Great Crag from Watendlath
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- A tranquil valley in the Central Lakes
- Visit the remote Dock Tarn
- Panoramic views from Great Crag
It is very rare to find a walk in the central lakes which is quiet and unspoilt. Watendlath is indeed a hidden valley and often overlooked on the drive south to the bigger hills at the head of Borrowdale. The land here is rough and undulating, a lovely mess of land that is covered with heather and bracken, hidden patches of water and small rocky outcrops. The walk itself, although short includes the complete variety of terrain with the highlights being the summit of Great Crag and idyllic Dock Tarn. There are 2 cairns on the top of Great Crag, pick either as even the O/S struggle to give the hill a proper height but whichever point you pick to settle down on the view is excellent. Being central the views are extensive in all directions except where Ullscarf gets in the way to the south east. Dock Tarn is lovely and completely unspoilt, to be honest most walkers in the Lakes will never have seen or heard of it more fool them.
Recommend: Stop at Ashness Bridge and walk the few hundred meters to Surprise View for one of the most iconic views in the Lake District – over Derwentwater and Keswick to Skiddaw.
© Crown copyright 2010 Ordnance Survey. Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
| OS Map: | O/S 1/25,000. OL4 North Western Area |
| Start Point: | 163275. Park in the pretty hamlet of Watendlath at the public car park. Cross the small pack horse bridge and stick to the side of the tarn rather than the steeper right hand fork. |
| Terrain: | Only 700 foot of ascent to the 1,500foot summit. The paths are obvious to the foot of Great Crag and from Dock Tarn. Between these 2 points there is an element of initiative required. The paths are inermittant and the main tip I have is to remain on the summit ridge of Great Crag as long as possible before plunging off towards Dock Tarn, Good fun though. |
| Eating & Drinking: | There is a tea garden in Watendlath which is ideal on a warm summer's day but better to travel in to Keswick otherwise. The opening hours are regular in the summer months but w/e only in winter. |
| Similar Walks Nearby: | Glaramara in Borrowdale Exploring Upper Borrowdale Catbells from Little Town |
| Places to Stay: |
A better circuit can be made by parking at Stonethwaite and going up to Dock Tarn from there. Descend to Watendlath then across towards Rosthwaite and back to Stonethwaite. This also avoids driving up the narrow Watendlath road.
BTW it is far more than 100m from Ashness Bridge to Surprise View but there is good parking right beside Surprise View – a very worthwhile viewpoint.
Ann