Honister Crag [Black Star]

About Honister Crag [Black Star]

Perched dramatically above the Honister Pass, this summit is defined by its deep industrial roots and vertiginous drops. The rugged top, known as Black Star, provides an unparalleled perspective of the working slate mine below and a stunning, framed vista down the Buttermere valley toward Crummock Water and High Stile.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Honister is likely derived from the Old Norse 'Hynne', a personal name, and 'sterr', meaning a homestead or site. 'Black Star' refers specifically to the dark, rocky prominence that marks the highest point, distinct from the broader craggy face.
• •This is the site of the UK’s last working slate mine, producing the distinctive Westmorland Green Slate. The landscape around the summit is a fascinating palimpsest of industrial history, featuring abandoned levels, old tramway inclines, and the ruins of the Drum House where slate was once lowered down.
• •While walkers usually approach from the mine car park, the crag’s northern face is the setting for the Honister Via Ferrata. This route follows the original paths used by Victorian miners, utilizing iron rungs and cables to navigate the sheer rock.
• •Though Alfred Wainwright considered this a subsidiary of Fleetwith Pike, Bill Birkett championed its inclusion in his 'Complete Peaks', highlighting the crag’s tremendous verticality and the dramatic way it overlooks the steep zig-zags of the mountain pass.
• •The summit offers a direct, uninterrupted line of sight to the massive northern faces of Great Gable and Pillar. Looking west, the view down the glacial trough of Buttermere to the Solway Firth is particularly sharp on clear days.
• •Reaching the summit usually guarantees a sense of mountain solitude, provided you can ignore the occasional enthusiastic scream of a tourist zip-lining across the void just a few hundred metres away.