Raven Crag and Castle Crag revisited

We've had several reports that our walk to Raven Crag, Castle Crag, and The Benn had become impossible because of changes brought about by forestry work in the area and the erection of new fences so last week we revisited, with Skye, and now the walk is reborn as Raven Crag and Castle Crag beside Thirlmere.

Sadly we have had to drop the visit to The Benn as the old path is now blocked by a deer fence which is difficult to get over.

However we think it's still worth keeping this walk as it offers two excellent viewpoints and in particular the view down Thirlmere reservoir from Raven Crag is superb and well worth the effort to get up there.

Skye resting at the Raven Crag viewpoint

But let's not forget Castle Crag. This was the site of a small iron-age hill fort perched on the sandstone outcrop. Traces of its defensive ditch and earthen bank have long been lost under the heather and bracken but it still has an excellent view to the north towards Skiddaw.

Skiddaw from Castle Crag

Overall, even with the loss of The Benn, we think we still have an excellent wee walk of 2.4km although with a good climb of 297m and it's well worth a visit, especially on a nice day.

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