Stonethwaite, Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag, High Raise, Stake Pass, Langstrath, Cumbria.
[ 15.7 km] Wed 06th Feb 2008

Stonethwaite, Eagle Crag, Sergeant's Crag, High Raise, Stake Pass, Langstrath.
The weather forecast was good and blue skies predicted. I arrived at Stonethwaite to a bright but cloudy morning. My first objective was Eagle Crag and its northwest buttress was clearly visible ahead. As I set off along the lane towards Stonethwaite a man came along after walking his dog. He was a local and heading back to the houses. We chatted for a few minutes and he mentioned that today would be the first time this year that the buildings would get some direct sunshine on them. I’d often wondered how buildings in deep valleys coped with no sun reaching them during some of the winter months.

The summit of Eagle Crag

I crossed Stonethwaite Bridge and continued up the valley. I could see the wall I would need to follow steeply up the fell to get up Eagle Crag. It was 5 years since I last followed it, that time I was with Eric. Wainwright described it beautifully
‘Eagle Crag soars high above the confluence of the valleys of Langstrath and Greenup, its steep cliffs climbing in tiers from bracken slopes to the neat, tapering crest. This is a beautiful fell, often admired, seldom ascended.’
From a distance it looks impenetrable but once up to the top of the wall a nice flat area gives wonderful views down Borrowdale and also reveals an easy gap in the ramparts to a faint path all the way to the summit. While looking down the valley a shaft of sunshine hit the roofs of Stonethwaite, probably the very first of the year.

Continuing the climb the summit cairn is small and perched on the edge of a large sloping slab of rock which always seems to be slippery whichever time of the year you visit. The clear blue skies that the weather men had predicted didn’t appear but there were some nice clouds around. A fairly flat walk took my to Sergeant’s Crag where I found some shelter from the cold wind to stop and eat my sandwiches. My next objective was High Raise and it was a steady climb up through grass, some boulders and occasional patches of snow.

Repairs to the wall.

The temperature continued to drop and when I got to the summit trig point it was 1 deg C, windy and too cold to hang around. I followed the Thurnacre Knott path for a while then left it to head off west and a more direct route down to Stake Pass. It was a nice walk and some sunshine broke through.

The Stake Pass path took me down to Langstrath valley bottom where I crossed the footbridge over the beck and down to the fell-gate and the stony track that returns to Stonethwaite. Some wall repairs were being done by a park ranger who I passed as he had a break from his work.

The Ranger's Land Rover with Eagle Crag in the background.