Rosthwaite, High Doat, Castle Crag and River Derwent

The rain was hammering down when I arrived in the Lake District. Traveling south from Crianlarich on a fine late spring morning after a week of walking in Scotland, I had booked accommodation in Penrith with the intention of finally bagging Castle Crag. Arriving in Keswick by 2:00 PM, I had six hours of daylight remaining. However, as I drove alongside Derwent Water into Borrowdale, bubbling clouds erupted into a torrential deluge. Reaching Rosthwaite, I waited an hour in vain before giving up for the day.

The next morning, I opened my curtains in Penrith to beam with delight at a beautiful blue sky. Returning to Rosthwaite, I parked in the village car park and chatted with a National Trust representative before heading through the village and across paddock fields to Peat How.

Crossing a stone bridge over the River Derwent, I followed the access road past Borrowdale Youth Hostel. Next came a stretch of beautiful woodland walking on the edge of Johnny Wood beside the Derwent, where fresh young green leaves gave the forest a gorgeous, spring-cleaned aura.

Climbing out of the woods, the gradient steepened toward the south side of High Doat. Stopping to chat with a dog-walker descending the bank, we agreed how yesterday afternoon's downpour had freshened everything up, presenting a gorgeous view across Seatoller toward Seathwaite in Upper Borrowdale.

Taking the right-hand fork to scale High Doat, I enjoyed the summit solitude. High Doat is an absolute gem, providing the very best vantage point for viewing the 'Jaws of Borrowdale' with Castle Crag right in the centre of the frame.

Dragging myself away, I zigzagged down to meet the Allerdale Ramble path below High Scawdel, hemmed in by drystone walls and enjoying pristine backward glances toward Upper Borrowdale.

Reaching the foot of Castle Crag, I found the path leading up and around a crag to a flat mid-table plateau with a high drystone wall and stile. Once over the stile, everything changed: before me lay a steep zigzag staircase of loose slate.

I encountered a school group of about thirty children and their teachers coming down in line. The inquisitive youngsters were delightful, asking courteous questions about the fells.

Ascending the slate staircase, I reached the site of old quarry workings featuring artistic slate walls, impressive cairns, and upright slates fixed into the ground like an ancient stone circle—a fitting homage to the redundant quarrymen.

The summit plateau of Castle Crag features a generous resting area and a rocky outcrop serving as a Great War memorial plaque. The view looking due north to Lower Borrowdale, Derwent Water, Keswick, and Skiddaw is a classic rated 3rd among Cumbria's finest views.

Descending via High Hows Wood, I wove through the meandering woodland path back to the River Derwent. Ambling alongside the gentle, sunlit river, I stopped on a small grassy mound with a copse of trees to enjoy a Kit Kat and a drink while watching happy walkers pass by.

Returning to Rosthwaite, I reflected on a wonderful excursion. Climbing High Doat was a brilliant spur-of-the-moment decision, and Castle Crag truly speaks for itself.