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Walk                           :  Dow Crag (2,555 ft) from the Walna Scar car park

Date                           :  27th May 2021

Weather                    :  Sunny, dry  @  17°C

 

Distance                   : 6.5 miles round trip

Time Taken              : 2 hour to summit

 

Which part of Lakeland is this walk situated

 

Terrain Overview

 

Overview

 

An absolutely wonderful walk, with amazing views from Goats Water and beyond. A well defined path to follow which has in recent years been

stepped to assist with the steeper parts of the climb. A very compact summit that if weather conditions permit provides a wonderful place to just

sit for a while and enjoy the amazing views

 

 

The start point for this walk is the Walna Scar car park which at the time of writing this was £8 for nine hours. Given that this is a very popular

area for walkers space can at sometimes be at a premium.

 

 

Starting off down the Walna Scar track from the southern end of the car park

 

 

Looking up to Coniston Old Man from the track

 

 

The track meanders gently around Little Arrow Moor

 

 

There are 2 areas along this track where a little rock handling is required – but nothing to strenuous

 

 

Further down the track and worth noting the path veering off to the right. It is at this point to turn and head towards Goats Water

 

 

Heading up the track towards Goats Water

 

 

A big cairn .. as well as a massive pile of stones

 

 

The second scrambly bit

 

 

Looking back along the track

 

 

Fairly soon after the second scrambly bit the imposing north face of Dow Crag comes into view

 

 

Goats Water from the track which drops down to the water edge. There are some fairly big boulders along the way that need to be negotiated

and if you are walking with a dog you may possibly need to pick them up over these parts – nothing too difficult though

 

 

The five buttresses that make up the north face of Dow Crag

 

 

At the western end of Goats Water there is a 400 foot climb to reach the ridge line between Coniston Old Man and Dow Crag. At the top

make a left turn

 

 

Thankfully the path is stepped to assist the climb. This is the steepest part of the walk

 

 

Looking back down to Goats Water from the path

 

 

Looking up to the North Tower which is the summit of Dow Crag

 

 

At the top of the path now and the dramatic views start to unfold. Here the Scafells

 

 

From the top of the ridge turn left and follow the well defined path which is cairned. The loose scree can be avoided by keeping to the grass

on either side

 

 

On the summit approach

 

 

At various points the path to the summit skirts the steep drop of the North Gully

 

 

Team shot on the summit of Dow Crag. Click here for a 360 degree view … https://youtu.be/YTsStTL6QaQ

 

 

Despite providing a humungously large dinner for the Spud Meister – he is always on the look out for more

 

 

Coniston Water from the summit

 

 

The massively popular summit of Coniston Old Man … Just how Wainwright sketched it in Book Four in 1960

 

 

The ridge line of Brim Fell, Swirl How, Great Carrs

 

 

Looking west towards Harter Fell from the summit

 

 

Close up on the Scafell Massif. We stayed on the summit for over an hour taking in the marvellous views. A highly recommended walk

 

 

We eventually returned back down and was lucky enough to bump into Dave, Angie and Fudge The Masarnen Ramblers at the Sun Inn

 

 

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