Tarn Crag (Sleddale)

The impressive Tarn Crag

Tarn Crag

Height664m (2,178ft)

Prominence160m (525ft)

RegionEastern Fells

Climbed2 Times

Tarn Crag serves as the impressive high-point and terminus for the ridge system that bounds the Longsleddale valley to the east. It is widely considered a key geographical landmark that marks the noticeable transition from the rugged, rocky terrain of Lakeland toward the softer, more rolling hills of the Pennine country.

"The gradually rising wall of fells bounding Longsleddale on the east reaches its greatest elevation, and its terminus, in Tarn Crag. To the valley, the fell presents a bold front, with Buckbarrow Crag a conspicuous object, but on other sides it is uninteresting." — A. Wainwright

While the western face overlooking the valley is bold and craggy, the fell’s other aspects reveal long, easy slopes of coarse grass and heather. A unique man-made feature sits near the summit: the remains of an old surveying pillar. This stone and concrete construction, originally built with a now-decayed wooden frame, was one of four pillars specifically constructed to provide sightlines during the massive engineering project of the Haweswater aqueduct.

Tarn Crag's summit

The survey column on Tarn Crag

The summit itself is a grassy expanse that offers a rather modest prospect of the surrounding fells, though this is easily traded for the wide, far-reaching vistas available in the opposite direction. On a clear day, the gaze extends impressively from the bright waters of Morecambe Bay all the way across to the distant Pennine horizon.

Trip Reports

Grey Crag, Harrop Pike, Tarn Crag & Branstree25/11/2017

Grey Crag, Tarn Crag, Branstree & Selside Pike03/04/2015

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