A Far Easedale Round

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Route: High Broadrayne, Low Mill Bridge, Thorny How, Easedale, Brinhowe Crag, Easedale Tarn, Belles Knott, Codale Tarn, Tarn Crag, Ferngill Crag, Broadstone Head, Brownrigg Moss, Calf Crag, Gibson Knott, Helm Crag, White Crag, Lancrigg, Goody Bridge, High Broadrayne

Date: 17/03/2019
From: Broadrayne Farm

Parking: N/A
Start Point: Broadrayne Farm
Region: Central Fells

Route length: 10.1 miles (16.2km)
Time taken: 05:45
Average speed: 1.8 mph
Ascent: 820m
Descent: 819m

Wainwrights on this walk:
Tarn Crag (549m), Calf Crag (537m), Gibson Knott (422m), Helm Crag (405m)

Additional summits: None

Other points of interest: Sourmilk Gill. Easedale Tarn, Codale Tarn

Sara and I spent an extended weekend in the Lake District recently, staying in a cosy apartment at Broadrayne Farm near Grasmere. With the high fells coated in snow and Sara not having axes or crampons, we decided to revisit some familiar territory in the form of Far Easedale - an area that has recently become synonymous with poor weather. Fortunately today, the weather would be on our side.

We chose this walk for two reasons. It's a little lower than most and, we could walk straight from the farm. We left the apartment and crossed the road to reach Low Mill Bridge. Here, the lane winds across the fields north of Grasmere until it reaches the Youth Hostel at Thorney Howe. It had been raining very heavily the day before so we had to dodge a few large puddles, utilising a drystone wall at one point to avoid one of the deeper ones.

Steel Fell with a fine coating of snow

The watchful Helm Crag

Seat Sandal and Fairfield

Stone Arthur

We eventually found our way to Easedale Road where we joined the main path towards Easedale Tarn.

Blea Rigg and Creat Castle How

Easedale Road leading into Easedale

Tarn Crag

It was a beautiful day in Cumbria

The path is very easy to follow, though a bit difficult to walk on thanks to the uneven stones. After passing beneath Helm Crag, the path starts to climb up between Ecton Crag and Brinhowe Crag. In addition to these two fine rock faces is the 'impossible to ignore' Sourmilk Gill, so called due to the milky white colour of the water as it cascades down the valley. It was in fine fettle after the previous days' rain.

Sourmilk Gill

The sun shines on Easedale

Sourmilk Gill at Ecton Crag

Rounding Brimhowe Crag and climbing further, we were rewarded by reached Easedale Tarn, one of the larger tarns in the Lake District. It's an impressive sight, surrounded by the imposing crags of Tarn Crag, Blea Crag & Eagle Crag. There's also a feast of glaciological features such as erratics and moraines. Following the path still, we made our way around the edge of the tarn, avoiding the odd boggy bit before headed towards Belles Knott, another impressive natural feature.

Sourmilk Gill backed by the Fairfield range

Tarn Crag

Tarn Crag and Easedale Tarn

Easedale Tarn

Blea Rigg and the path around Easedale Tarn

Easedale Tarn

The immense crag of Blea Rigg (Blea Crag)

Sara heads into the depths of Easedale

From a specific angle, Belles Knott appears as a pyramid of rock, poking into the sky, guarding the only escape out of Easdale from the west and affectionately know as the 'Matterhorn of the Lake District' for obvious reasons. Belles Knott gets more and more impressive as you approach it and climbing up alongside involves a semi-scramble up some wet, slippery rocks. Once around the side, the pyramidal shape disappears and the path towards Codale is revealed. Though not marked on the map, the path is fairly easy to follow and the objective of Tarn Crag is obvious. After rounding the base of Belles Knott, we reached Codale Tarn.

Belles Knott - Sergeant Man stands on the horizon

Seat Sandal and Fairfield

Belles Knott

The majestic Easedale

Easedale Tarn

Sara below Belles Knott

Lang Crag

The Blea Rigg ridge

Codale Tarn

Codale Tarn sits in a pleasant, secluded location that is often bypassed by walkers heading either up or down Easedale. Wainwright described a route up to Sergeant Man via Codale Tarn which looks like a nice way to climb the craggy rocks that stand over it. For us though, the faint on-off path would lead onwards, past an old sheepfold and up on to Tarn Crag. After a brief, steep climb and a quick stroll to the east, we reached the summit, and what a summit it is.

Blea Rigg and Eagle Crag

The bumpy ridge leading to Tarn Crag

The Langdale Pikes come into view 

Tarn Crag as a snow shower passes

Easedale Tarn

Panorama from Tarn Crag

Easedale Tarn panorama from Tarn Crag

Blea Rigg

With Tarn Crag ticked off, it was time to turn our attention to reaching the head of Far Easedale Gill, the valley that separates Tarn Crag from the ridge of Gibson Knott and Helm Crag. This involved an interesting, off-path route directly from Tarn Crag, around Ferngill Crag to reach the path at Broadstone Head. Once successfully around the head of the valley, we followed the old boundary fence posts towards Brownrigg Moss and Calf Crag.

Clouds build over Far Easedale

Ullscarf

Calf Crag

Greenup Edge

Ferngill Crag

Brownrigg Moss at the head of Far Easedale

Helm Crag

The boundary fence posts at Brownrigg Moss

From the head of Far Easedale, it's a short crossing of Brownrigg Moss to Calf Crag and the beginning of the main Helm Crag ridge. We chose a nice sheltered spot to break for lunch for starting the long return towards Grasmere. It's a 1km, undulating trek between Calf Crag and Gibson Knott - enough time for the sun to make an appearance in the early afternoon.

Far Easedale

Brownrigg Moss

Deer Bields

Looking along Far Easedale towards Loughrigg Fell

A shower passes Tarn Crag

Calf Crag

Approaching Gibson Knott

Gibson Knott's summit

Far Easedale

Bracken Hause separates Gibson Knott from the neighbouring Helm Crag and provides a quick way back down to the valley below if required. Up ahead is a short climb up onto Helm Crag, the famed summit overlooking Grasmere. The fell turns more rocky and mountainous as you reach the top and it's an interesting place for a look around. The rocks that create The Lion and The Lamb loom ahead and appear to be the highest at first glance. However, along the ridge is an equally prominent rock, The Howitzer, that forms the true summit of the fell. It's climbable but not as straightforward as it initially appears

Helm Crag's summit rocks

Grasmere and Loughrigg Fell

Helm Crag over Bracken Hause

Looking back to Gibson Knott

The Howitzer atop Helm Crag

As we pottered around on the summit it was apparent we were about to get wet as the skies darkened and a large shower approached. We quickly put on a full set of waterproofs, just in time for it to start raining quite heavily - certainly a contract to the weather only minutes before. Luckily, the rain finished and the sun had emerged by the time we reached the base of Helm Crag.

Helm Crag

Stone Arthur lost in the rain

The shower passes

Gibson Knott

Beautiful light over Tarn Crag

The path at White Crag

Easedale

Woods at Lancrigg

The last thing to do was retrace our route along the lanes back to Broadrayne Farm. As ever, walking around Easedale is superb and, for once, the weather was kind to us. So many times in the past we've experienced rain and strong winds but not today. This is superlative walking country.

Grasmere and Loughrigg Fell

Easedale Road

Seat Sandal

The road at Thorny How

Seat Sandal