Muncaster Fell - Hooker Crag

Rising above the Roman port of Ravenglass, this low-lying granite ridge offers a grand sense of scale despite its modest height. It separates the Esk and Mite valleys, providing an easy-going traverse over heather and gorse. The summit at Hooker Crag serves as a perfect vantage point for the high Scafells.

• •The name Muncaster is derived from the Old English 'meol-ceastre', referring to a fortified place near the sand dunes or river mouth, specifically the nearby Roman fort of Glannoventa.
• •In his 'Outlying Fells of Lakeland', Alfred Wainwright praised the ridge walk, noting that the view of the high mountains from the summit is 'one of the finest in the district'.
• •The fell is famously associated with the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway; many walkers take the narrow-gauge steam train to Eskdale Green and walk the five-mile ridge back to the coast.
• •From the top of Hooker Crag, you can see the entire Scafell range, Bowfell, and the Crinkle Crags rising dramatically at the head of the Eskdale valley, contrasted by the Irish Sea to the west.
• •It is perhaps the only fell where the most significant navigational challenge is resisting the urge to abandon the walk entirely in favour of staying on the miniature steam train that rattles along its southern flank.