Lake District Walks
Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag
Date: 21st September 2008
Distance: 6.7 miles
Ascent: 1889 feet
Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
With: On my own
Start Grid Ref: NY257148
Walk Summary:
A slightly disappointing walk to two dramatic tops on a dreary day with poor visibility.
Route Summary: Rosthwaite - Cumbria Way - Eagle Crag - Sergeant's Crag - Greenup Gill - Cumbria Way - Stonethwaite - Peat How - Rosthwaite.
Pictures:
1. Eagle Crag
2. The stile above Bleak How and just below Eagle Crag
3. A tree perched precariously above a gully
4. Sergeant's Crag from Eagle Crag
5. Langstrath from the climb on to Eagle Crag
6. Perched on the top of Eagle Crag
7. Eagle Crag from Sergeant's Crag
8. The top of Sergeant's Crag
9. Moraines in Greenup Gill
10. Greenup Gill
Walk Detail: What should have been a really exciting walk with great views turned into something of a disappointment thanks partially to the Met Office’s inability to accurately forecast a sunny day. Similar to my ill-fated Coniston Fells walk earlier in the year early low cloud didn’t manage to clear thanks to an unexpected bank of higher cloud. At least on this occasion the cloud got above the tops but it resulted in a dreary day with very hazy skies.
Added to my dissapointment with the weather the walk itself was also not quite as good as I’d hoped. The walk from Rosthwaite was fine, the climb to Bleak How somewhat dull. Without doubt the highlight of the walk was the zig-zagging terrace high above Langstrath that led to the top of Eagle Crag.
The walk from the latter to Sergeant’s Crag was fairly simple. Sergeant’s Crag itself looked impressive and was a nice interesting little fell but, again probably due to the weather, I felt somewhat underwhelmed. The pathless descent to Greenup Gill was quite enjoyable as was the initial walk back along the gill. I varied the return somewhat by going through Stonethwaite to avoid too much repetition.
This walk was denied those wow moments I so love about the Lakeland fells because of the poor visibility. This is a shame as it could have been so much better. I’ll have to go again at another time of year although I need to avoid summer as the climb up through rampant bracken to Bleak How in high summer would be a nightmare.
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