that you can take in the views from every angle. I actually recieved a text from my phone provider on the top of Whiteside that said ‘Welcome to the ISLE OF MAN’. You could just about make out the island through the haze which was pretty epic. This, along with views of the Great Gable and the Scafell range really added to the occasion and cemented this walk as one of my favourites. I haven’t heard many people talk about the views form this wainwright and that is a damn shame! Now, you know. Thirdgill Head Man isn’t a wainwright. It is 734m tall and is classified as a Birkett. These are hills over 1000ft named in Bill Birkett’s book, Lakeland Fells.

Wandope is classed as a Wainwright and is slightly taller than Thirdgill Head Man at 777m. It’s an easy grassy path to bag this next wainwright with more fab views.

The route then continues to climb towards Crag Hill. This used to be called Eel Crag but, the northern crags of the fell are now referred to as Eel Crag instead. It’s a little confusing as to whether Crag Hill or Eel Crag is the Wainwright here. Apparently, Wainwright says ‘Eel Crag’ but back then, Crag Hill was Eel Crag. Then again, the map we have on our wall that we use to tick off the Wainwrights says Eel Crag but the height is listed as closer to that of Crag Hill on the map at 839m. Very confusing! It’s up to you whether or not you class Crag Hill or Eel Crag. Personally, I think that we will tick both off eventually so I don’t think it will matter too much. For the sake of this walk though, let’s call Crag Hill a Wainwright.

The confusion aside, Crag Hill is when the views get even better. As well as the Lake District views of Blencathra, Skiddaw and Helvellyn, and the coast, you’ll also be able to catch a glimpse of the Solway Firth. To have the Lakes, the Isle of Man and Scotland from one peak is pretty special. From here, you can also see the Coledale Horsehoe which takes in Sail and Grisdale Pike; a walk that is definitely on our hit list to do soon. Down in the valley, you should also see Force Crag Mine which is a fabulous piece of mining history and well worth a visit on another occasion.

I’m happy to say that the fifth and final Wainwright included in this walk is undisputed. Grasmoor is ranked 20th tallest of the Wainwrights at 852. For this walk, you do have a bit of an ascent as you drop slightly from Crag Hill but, it’s an easy addition to the end of this walk. The top of the peak is marked with a large cairn shelter.

In my opinion, the most difficult part of this walk is not any of the climbs I have mentioned but, the descent. Having bagged Grasmoor, we backtracked and turned right. This descent turned out to be my least favourite combination – gravel and steepness! We took it slow though and it was fine! This is definitely a personal thing so, if loose surfaces don’t really bother you then you may find this much easier than I did.

The path continues to wind down before entering the bluebell area around Rannerdale beck. Crossing this river, the path rejoins the road before climbing back up towards Rannerdale Knott. This is primarily to avoid road walking around a sharp bend. It’s a short climb for the sake of a safer route and you don’t have to go all the way to the top of the wainwright. Instead, keep right to descend the same path from the very start of the walk.

That brings me to the end of this route! Like I said, this route has amazing views, a high number of wainwrights in one and is all in all high up my recommendation list. If you’d like to try the route for yourself, view the map below on mappedometer, or follow the step by step.

Your browser does not support iframes. View this route at Map Pedometer

Start point: Crummock South Beach Parking

1. Form the Car Park at the end of Crummock Water, take the ascending path parallel to the road/lake that skirts alongside the hill.
2. Take the first path on the right. It should bend right and head up some steps.
3. At the peak rocks head down Rannerdale ridge. At the bottom junction, take the left route that steeply winds up Whitless Pike.
4. At Whiteless, continue down and then up again to Saddle Gate.
5. Naturally the path will take you to Thirdgill Head Man. Turning right here, you can walk to Wandope.
6. From Wandope, take the path that skirts the edge up to the Crag Hill Trig Point.
7. Descend back down (the main pathway). If its fair visibility you should see the ascent route up Grasmoor.
8. Ascend this gravel path to Grasmoor. At the summit there is a circular stone shelter.
9. Backtrack the way to the peak and take the next right. This is a steep winding gravel descent, with occasional steps.
10. After some time, the path levels off and bends to the right. After this, continue down taking the left fork, descending in the direction of Rannerdale Knot.
11. At the bottom of the valley, turn left onto a gravel track. Pass through a gate into Rannerdale Bluebells area.
12. When you cross the footbridge, take the right back along the other side of the beck. With the fields and dry stone wall on your right, continue until reaching a small car park and the road.
13. Take a left along the road, and then the next footpath on the left. This climbs slightly before descending parallel to the road and Crummock Water.
14. This takes you back to the carpark.

End point: Crummock South Beach Parking

Have you done this route?

Amie x