St Sunday Crag, Birks & Arnison Crag - Thursday 18 January 2024
Route
Grisedale Bridge - Patterdale - Goldrill Beck - Rooking - Crookabeck - Beckstones - Deepdale Bridge - Lane Head - Deepdale Hall - Wall End - Cold Cove - Lord's Seat - Gavel Pike - St Sunday Crag - Birks - Trough Head - Arnison Crag - Oxford Crag - Grisedale Bridge
Parking
King George V Car Park (opposite Patterdale Hall) near Grisedale Bridge (£5 all day). The Grid Ref is NY390160 and the nearest postcode is CA11 0PX.
Mileage
8.4 miles
Terrain
Ordinarily this walk would be easy underfoot as the paths are clearly evident for the entire route. However, with deep snow on the ground above 1200ft (366m) route finding over the paths was nigh on impossible. Subsequently there was much "off piste" walking today which made the 8.4 miles seem much, much longer due to having to work harder in deep snow.
Weather
Gloriously sunny all day but both extremely windy & bitterly cold on the ridges
Time Taken
7hrs
Total Ascent
2575ft (785m)
Wainwrights
3
Map
OL5 - The English Lakes - North Eastern Area
Walkers
Dave with Nicky Oliver, Christine Backhouse, Sioelan Toja, Sara Boyle, Trev Bailey & Floki
Grisedale Bridge - Patterdale - Goldrill Beck - Rooking - Crookabeck - Beckstones - Deepdale Bridge - Lane Head - Deepdale Hall - Wall End - Cold Cove - Lord's Seat - Gavel Pike - St Sunday Crag - Birks - Trough Head - Arnison Crag - Oxford Crag - Grisedale Bridge
Parking
King George V Car Park (opposite Patterdale Hall) near Grisedale Bridge (£5 all day). The Grid Ref is NY390160 and the nearest postcode is CA11 0PX.
Mileage
8.4 miles
Terrain
Ordinarily this walk would be easy underfoot as the paths are clearly evident for the entire route. However, with deep snow on the ground above 1200ft (366m) route finding over the paths was nigh on impossible. Subsequently there was much "off piste" walking today which made the 8.4 miles seem much, much longer due to having to work harder in deep snow.
Weather
Gloriously sunny all day but both extremely windy & bitterly cold on the ridges
Time Taken
7hrs
Total Ascent
2575ft (785m)
Wainwrights
3
Map
OL5 - The English Lakes - North Eastern Area
Walkers
Dave with Nicky Oliver, Christine Backhouse, Sioelan Toja, Sara Boyle, Trev Bailey & Floki
GPX File
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Route Map
Today's walk started from the Car Park adjacent to the King George V Sports Field in Patterdale near Grisedale Bridge. As of 2024 the parking charge per day was £5 payable via the Honesty Box at the entrance.
Birks from near the Patterdale Hotel
Suns up as we head to The Patterdale Hotel with Brock Crags beyond
After roughly 1/3 of a mile the route arrives at a hand gate in the wall to join the path coming down from Thornhow. Once through the gate we would be turning left to drop down into Patterdale.
The bridge over the flat calm Goldrill Beck with Patterdale over to the left
Arnison Crag & Birks from Rooking
From Rooking we followed the lane towards Crookabeck
Passing Crookey Cottage in Crookabeck - we stayed here during our Coast to Coast walk in 2012
At NY 405 147 the path splits. The upper path heads on to Hartsop whilst our path to the right drops down to Deepdale Bridge
Looking over to the Fairfield range from near Deepdale Bridge with Gavel Pike & St Sunday Crag over to the right
Deepdale Bridge - Wainwright was particularly taken by this "interesting double bridge" (Hart Crag 6)
From Deepdale Bridge we crossed the A592 to join the farm access track. The track to the left leads to the farms at Deepdale Hall & Wall End and is a no through route for walkers. The path to the right leads to Lane Head and onwards to stay above Deepdale Hall & Wall End.
Place Fell, Boredale Hause & the cottages at Bridgend from near Lane Head
Just after Lane Head we had our first casualty - Nicky's coat which she caught on a rogue branch. It's always wise to carry a First Aid Kit although the tape only lasted a short time. Still - saved the loss of some feathers.
Interesting patterns made by the ice
Just after Wall End Farm the path crosses the Clapper Bridge over Coldcove Gill. The path would now swerve to the right and handrail the southern bank of the gill.
Alert as ever, Floki was having an absolute ball today
The path was starting to become more and more vague now as we head alongside the gill towards Cold Cove
Looking back at our route of ascent from Wall End. The fells in the distance are Angletarn Pikes, Brock Crags & the High Street range
Lord's Seat
Approaching the summit of Lord's Seat
The glorious view from Lord's Seat over Deepdale to the ridge of Hartsop above How and beyond to Gray Crag, Hartsop Dodd & Caudale Moor with the High Street range to the rear.
Dove Crag, Hart Crag & Fairfield over Deepdale from the ascent of Gavel Pike
The approach to Gavel Pike - this was an extremely hard slog today
Looking down Gavel Pike's east ridge and what a view
A Gavel Pike panorama
Birks from Gavel Pike with Ullswater beyond
After what seemed like an eternity we reached the summit of Gavel Pike. Deepdale Hause is over to the left and our next summit of St Sunday Crag directly ahead.
From Gavel Pike it is an easy amble over to the summit of St Sunday Crag
Gavel Pike from St Sunday Crag
My walking companions on the summit of St Sunday Crag - what a day to be out
The onward route to Fairfield from St Sunday Crag - we would be going the opposite way today. Fairfield is over to the left, Seat Sandal centre and Dollywaggon Pike to the right.
Dove Crag, Hart Crag & Fairfield over Cawk Cove
A Helvellyn range panorama from St Sunday Crag - l-r Dollywagon Pike, Nethermost Pike & Helvellyn
A closer view of Helvellyn centre, Nethermost Pike to the left and Catstycam to the right - Striding Edge can clearly be seen to the right of Helvellyn. The two coves are Ruthwaite & Nethermost.
The rocky summit of St Sunday Crag
The Far Eastern Fells from St Sunday Crag
Another view over to the Helvellyn range
The descent from St Sunday Crag looking towards Birks with Place Fell beyond
Looking back to St Sunday Crag from the transit to Birks
The summit of Birks
The route over to Arnison Crag - we would be dropping down to the broken wall in the lower centre of shot
Heading down from Birks via the broken wall to Trough Head
Trough Head below - our path on to Arnison Crag's south ridge can be seen moving from right to left
Birks from the approach to Arnison Crag
Arnison Crag's south ridge as our path stretches away towards the summit
Looking towards Hartsop to the High Street range, Gray Crag, Hartsop Dodd & Caudale Moor
The summit of Arnison Crag looking to Ullswater
Place Fell from the summit of Arnison Crag
Birks from Arnison Crag
My walking companions on the summit of Arnison Crag
Descending back to Patterdale from Arnison Crag - from the summit it is just a question of following the substantial wall all the way down past Oxford Crag
Safely back at the King George V Car Park after a wonderful day on the fells