(S)Starting from Irton Road Station on the Ratty line, cross the bridge over the track and head south past Hollowstones. Go through the gate after Forest How and just before the next gate, take the path to your right leading up towards the fell. This reaches a kissing- gate, after which stick to the path near to the wall on your right. This will take you to just below the top of Silver Knott at 174m. On the way up, there's a great view straight up Eskdale towards Hardknott Pass. This little hill was avoided by W&W, which is a pity because it's a great view-point and my first spot on Muncaster Fell. There are two tops to choose from. Mine had the views described in the "during the walk" section below.
(1)Come down from Silver Knott in the direction of the rest of Muncaster Fell, i.e. south-west. You soon join the public footpath recommended by W&W. This now passes through a 'depression' (Wainwright) or 'flat ground' (Welsh). In fact, it contains a bog, conveniently ignored by W&W, but negotiable by treading on tussocks. Then the ground rises to a wall which you follow to a gap at the end of a wall that comes in from the left. Through the gap you come to a choice point. The W&W path heads off to the left at about 45 degrees but is not very clear. A more obvious path goes straight ahead and this is the one I suggest you take. It means you will miss out on 'Ross's Camp', a stone table erected by shooters in 1883, which had no appeal for me, and instead you embark upon a much more interesting path between the highest crags of Muncaster Fell - the W&W path skirts to the south of them but does afford views into Lower Eskdale, already seen from Silver Knott.
(2)The higher path passes a somewhat incongruous 'Christmas tree' (sporting a few baubles in September 2014) and meanders through patches of beautiful pink and yellow scrub on its way to the base of Hooker Crag, the highest point of Muncaster Fell at 231m. There is a short but steep climb to the top, where you may well be assaulted by very irritating flies that seem to congregate on the tops of crags. Once you have dowsed yourself with insect-repellent, the terrific views described in the "during the walk" section below present themselves.
(3)You can descend from the summit to the south-west and join the W&W path which then passes a plantation on the right to reach a gate. Beyond the gate, the trail goes down fairly rapidly, passing a pretty tarn to join a long lane that meets the A595 after 1k. From the lane you can just see the Esk Estuary over the shrubbery on the right.
(4)Then you have some choices: at the entrance to Muncaster Castle, you can turn right inside the gate on a track that descends about 1k to a Roman Bath House; or you can follow the A road, and then a B road, into Ravenglass, about 1.5k; or you can turn left off the A road at a right-curving bend a bit further on to follow a footpath through a wood and then over fields to the Esk Estuary, which is the option I chose. On the way, you get a closer view of the estuary and, in particular, are granted a spectacular entrance through trees into the estuary itself. Then the whole estuary is laid out before you south, west and north.
(E)By turning right, you come out seawards of Ravenglass and can enter its main street from the beach, perhaps to enjoy some refreshment at a pub by the shore before catching Ratty at the nearby station. As Wainwright concluded, "This is a walk to remember" - even more memorable with my modifications, I hope.
