Lake District Walks
Ard Crags & Knott Rigg
Date: 30th March 2008
Distance: 5.4 miles
Ascent: 1764 feet
Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
With: Nick and David
Start Grid Ref: NY231193
Walk Summary:
A short walk on the fabulous ridge of Ard Crags before returning via Knott Rigg and Keskadale Edge.
Route Summary: Chapel Bridge - Rigg Beck - Aikin Knott - Ard Crags - Knott Rigg - Keskadale Edge - Chapel Bridge
Pictures:
1. Looking up Rigg Beck towards Ard Crags
2. Looking back to Rigg Beck from below Aikin Knott
3. David above Aikin Knott
4. David walking toward the top of Ard Crags
5. Nick on the top of Ard Crags
6. Knott Rigg from Ard Crags
7. Looking back at Ard Crags
8. Scar Crags
9. Nick approaching the top of Knott Rigg
10. The top of Knott Rigg
11. Nick on Keskadale Edge
12. Looking along Keskadale towards Cat Bells
13. Keskadale Beck and Knott Rigg
14. Newlands Church
Walk Detail: This was the first of a number of walks I did during a large family holiday in Keswick. As nearly everyone wanted to go for a walk at some point I was in the enviable position of acting as the walking leader for the week. On this first walk I went out with my step father and younger brother, Nick.
Although it was Nick's first real fell walk it was David's fitness I was more worried about and in fact he did struggle on the climb up from the side of Rigg Beck. In fact it was quite painful watching him struggling and I asked him numerous times if he was okay and whether he wanted to turn back. He stubbornly carried on though and ironically the amount of time we spent waiting for him allowed the dull cloud to blow away and reveal a beautiful day. In the end we were blessed with the weather. The walk along the Ard Crags ridge was as good as it promised to be when Lisa and I had seen it when descending from Sails a couple of years before. Knott Rigg was definitely the less interesting of the two though Keskadale Edge was a good route of descent.
The last mile and a bit was through the valley floor and we once almost went the wrong way but eventually made it back to the car. This was a good walk though I'd have enjoyed it if I hadn't been so worried that David was going to keel over on the climb up on to Ard Crags. Certainly it is a walk I'd do again.
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