Ard Crags rising prominently as seen from the slopes of Catbells

Ard Crags

Height581m (1,906ft)

Prominence116m (381ft)

RegionNorth Western Fells

Climbed2 Times

Tucked beneath the shadows of giant neighbours like Causey Pike and Crag Hill, Ard Crags is a peak that can be easily overlooked by busy fellwalkers. However, when viewed from specific angles within the Rigg Beck pass or the Newlands Valley, it reveals a remarkably sharp, symmetrical pyramidal silhouette that instantly commands attention. Running parallel to the main Coledale ridge is a lower, beautifully quiet spine composed of Knott Rigg and Ard Crags, offering a delightfully narrow and airy walking experience. Ard Crags itself forms the eastern half of this scenic crest.

"There is one point on the path alongside Rigg Beck where the defile ahead is occupied by the shapely pyramid of Ard Crags, its appearance suggesting a complete isolation from other fells." — Wainwright 1957, Book Two

The narrow, heather-carpeted ridge line culminates at a rounded summit dome marked by a modest, compact stone cairn. While the soaring profiles of the higher Crag Hill to Causey Pike ridge sever much of the views looking north and west, the summit compensates by presenting an absolute masterpiece of an aerial perspective, looking directly down over the green patchwork fields of the Newlands Valley below.

The quiet, heather-clad summit of Ard Crags, looking across to the distant profile of Blencathra

Trip Reports

Hindscarth, Robinson, Knott Rigg & Ard Crags18/12/2016

A Newlands Round22/08/2014

Return to Lake District – North Western Fells