walkhighlands

This board helps you to share your walking route experiences in England and Wales... or overseas.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Green Crag, Harter Fell and Hard Knott from Eskdale

Green Crag, Harter Fell and Hard Knott from Eskdale


Postby gld73 » Sun Mar 27, 2022 10:50 pm

Wainwrights included on this walk: Green Crag, Hard Knott, Harter Fell (Southern Fells)

Hewitts included on this walk: Harter Fell (Southern Fells)

Date walked: 27/03/2022

Time taken: 5.3

Distance: 15 km

Ascent: 1120m

1 person thinks this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

Another day of great walking weather, another day of making up my route as I went along. I drove to Eskdale with the hope I'd get parking somewhere to do Harter Fell, but not long into the walk I decided I was pretty much heading in the direction of Green Crag anyway so did that first before heading to Harter Fell; and once I was at Harter Fell I decided I had plenty time to go to Hard Knott and back to the car via the Roman fort. So my route ended up very roughly being something like this (but with a lot more zig zagging around crags, and ups and downs over outcrops than the straight lines would imply!):

our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts


APDC8279.JPG
On a sunny Sunday with a late start, I wasn't confident about getting parked easily. The small Wha House NT car park was full and so I parked a bit further along the road off the back of a passing place where there was room for 2 cars, another car already there. As it turned out, I probably could have parked further east on the big grass verge parking area near Jubilee Bridge as it didn't seem to be full when I looked down on it a bit later, but this different start point worked out well as it prompted me to do Green Crag first rather than heading straight for Harter Fell (the big hill in this shot)

APDC8280.JPG
I crossed over the small road bridge, then immediately went right, though this gate, a right of way through a field of sunbathing sheep. Went through the gate at the far side and followed the path up through a nice bit of woodland to a path junction - turning left would take me towards Jubilee Bridge and the route I'd been intending to take, but a grassy path headed upwards and so that's when I decided I'd stick to this side of the ghyll and head for Green Crag

APDC8283.JPG
The view back down to Eskdale and over to the Scafells featured a lot on my walk today, it really was stunning. I'd followed a clear grassy path through bracken at first, but as I headed south it petered out or split into fainter paths that I soon lost. It may be that there is no direct path to Green Crag from here, or it may be that I couldn't find - either way I didn't mind, I just kept heading in roughly the correct direction through a variety of conditions - dry grass, dry bracken, heather, over or around crags, trying to avoid boggy patches on the way ... it made it more interesting than following a path

APDC8286.JPG
Harter Fell was over to my left, took this view before I ended up veering right to go around some of the craggy bits. I had maps with me, but hoped it would be fairly obvious which of the small rocky hills rising out of the grass, heather and bog would be the highest, Green Crag

APDC8288.JPG
This was the highest - and confirmed when I saw someone walking up it so came over to where it looked like he'd come from and found a well worn path heading up it

APDC8289.JPG
Green Crag summit cairn. It was a nice little summit area to wander around and get views

APDC8291.JPG
The direction I'd come from - up, over or around Great Whinscale, Crook Crag and an assortment of other scenic rocky obstacles

APDC8290.JPG
Harter Fell was what lay ahead next though. I couldn't see a clear path going up it from here, but it looked okay from this side anyway. I decided just to aim for the end of the forestry

APDC8296.JPG
And this is having reached the end of the forestry, looking back to Green Crag. There's a stile here, so as good a place as any to aim for as it turned out. The walk across hadn't been bad as there had been a few recent sunny, dry days, but even so, there had been areas of bog to jump over or detour around towards the Harter Fell side

APDC8297.JPG
There was a path to follow weaving up the hillside towards the summit; this the view back down on the end of the forestry and over to Green Crag

APDC8305.JPG
In low cloud it might be hard to tell which of the rocky tors is the one to clamber up to reach the proper summit, but in clear conditions it seemed quite obvious. This is taken at the summit, looking down on the trig point and back over to Green Crag

APDC8301.JPG
North to the Scafells

APDC8299.JPG
Hard Knott is centre right - looked relatively easy from here, so decided I'd go to it next

APDC8306.JPG
Zoomed to Hardknott Fort, bottom of pic, but not very clear here

APDC8308.JPG
Trig point with the Harter Fell summit tor behind

APDC8313.JPG
I headed roughly for the high point of Hardknott pass, not on a path as I descended Harter Fell

APDC8314.JPG
Lower down I came across a path and so followed it; quite handy, as it took me to a couple of stiles and gates rather than having to go over the (admittedly low) fence

APDC8315.JPG
The last few metres joined a bridleway which promptly came out on the road. It was a short walk up to the high point of Hardknott pass, marked by the cairn on the left side verge here. This would be the easiest start point to bag Hard Knott quickly!

APDC8316.JPG
Leaving the road at the cairn, I headed up a worn path (looking down on the road and back to Harter Fell here)

APDC8322.JPG
Again, in poor conditions it might be hard to tell which rocky lump to go up for the summit, but it was easy today. Hard Knott summit cairn with the view to the Scafells

APDC8321.JPG
....and over to Harter Fell

APDC8318.JPG
Rather than take the direct route back to the road, I detoured to where I thought I'd see the Eskdale Needle. I ended up a bit further away than I'd hoped, but my legs were a bit tired to make the effort to get closer, so I made do with this rubbish more distant shot of it (it's in the middle of the picture if you can't see it!)

APDC8319.JPG
I did get a nice view of Slight Side and Scafell, the walk I'd done from Eskdale 2 days earlier

APDC8324.JPG
Rather than head down the road, I took a more tortuous route across and down Hard Knott towards the fort. It was far from a direct line with all the weaving around I did to get a safe route down. I did get a nice view down to the fort then though, Hardknott pass on the left

APDC8325.JPG
Looking back up at Hard Knott (Border End) now that all the hard work was done.

APDC8327.JPG
Hardknott roman fort with Harter Fell backdrop

APDC8331.JPG
View back up Hardknott Pass

APDC8332.JPG
Hardknott fort

APDC8334.JPG
Last view back up through the fort to Hard Knott. It was downhill all the way to Jubilee Bridge from here, then an easy road walk back to the car
User avatar
gld73
 
Posts: 899
Munros:178   Corbetts:76
Fionas:69   Donalds:12
Sub 2000:94   Hewitts:60
Wainwrights:107   Islands:13
Joined: Aug 11, 2015
Location: Inverness

1 person thinks this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Outside Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: iannotts and 12 guests