PARK BUT THINK BUS!

One may start from either the Grange Bridge or Rosthwaite village bus stops. If you have to drive then use the National Trust car park in Rosthwaite, if this is full use the adjacent Community Hall (parking fee for hall funds) GR 258148.

The Jaws of Borrowdale

Ruskin said that mountains were the beginning and end of all natural scenery. Wainwright considered the Jaws of Borrowdale to be the most beautiful square mile in Lakeland. From this one must deduce that the environs of Grange-in-Borrowdale are indeed England's finest scenic moment. This walk sets out to discover something of this genius loci, to savour the rich mix of native woodland amid a glorious tangle of rugged hills. At the same time seeking to foster use of the extra special public transport facility the 'Borrowdale Rambler' bus. Service 79 plies the valley from Keswick to Seatoller every daylight hour throughout the year, bravo Stagecoach. Why bring your car into this heavenly place if you don't have to?

The walk is described with 'green' travellers to the fore and therefore strides out from the earlier bus stop at Grange Bridge. By which means putting emphasis on the climb onto Grange Fell at the outset, it is always better to get the sweating over early on! The walk ranges over King's How which commands a marvellous outlook across the gulf of the Jaws to Goat Crag and the rugged flank of High Spy. Heading on through the heather banks to the highest point of this knobbly plateau, namely Brund Fell, before turning down by Puddingstone Bank to join the regular bridle-path linking Watendlath with Rosthwaite. Reaching the valley floor the walk then turns north with the option of either the scenically scintillating trail beside the wood-shaded rocky bed of the Derwent, or dependant on energy levels or inclination, claims the entertaining prize of Castle Crag. Julia Bradbury in her TV 'Wainwright Walks' series pronounced this little eminence as her favourite fell top, and who could deny her the indulgence of so lowly a summit, lying in such delectable surroundings?

Have bus will travel... and walk!

From the bus shelter on the east side of Grange Bridge walk south. Immediately after the guest house find a bridleway hand gate up the bank left from the road. Follow the path naturally through the open birchwood and marshy flushes crossing a low ridge to a hand gate in a wall. As the path descends fork right, short of the next hand gate, the path dipping through a stony hollow in the woodland beneath Greatend Crag. The path sets store on a steady ascent soon supported by firm steps, a magical staircase to the upper storey. Emerging from the tree canopy the path levels keep to the stepping stone trail rising again to curve right of the damp lateral valley climbing to the north end of King's How ascending via the Edward VII memorial plaque set into a rock alcove directly below the summit. The cairnless top of King's How 392m/1,286ft is the most prominent of the three 'summits' that comprise Grange Fell. Ether Knott 'the heather eminence' is the most northerly and just one metre lower than Brund Fell, the highest at 416m/1,365ft, lying to the south and is the next objective of the walk. The name Brund is thought to refer to a tradition of 'heather burning'.

This is an excerpt from Mark's original article.  To see the full article, you will need to download the PDF using the link below

Download complete PDF (320KB)

© Mark Richards 2008

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