Lake District
Hare Crag
538M
1765FT
About Hare Crag
Sitting on the northern fringes of the Skiddaw massif, this rugged Birkett offers a rocky contrast to the smooth, grass-covered slopes of neighbouring Bakestall. It overlooks the quiet Dash Valley, providing a peaceful vantage point away from the main tourist paths with views stretching north toward the Solway Firth.
Key Statistics
Rank
350th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Northern Fells
Prominence
?
12m
Nearest Town
Underskiddaw
Geology
Hare Crag’s foundation is the Kirk Stile Formation, where ancient layers of mud and silt have compressed into the solid stone you see today.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NY277298
Latitude
54.6589°N
Longitude
3.1218°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely stems from the Old English 'hara', indicating that these rocky outcrops were a known habitat for mountain hares, which still frequent the quieter corners of the Northern Fells.
- •From the summit, you get a bird's-eye view of the Whitewater Dash, a spectacular series of cascades where Dash Beck falls away from the high fells toward the pastures of Bassenthwaite.
- •Beyond the immediate valley, the view reaches across the Solway Firth to the hills of Galloway, with the granite mass of Criffel standing out prominently on the Scottish horizon.
- •Unlike the gentle, rounded profiles of the nearby Uldale Fells, the summit area here exposes the dark, splintery Skiddaw Slate that gives the crag its sharp character.
- •It serves as a useful litmus test for walkers; if you are willing to leave the main path to Bakestall to hunt for a minor rocky outcrop, you have likely committed fully to completing the Birketts.