High Spy - Sunday 12 October 2025

Route 

Grange - Stonesty How - Cockley How - High White Rake - Low White Rake - Nitting Haws - High Spy - Wilson's Bield - Rigghead Quarry - Tongue Gill - Scaleclose Gill - Seatoller

Parking

We caught the bus from Keswick to Grange and at the end of the walk travelled back from Seatoller to Keswick - again by bus.  

Mileage

5.4 miles

Terrain

Good mountain paths throughout  

Weather

Gloriously sunny with light breezes and the added bonus of a temperature inversion

​Time Taken

4hrs 

Total Ascent

2759ft (841m)

Wainwrights

1

Map​

OL4 - The English Lakes (North Western Area)

Walkers

Dave with Malcolm Summers, Peter Moore & Poppy

GPX Files

​From 1 March 2025 GPX files will not be available directly from the walk page as there is difficulty in using a downloadable version from the website. To that end, if you require a GPX File please get in touch via the Contact Form below and we will gladly forward it to you - thank you.

​Route Map

Grange Bridge & the River Derwent - the start point for the walk today

The route today was one I had not done before. I have climbed High Spy many times but not from Grange via the Nitting Haws path. Today I was out with 2 good friends in Malcolm & Peter plus the latter's Labrador Poppy. This was Peter's 214 Wainwright's completion day which made this walk just that little bit extra special.  Little did Peter or Malcolm know that I had secreted upon my person 3 cold bottles of Wainwright Beer in order to toast his achievement on the summit. Would he make it??

​Read on to find out.

The church of the Holy Trinity in Grange

As it leaves the village to the west, the route turns north along the road to reach Grange Old School

The School was built in the mid 1890s and the last classes were held in 1935. Since closing as a school the building has been used for various community purposes; it is owned by the local church and The Climber’s Club took over the lease in 2008. Built of local stone with a fine Lakeland slate roof, the bell still hangs on the gable end wall perhaps ready to summon climbers back from the crags rather than the kids to lessons. 

With a lull in the proceedings, I adjust my kit as Peter practices a bit of Michael Flatley

Looking back to Grange as we start the first ascent 

As can be seen, there was much low cloud about and at this point I was hopeful for a temperature inversion which would put the top hat on Peter’s Wainwright completion day. Would it come to fruition - let's see eh!

Whey hey - we break out of the cloud and look over a now submerged Borrowdale to the Helvellyn range

Looking over to Goat Crag & Low Scawdel

The view from the ascent of Nitting Haws (Click Play to view)

A formation of Geese pass noisily overhead as we continue the climb

Rising free of the low cloud the inversion really shows itself as we look over to the Helvellyn range

Lonscale Fell & Blencathra

Wispy cloud above Newlands looking to Hindscarth & Robinson with Whiteless Pike over to the right

The view from the approach to High Spy

Whiteless Pike, Grasmoor, Crag Hill, Sail, Grisedale Pike, Scar Crags & Causey Pike. For the keen eyed amongst you, the summit ridge on Ard Crags can just about be seen in the centre of shot above the inversion.

The superb panorama from just below High Spy

Captured for posterity - Peter’s final few yards on his Wainwright Journey. It was a privilege to be up here on such a wonderful day.

Peter wearing the customary apparel on the summit of High Spy - 214 Wainwright Fells completed

The three of us on the summit of High Spy

As is tradition, we toasted Peter’s achievement with a bottle of Wainwright Beer - and very tasty it was too

It certainly is worth the walk - didn’t touch the sides

Cheers Peter - well done

Malcolm with Poppy on the summit of High Spy

The summit of High Spy looking to The Dodds & Helvellyn ranges

The summit of High Spy looking to Skiddaw & Blencathra

Looking over the inversion from the summit of High Spy to the Langdale Pikes, Glaramara, Bowfell, Esk Pike, The Scafells & Great Gable

From High Spy we dropped down over Wilson’s Bield to locate our route of descent which today would be the Rigghead Quarry path

Hindscarth over the head of Newlands

Dale Head, Dalehead Crags & Great Gable (the other one)

Approaching our turn off for Rigghead Quarry which is to the left once in the col below

Another cracking view of Hindscarth over the head of Newlands

At the head of Tongue Gill near Robin Fold Edge, a stile leads to a path that heads into Rigghead Quarry

Looking into Tongue Gill as we head over to Rigghead Quarry which is out of shot to the right

One of Rigghead Quarry's many mine adits dotted all over the fellside.  An adit (from Latin aditus meaning entrance) is the access point to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, ventilated, and minerals extracted at the lowest convenient level.

There are greenish Kimberley slate waste piles everywhere as the route reaches one of the many ruined quarry buildings

Heading over to the lower quarry from the Tongue Gill path

Borrowdale from the path to the lower quarry

The shuttered climbing hut at Rigghead Quarry. Despite extensive research I was unable to ascertain who uses the hut therefore it is more than likely privately owned and not utilised by a climbing club as such.

The middle & upper quarries from the lower 

Leaving the lower quarry we headed down to join the path to Tongue Gill which passes another ruined building

Tongue Gill - if returning to Grange the gill can be forded here to join a path on the other side. We would not be crossing here and would instead head down the path on the southern side of the gill.

The descent path on the southern bank of Tongue Gill

The footbridge over Tongue Gill - the path heading to the left goes to Castle Crag then onward to Grange. We would not be crossing the bridge and instead be turning right in the direction of Seatoller.

The route reaches the newly refurbished footbridge over Scaleclose Gill. On the bridge is an inscription remembering the life of Allan Stewart Wilson (1979 - 2022) which reads:

​"For his intelligence, his strength and his character he stood in a league of his own. If he saw that you had made it this far on your walk he would tell you that you’ve earnt yourself a beer"

At Grid Reference NY 24376 14513 a ladder stile leads to a path to High Doat. This route can also be taken to reach Seatoller and enters the village via the National Trust Car Park.

Dropping down into Seatoller with Rosthwaite Fell to the left & Thornythwaite Fell to the right

At Grid Reference NY 24299 14081 the path splits. Either path can be taken to reach Seatoller however as we intended to visit the Yew Tree for a post walk beer, we took the right hand fork.

The path eventually reaches the B5289 just above Seatoller

Celebratory beer o’clock as we reach The Yew Tree in Seatoller

Cheers chaps - what an absolutely cracking day out that was

Poppy can’t fathom out what all the fuss is about 

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