Setting out to bag all 214 Wainwrights has been a bit of a revelation. Without our checklist of fells, there are so many hills which we’d probably never have come across, including the summits of Knott Rigg and Ard Crags, which nestle between the Newlands horseshoe and the Grasmoor range. This was a simple out and back walk which we stopped off to tick off on our way over to the Western Lakes earlier this month.
We parked in the free parking area by Moss Force at Newlands Hause – we pitched up at midday on a Friday and had no trouble parking, although I can imagine in summer it gets busy with people coming to see the very accessible waterfall. The route we followed was a linear hike on WalkLakes, which comes to a total of three and a half miles by the time you get back to the car.
There is a handy finger post near the car park which points you in the direction of Knott Rigg (make sure not to mix this up with the fingerpost on the opposite side of the road pointing towards Robinson!). Once you’re heading in the right direction, navigation is pretty straightforward despite the path being indistinct in places: up hill and then along the ridge at the top.
Setting off up the side of Knott Rigg feels like fairly hard work, but in next to no time the gradient eases and it’s an easy stroll to the cairn marking the summit. To reach Ard Crags we continued along the ridge, dropping back down hill a short way before a steady climb to the summit. The views on this second leg of the walk were better than the view from Knott Rigg (personal opinion only!), with glimpses back down to the Newlands Valley and an open panorama from the summit of Ard Crags.
We didn’t hang around on either summit: the wind was fairly gusty, meaning that standing still was freezing, and there was a black cloud racing towards us on the horizon. We managed to get most of the way down Knott Rigg before the heavens opened, and then a quick dash to the car meant we didn’t get too wet.
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. There are sheep throughout this walk so dogs will need to be kept on a lead, but our dogs still had a great time on this walk. As well as being very quiet compared to other hills nearby like Rannerdale Knotts and Cat Bells, there are no stiles or scrambly sections to navigate, so you can relax and enjoy a nice (relatively short) stroll with your dog. Perfect.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog today, make sure you subscribe below:
