Graham’s Walks Vitals
- Distance: 7.3 miles/12 km
- Elevation: 2176 ft/663 m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Start: Tilberthwaite Car Park
- Graham’s Cafe: There’s nothing directly on the route of this one. The route starts part way between Skelwith Bridge where Chesters by the river is an option, and Coniston where there are several options, but not one I’ve yet recommended in a guide.
- Classification: Birkett
The Maps
The Area
This walk takes in the lower fells that sit below Wetherlam above Tilberthwaite, a valley that links Coniston and Little Langdale. It’s an area of the national park that is mostly gloriously quiet away from the major honeypots.
Tilberthwaite is accessed by a single-track road off the main route between Coniston and Ambleside; I suspect that this alone is enough to put off many visitors.
If you are looking to tick Wainwrights you won’t gain anything from this walk – not one of them appears on his list. For Birketts, however, this walk will give you a meaty ten ticks.
Many areas of the UK have a roguish outlaw hero – the most famous likely being Robin Hood about whom much mythology has been written (including some tentative references in the Lake District). In this part of the Lake District, however, the character is Lancelot “Lanty” Slee (1800/1802 – 1878). Lanty is famous as an illicit distiller of whiskey known as “Mountain Dew” or “Morning Dew” which was popular with everyone from local villagers to the gentry and even the local magistrate.
Lanty operated stills across Little Langdale which was then the meeting point of three counties – Westmorland, Cumberland and Lancashire – making it quite remote. As part of this walk we make our way up through the Runestone Quarry to Betsy Crag, where evidence of a still was, apparently, visible into the 1960s. It makes sense that he would use a quarry, as that was his daytime employment. Lanty was a real person, but where stills were is open to some embellishment coming from local rumour and pub talk.
I’ve not been able to find a definitive description of which of the caves on the route is the one that is supposed to be where the still was, so I’ve not labelled it on the map.
Lanty operated his illicit whiskey business for many years until a business partner became an informant resulting in a £150 fine in 1853, a sum which would be around £25,000 today. There’s no evidence of him spending time in prison so I’m assuming he was able to pay the fine.
There’s lots to explore in the various quarries on this route. Explore the quarries with care; there are some large cliffs, deep caves and plenty of loose rock. Perhaps you will find some evidence of Lanty.
The Walk
I’ve struggled a bit with describing this walk. Most of the summits aren’t on a path and the routes between them require a significant amount of tramping through open moorland. My advice is that you don’t follow the description, follow the route on the map.
Tilberthwaite Car Park to Great intake
Begin this walk in one of the car parks at Tilberthwaite. There are two, a small one owned by the National Trust and currently free, and a second one next to it on the side of the road which is charged via RingGo. The National Trust one is beyond the RingGo one.
On the opposite side of the road to both car parks is a path that goes alongside the brook, with the brook on your right.
This path will lead you into a wood. Walk through the wood until you reach a gate, with a path across some fields to the hamlet of High Tilberthwaite. At this point you will rejoin the road which will transition into a lane.
Just beyond the hamlet there is a fork in the lane, take the route to the left and up the hill. This lane will take you around the Knotts opening out views of Little Langdale and across to Blea Tarn.
You are looking for a path off to the left. You’ll initially meet quite a wide lane but that’s only short and doesn’t have a route out. Just a short way beyond this is the path you are looking for.
The path winds around a little before bringing you into the Runestone Quarry. The path is to the right of the quarry as you look at it where you are looking for a wall to follow. Near the top of the quarry you can traverse the quarry across some open moorland to the summit of Great Intake.
There isn’t a clear path here, follow the sheep tracks and the contours of the land.
Great Intake to High Fell
Not sure how to advise you here. The route to the summit of High Fell takes you across open moorland aiming for the western side of the fell. The ascent on this side is straightforward.
High Fell to Hawk Rigg, Haystacks and Blake Rigg
The next three summits are clustered together with no clearly defined paths between them. I’ve described an order, but the reality is that you could ascend each one in almost any order and end up at the same result.
From the summit of High Fell descend the western side and aim for the western side of Hawk Rigg.
Descend the western side of Hawk Rigg and work your way around clockwise until you see a sensible ascent of Haystacks. You might have fun finding Haystacks as it doesn’t appear on all of the maps, it’s at grid reference NY 30063 01393 and there’s a cairn on the top.
From the top of Haystacks head south across the moorland to Blake Rigg. The summit of Haystacks does have some crags around it which you will need to avoid.
Blake Rigg to Kitty Crag
Retrace your steps from the summit of Blake Rigg until you can see a sensible route down and hopefully the more pronounced path heading south. This is the route from Tilberthwaite up to the summit of Wetherlam via Yewdale Beck. If you’ve had enough by this point this is a good escape route back to your transport.
The route we are going to take, however, continues south via Dry Cove Bottom towards Lad Stones Bield and onto Hole Rake.
The path skirts around the western side of Crook Beck until joining the main path into Coniston.
Continue on the path until you reach a tarn on your right. Beyond the tarn is a small path off to the left towards Kitty Crag.
Kitty Crag to Long Crag, High Wythow, Low Wythow and Brackeny Crag
From the summit of Kitty Crag it’s time for some moorland rambling with no paths to speak of.
Each fell is usually visible from the others, they aren’t very far apart, and the route is mostly point-to-point.
The summit of Brackeny Crag doesn’t appear on most OS Maps, it’s at SD 30307 99819.
Follow sheep tracks where you can. Watch out for the occasional crag. Do your best to avoid the really boggy bits.
I suspect from these fells there are some good views down to Coniston, but I’m speculating because the day I did this walk the clag came down and there wasn’t much to view at all.
Brackeny Crag to Tilberthwaite Car Park
Having found the summit of Brackeny Crag the route takes us north-west across some more moorland back to the path to Crook Beck.
The path becomes more defined as we reach the top of Tilberthwaite Gill and our route down.
Follow Yewdale Beck to the car park along the southern side. Tilberthwaite Gill is dramatic with a footbridge part way down giving fabulous views of the waterfalls.
Alternatives and Extensions
There aren’t any sensible ways to extend this walk without it turning into a completely different bimble.
This is a walk of two halves which you could do as two parts with one part taking in the Tilberthwaite peaks and the other meandering around the Yewdale Fells.
At the beginning of the walk you could make navigation a bit simpler by following the road to High Tilberthwaite.
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