A walk up Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell.

It’s the second day of a settled weather pattern that has brought crisp, calm and freezing weather to Lakeland. There is not a breath of wind and the bright sun shines down from a cloudless azure sky. The air clarity is as clear as crystal. It’s pretty much perfect walking weather and I’m looking forward to my first walk in the Central Fells, a walk up Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell.

I’m stopping at Castlerigg Farm campsite on the outskirts of Keswick. When I slide open the van door I am greeted by a dead calm, freezing morning. Crows seem to be arguing loudly in the woods, a murder indeed may be at hand, and the ground is frozen hard and white with frost. Across the fields there are grand views of Skiddaw and Blencathra.

From the campsite I follow the lane up to Rakefoot Farm, cross Brockle Beck on a footbridge and then follow another track which leads onto the open fellside. From here it’s a steady walk up on frozen grass, the only sound being the crunch of my boots on the white hoar frost. The path follows a wall and slowly but surely views over to Keswick and Derwentwater are revealed as height is gained.

I had initially been walking in the shadows but one step at a time I climb into the sunlight. It lights up the grass in front of me which suddenly becomes a carpet of twinkling diamonds as the sun bounces off the ice. Shortly after I cross over the wall and make my way to the airy summit of Walla Crag.

Standing on the crag with a long drop in front of me, I look down on a quite exquisite scene. The sky is a perfect dome of lavender blue with the sun and moon gazing at each other from opposite ends. Below the firmament, aquamarine lakes are flat calm and mountains rise up in all their golden autumn glory. The whole of Northern Lakeland is spread out before me, frozen solid in crisp full high definition clarity. The Derwent and Coledale Fells, Skiddaw, Blencathra and the Dodds are all here. Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite, and the solid northern market town of Keswick line the valleys.

The Central Fells, as the name suggests cover the central belt of Wainwright’s chosen Lakeland fells on a north to south axis. I have not walked this far west before on my current Wainwright journey so seeing Keswick and Derwentwater are new vistas for me. And because Walla Crag is the second most northern of the central Fells, I am not likely to see them much again before I start book five, the Northern Fells.

As I leave the crag it is starting to fill up with people taking advantage of the picture perfect weather conditions to enjoy what is a sublime view for little effort.

I have a bit more work to do however and head off almost due south across the frozen bog lands towards Bleaberry Fell. The going is easy all the way to a sheepfold at the foot of Brown Knotts. From the sheepfold the path inclines and there is a steep section that climbs up to a large cairn which has been clearly visible from Walla Crag.

This cairn could easily be mistaken for the summit when viewed from below but does in fact just mark the top of the steep incline, the true summit being a little further on.

A small stone shelter marks the top of Bleaberry Fell and a nice rock perch, ideal for sitting on is just next to it. The view from the summit, especially on a day like today is superb, a 360° vista of the whole of Lakeland. As Wainwright puts it “ideally situated for a long and lazy contemplation of a beautiful panorama“.

There is a couple on the rock seat when I arrive but when they move I settle myself down to enjoy a moment of ‘lazy contemplation’ surrounded by a visual feast that Hollywood could not replicate. Walking is free and views like this, on a day like this, are priceless.

The route back is a retracing of the route up, which is no bad thing as the light has changed and fresh views are noticed that were not seen before. The cairn marking the top of the steep section, although not having views to the southern fells is a much better viewpoint for Derwentwater and Keswick.

I am careful heading down the incline to avoid slipping on the frozen rock but then enjoy a pleasant walk back past Walla Crag to the campsite just as the shadows lengthen and the temperature starts to drop. My first walk in the Central Fells is over and if they are all like this I’m in for a treat.

Route Map, Walk Stats, Geolocated Pictures and 3D Flyover Video Below.

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