England - Lake District - I Spy High Spy
England - Lake District - I Spy High Spy
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Walk Summary
Walk Summary
Walk through Borrowdale's mining history including an ascent of the interesting Castle Crag. Spectacular view from Dale Head and the ridge from High Spy to Cat Bells. Great views over Derwent Water.
Date: 19/04/2022
Length: 10.09 miles
Height Gain: 913 m
Terrain: Boggy trackless moor, boggy paths, grass paths, woodland trails, stony paths, stone steps, lightly used road.
Navigation: Path could be difficult to navigate in places (see map)
Start: Offroad parking just before the bridge to Grange
Route: Grange, Castle Crag, Launchy Tarn. Dale Head, High Spy, Maiden Moor, Cat Bells
Map: OL4 The English Lakes North Western Area
Weather: Hazy sun, rain in afternoon.
Walkers: Nun, Mo and Calse
Gallery
Gallery
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Borrowdale From Castle Crag
Captain's Log
Captain's Log
Castle Crag
Castle Crag
It was a chilly morning; I even had to scrape ice off the car's windscreen. The sun was out though and after a few minutes walking alongside the River Derwent I was warm enough to strip down to my tee shirt. In fact, by the time I started making the steep climb to Castle Crag I was sweating profusely. The footpath zig zagged up through quarry detritus. At 290 metres high, Castle Crag is the lowest Wainwright and the only one under 300 metres. The isolated pinnacle is impressive though and there is a superb view down the Borrowdale Valley from its summit. There is a large, stone first world ward commemoration plaque attached to the summit rock. Mo had spotted two birds of prey flying up and down the valley. Unfortunately, we weren't close enough to get a good picture. They looked like Hen Harriers. Eventually they got chased off by some crows.
Dale Head
Dale Head
From Castle Crag we headed up Tongue Gill. The morning was really warming up now. The waterfalls and pools in the gill looked rather tempting for a paddle. Halfway up the gill a man and a woman were working on the stone path. It looked challenging work in such hot weather. After Rigghead Quarries we headed off over High Scawdel to Launchy Tarn. As we contoured way around to the Honister-Dale Head path, a chilly wind started blowing and grey clouds started bubbling up from the west. It looked like the weather was about to change.
Dale Head is rather monotonous from the Honister side. The monotony is abruptly broken as soon as the summit cairn is reached and you look down a valley flanked by the crags of Hindscarth and High Spy. About 50 metres from the summit a man had set up an aerial and was speaking to somebody using a microphone. It seemed a long way to come for a CB conversation. I happened to sneeze rather loudly as I walked by him.
Dale Head
Dale Head From High Spy's Summit
High Spy
High Spy
The descent down to Dalehead Tarn is via some knee jarring stone steps. The only compensation was seeing the vertical crags on High Spy as we descended. The grey clouds from the west had caught us up and it started to spit with rain. We expected a downpour but it didn't arrive. After Dalehead Tarn we started plodding up the path to High Spy.
Halfway up to the summit a seated walker gave me a thumb hitching sign. 'I'll show you a bit of leg if you want', and hitched one trouser leg above his shin. He smiled and he had a set of gold teeth. Well, that's not something that happens everyday.
High Spy also has a large summit cairn and a grand view over to Hindscarth. The sun had come out and so we decided to stop for lunch. By the end of lunch the sun had taken cover and a few drops of rain started pattering again.
View From Blea Crag
Maiden Moor
Maiden Moor
Before descending from High Spy to Maiden Moor we made a short diversion to a prominent cairn above Blea Crag. There was a tremendous view from here down on to Derwent Water and towards Keswick and is well worth the short diversion.
As we headed towards Maiden Moor a couple of jet skis were chasing each other on Derwent Water. Even at this height, the noise was quite loud.
The summit of Maiden Moor is a little way off the main path across the moor. It has a rather small cairn to mark its summit. It's a shame since the views over to Newlands and Cat Bells deserves some celebration.
Maiden Moor's Small Summit Cairn
Cat Bells Summit
Cat Bells
Cat Bells
We'd passed plenty of people climbing High Spy, but the numbers were tiny in comparison to the multitude we saw on the summit of Cat Bells and its approaching paths. It is easy to see why it is popular though; relatively easy to ascend and classic views down on to Derwent Water. The summit contains a stone pillar with a brass plaque, with one of Wainwright's Cat Bells drawing.
As we descended down to Manesty, the heavens opened. Calse slipped and clattered down on the slate steps. Luckily only her pride was damaged. By the time we were on the outskirts of Grange the sun was out again. It had warmed up so much we saw a heron going for a paddle in the River Derwent. Apart from the rain at the end, it had been a perfect Lakeland day.
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