Crag Hill [Stakeley Pike]

Tucked away in the quietest corner of the Far Eastern Fells near Shap, this modest Synge summit offers a peaceful escape from the central Lakes' crowds. Its grassy, often-boggy slopes rise above Swindale, providing an excellent vantage point over the secluded valley and the steep, craggy head of the Mosedale horseshoe.

• •The name Stakeley Pike likely stems from the Old Norse 'staka', meaning a stake or pole, suggesting the hill served as a historical boundary marker for local grazing rights.
• •It is classified as a Synge, a list compiled by Timothy Synge to document Lakeland hills over 1,000 feet that were overlooked by Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides.
• •From the summit, you gain a clear, unobstructed view of the North Pennines across the Eden Valley, along with the dramatic, hidden profile of Gouther Crag in Swindale.
• •Picking a line through the saturated peat-hags on the approach from Selside Pike is a classic Lakeland test of patience and boot-seal integrity.