Carron Crag
This walk takes you to the highest point in the Grizedale Forest and starts at the Grizedale Visitor Centre. It follows the Forestry Commission's marker posts making navigation straightforward.
Whilst walking round the forest keep an eye out for the distinctive shape of the Red Kite. Three batches of juveniles have been released, 2010, 2011 and the final batch was in August 2012. Not all will stay close to the forest, but inevitably some will.
The information boards and leaflet recommend allowing 2 hours to complete the walk. We found this a bit keen even in the wet and windy conditions of the day we wanted to look around and take our time.
The visitor centre has a pay and display car park.
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Paul and Beth
Carron Crag
This walk takes you to the top of the following hills: Carron Crag; and includes 1 Wainwright Outlying Fell and 1 Birkett.
- Maps:
50K: 96, 97
25K: OL7
- Start:
- SD336942 (get directions via Google Maps)
- Near to:
- Ambleside, Coniston
- Tags:
- Birketts, circular, Wainwrights
- Distance:
- 6.2km (3.9 miles)
- Ascent:
- 245m
- Min. time:
- 1 hrs 39 mins
- View in 3-D:
-
- Terrain:
- 2 - rough
- Bog Factor:
- 3 - wet/boggy
- Tech Diff:
- 1 - easy
- Dog issues:
- Some water around in boggy puddles and streams across the path, which may disappear in dry conditions.
Purchases:
Buy walk in Adobe/PDF format to print or for your phone or tablet
Buy route for your GPS
Walk height profile
note that gradients are usually grossly exaggerated
Route Description
Head up to the top of the car park following the signs to the visitor centre shop and café, bear left and cross the road. Go through the archway, turn right, and then left into the courtyard. Continue straight ahead to the play area and cross it. There is sign here for the start of the Carron Crag walk.
Exit the play area by the gateway and bear right onto the road. Pass the farm entrance and bear left onto the rough track. Bear right up the steps. Note the marker post with red, green and yellow bands. Red is for this walk.
Carron Crag Trail Start Point
Grizedale Forest Marker Post
Climb the track to the junction with the forest road. Turn right. In 300m bear left onto a rough path.
Note that just after each junction there will be a marker post with red band, there will also be occasional reminder markers along the trail.
There are a few stream crossings along here.
After what seems like a while, the furthest point is finally reached. As the path drops down a little, turn left and climb the short section to the forest road, turn left again.
Carron Crag Trail
The views here really open out above much of the forest, but you are not at the top quite yet.
Follow the road for approx 300m (330 yards). At the road junction go straight on, a marker post is hiding in the undergrowth on the left within 20m (22 yards).
As the road turns left, turn right onto another rough path. There is a small wooden sculpture beside the path on the left. Follow this path as it meanders through the trees to the crags.
A concrete trig point marks the summit of Carron Crag.
Carron Crag Trail Statue
Carron Crag
Continue over the crags and follow the path the other side. It soon drops through a short dark section of plantation. Bear left and continue to descend on a wide sometimes soft path.
Reaching the forest road turn right.
Carron Crag Trail Mushroom
After 100m (110 yards), turn sharp left on to another path. This drops down after 600m to the outward forest road. Turn right and continue down to the junction. Turn left to drop down the rough track back to the farm.
Go through the gateway and back up to the visitor centre. And from there cross the road back to the car park.
Carron Crag Trail
If you like this walk then why not try one of our other nearby walks:
| Name | Rating | Starts |
|---|---|---|
| Latterbarrow from Hawkshead | | 4.2km (2.6 miles) away |
| Moss Eccles Tarn and Claife Heights | | 4.4km (2.8 miles) away |
| Tarn Hows from Coniston | | 4.7km (2.9 miles) away |
| Wetherlam, via Lad Stones ridge and Black Sails | | 4.7km (2.9 miles) away |
| The Old Man of Coniston, from Coniston village | | 4.8km (3.0 miles) away |
| Cumbria Way - Coniston to Dungeon Ghyll | | 4.8km (3.0 miles) away |
| Coppermines Valley above Coniston | | 4.8km (3.0 miles) away |
Unless otherwise stated the text in this walk is the copyright of Hug Solutions Ltd trading as The Hug and the photographs are the copyright of Elizabeth Oldham. Hill data is derived from Database of British and Irish hills which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Maps contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 and paths © OpenStreetMap Contributors,CC-BY-SA, 2011