High Crags

Rising above the village of Braithwaite, this rocky shoulder offers a rewarding detour on the descent from Barrow. Characterised by heather and grit, it provides an intimate vantage point over the Coledale valley, looking directly across to the massive eastern face of Grisedale Pike and the sharp profile of Hopegill Head.

• •The name is a literal description of the topography. Derived from the Old Norse 'kragg', meaning a rugged or broken rock, it denotes the steep, craggy ground that distinguishes this point from the smoother, grassy slopes of the parent fell, Barrow.
• •It is classified as a 'Synge', a designation created by Tim Synge in his 1995 guide 'The Lakeland Fells'. This list was designed to be more granular than the famous Wainwrights, identifying lower but characterful tops that contribute to the shape of the landscape.
• •From the 412-metre summit, walkers are treated to a perfectly framed view of Bassenthwaite Lake stretching north, flanked by the wooded slopes of Dodd on one side and the scree-covered Barf on the other.
• •Most walkers visit this point as a secondary objective while bagging the 'Newlands fells'. It serves as the final rocky platform before the path drops steeply back into the fields surrounding Braithwaite.
• •At this elevation, the hill sits in a peculiar altitude bracket: high enough to require a proper waterproof, but low enough that the residents of Braithwaite can probably see exactly which brand of sandwiches you’ve brought for lunch.