Country:
District:
There is no parking in the village of Grange unless you are a resident. The road from Grange to Keswick on the west side of the lake is narrow, but there are places where it is wide enough to park cars in a safe and sensible way. This walk is from one such place just before the Borrowdale Gates hotel, where there is space for 4 or five cars, parked sensibly either side of the road.
(S/E) Walk towards the hotel and turn left through the gate opposite. Follow the path that slants southwest across the field to a second gate in a dry stone wall. Go through the gate and turn left (south) onto a grassy path, follow this with a wall on your left, the path veers away from the wall and then curves back towards it at Hollows Farm. Pass through the farm and follow the farm track down to a junction with the narrow road from Grange.
(1) Follow the track past the campsite on your left and at the river Derwent. Take the left hand path leading around the side of the river (on your left) until the path curves to the right and ascends through woodland to a junction with another path.
(2) At the junction, turn right and walk up to Millican Dalton's Cave where you can search for the inscription on the cave wall. After exploring the cave, return to the junction at (2). Now turn right and follow the path through the woods, it descends and curves to the right to a wall and gate. Pass through the gate and follow the path across and then down a field towards the river. The path then follows the side of the river (on your left) to a stone bridge.
(3) Cross the bridge and turn right. Follow the track beside the river (now on your right), it turns away to the left and leads you to the village of Rosthwaite, passing beside the Flock Inn Tea Room. Walk up the road, passing the village hall and car park to a junction with the main Borrowdale Road. Take care at the start of this section as the road can be busy in high season.
(4) Cross over and turn left so that you are walking towards the oncoming traffic. Walk in single file for a 50m to a road on the right leading up to the Hazel Bank Hotel. Turn right and follow this road for about 75 m looking out for a path on the right opposite a track on the left and before the driveway up to the hotel. Turn right and follow the path which traverses the bottom ends of fields until it meets Stonethwaite Beck. The path turns sharp left and continues by ascending to traverse the fell side below Heron Crag to a junction with a path leading down to Stonethwaite.
(5) Turn right and walk down to cross Stonethwaite Bridge and then walk into the village. At the junction with the road, turn right and walk along the side of the road (single file), passing the school and to a junction with the main Borrowdale road.
(6) Cross straight over and take the road that leads down to and cross the River Derwent by another bridge.
(7) After the bridge, turn left and walk past the Youth Hostel. The traverses the fell side above the river (on your left) and passes a junction where a path leads up from Folly bridge. Continue straight on at this junction with the sewage works below you on the left and arrive at a junction in the path just above the Glaramara Hotel.
(8) Turn right and follow the path uphill, your path will be met by another slanting up from the left, keep on ascending to a junction with a track which also slants up from the left. Turn right and follow the track, which bends to the left almost immediately and passes through a gate. Keep on following the track, which passes through another gate in front of a small wood on the right. Continue along the track and 50m after the wood look out for an obvious path on the right which ascends to a bend in the wall above you. Turn right and follow this path uphill to a gate in the wall.
(9) Pass through and turn right. Now follow the path, with a wall on your right. Go through gates as necessary and avoid a path on the left which leads up to Rigghead Quarries, instead continue to a bridge which crosses Tongue Gill.
(10) Cross the bridge and continue along the path, Castle Crag will be directly ahead of you. Keep following the path, which is joined by another slanting in on the left from Tongue Gill. Just after a section where the path is passes close to the wall on the right with trees on the far side of the wall, you will see a narrower path on the right. Take this narrow path which slants up to join a better path and this leads up through the scree and spoil heaps to the top of Castle Crag. If you miss the narrow path, don't worry, if you continue straight on you will come to the obvious path on the right up to Castle Crag from the scree slope at its southern end.
(11) Enjoy the views, then return the way you have come to the path below Castle Crag. Turn right and walk in a northerly direction, with Castle Crag on the right. The track descends with fell side on the left and Castle Crag and woodland on the right, it passes through a gate and descends further with woodland on both sides back to the River Derwent.
(12) Just above the river, the path crosses a small bridge and then joins the track back to Hollows Farm Campsite.
(1) At the junction next to the campsite, turn left and walk up to Hollows Farm. Pass through the farm and take the path with the wall on your right, then turn right and go through the gate and walk back down to the road and the parking spaces next to the Borrowdale Gates Hotel. (S/E)
Alternatively from (1) you could walk along the road and into Grange where there is a café. Then turn left at the road and walk back along to the parking.
Walker
