Standing Crag

Tucked away on the high moorland between Borrowdale and Thirlmere, this distinctive rocky prow provides a sharp contrast to the surrounding peat hags. While often bypassed for the higher Ullscarf, its abrupt northern edge offers an earned view over the dark waters of Blea Tarn toward the Helvellyn range.

• •The name is a literal description of the fell's defining feature: a vertical wall of rock that rises abruptly from the undulating, often saturated peat bogs of the central ridge.
• •Though excluded from the Wainwright guides as a primary summit, it is a significant objective for those following the Birkett or Synge classifications; Bill Birkett famously regarded its northern face as one of the most impressive sights in the Central Fells.
• •The summit edge provides a dizzying perspective looking directly down into the Watendlath version of Blea Tarn—one of several in the Lake District—with a clear sightline across the Thirlmere valley to the western flanks of Helvellyn and Nethermost Pike.
• •Many walkers only discover the crag's true character while attempting to navigate the featureless plateau of Ullscarf in mist, where the sudden appearance of a vertical drop serves as a very effective, if somewhat startling, navigational aid.