Iron Crag

Overlooking the lower reaches of Eskdale, this rugged, heathery summit offers a quiet vantage point away from the valley’s more famous peaks. Reached via the steep slopes above Boot, its rocky character provides an excellent perspective of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway winding through the greenery of the valley floor below.

• •The name is a direct reference to the historic iron ore mining that defined the village of Boot; hematite veins were heavily worked in the immediate area, most notably at the nearby Nab Gill mine.
• •It is classified as a 'Synge', one of the summits identified by Tim Synge as being a distinct Lake District top, sitting on the ridge that separates Eskdale from the Miterdale valley.
• •The summit offers a specific, ‘earned’ view of the Scafell Massif; from here, the southern crags of Scafell and Scafell Pike appear particularly imposing across the deep trough of Upper Eskdale.
• •While the name suggests a peak of solid, unyielding metal, the actual experience of reaching it usually involves a persistent struggle with the notoriously boggy ground found on the slopes above Boot.