Castle Crag

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Summited August 2025

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290 mWainwright — North Western Fells+1 bonus Birkett within 3 km

Castle Crag at 290m (951ft) is the lowest of all the Wainwright fells, yet one of the most dramatic — a rocky prow standing sentinel in the narrowest part of the Borrowdale gorge between Grange and Rosthwaite.

Summit conditions on Castle Crag

On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 14° to 8°C, gusts to 53 mph, 9.5 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.

Against our lines, Tuesday 27 October: wind, cold and cloud from the Met Office UKV 2 km model (daylight hours, as in the verdict above); rain from the summit line’s forecast (the whole day). A tile is large when this top is past its line.

Wind on the top

Past the line

44 mph, our estimate for the open top in the worst daylight hour

The Met Office 2 km model’s gust of 42 mph times our exposure factor of 1.05. The summit line above gives Open-Meteo’s highest gust for the whole day, 53 mph, before any exposure factor.

The line Our line: 25 mph, where our wind Scale begins its 25–35 band: “balance affected; buffeting on exposed ground”. MWIS (opens in new tab) describes what wind does to a walker across a range rather than at a line: from about 20–25 mph it starts to affect your balance.

Estimated: it is not calibrated against summit readings, and the two forecasts can disagree by more than a band.

Rain, and the becks

Past the line

9.5 mm of rain over the whole day, midnight to midnight

The same figure as the summit line above and the 7-day forecast.

The line Our line: 6 mm in the day, where our scorer counts a day as soaking. We read rainfall, never river levels: becks in spate.

Open-Meteo’s forecast. It says nothing about rain already in the ground.

Also checked cold: feels like 6 °C, no ice or snow forecast; cloud: a clear-top reading of 49 out of 100, over our in-cloud line of 20. Under a line is not the same as fine: it means only that these figures are under the lines we use.

Not in these tiles Lightning, river levels, snow or ice already lying, and the ground under your feet. A tile cannot see them, so an empty space here never means they are absent.

Snow figures with a second opinion: Powered by Met Office data

Full 7-day summit forecast ↓

Wainwrights are scored for walking conditions each morning from the Met Office’s UK forecast model, read for each summit through Open-Meteo; the forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Routes up Castle Crag

Both start from Rosthwaite (NT, paid); the last two rows give its parking and bus. Full maps further down.

Compared	Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag	Castle Crag from Rosthwaite
Starts from	Rosthwaite	Rosthwaite
Distance and climb	14.11 km, 838 m of climb	6.02 km, 254 m of climb
Time, fast to steady	~4–5¾ h	~1½–2¼ h
Scrambling	Hands for a few steps: the top of King's How (about km 7.2).	Not mentioned in the route’s notes
Exposure	Moderate	Not assessed
Navigation	Moderate	Moderate
Steepest stretch	Climb of about 31% at 1.7 km (Hard)	Descent of about 21% at 4.8 km (Moderate)
After the summit	Over King's How - Grange Fell, Grange Fell (Brund Fell) and Great Crag (Stonethwaite)	No further tops
Walked or planned	Walked by Lee, August 2025	Walked in part; km 1.5–2.6, km 4.3–5.0 from the map
Car park at the start	Rosthwaite (NT, paid)	Rosthwaite (NT, paid)
Bus to the start	78 at the start. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.	78 at the start. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season.

Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.

Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →

Is Castle Crag a hard walk?

No — it's short and manageable for most walkers, though the finish has character: the final climb zig-zags up old slate spoil, steep and loose enough to want boots and a bit of care, especially coming down in the wet.

At 290 m (951 ft) it's the smallest fell in Wainwright's 214, and the reward-per-step from the summit — Derwentwater one way, the Jaws of Borrowdale the other — is out of all proportion.

How we check →

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Modelled for the 290 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

Full 7-day forecast

Tue 27 Oct

14° / 8°

53 mph

9.5 mm (100%)

Wed 28 Oct

12° / 8°

36 mph

7.5 mm (100%)

Thu 29 Oct

12° / 9°

21 mph

0.9 mm (67%)

Fri 30 Oct

10° / 8°

25 mph

0.3 mm (12%)

Sat 31 Oct

10° / 6°

6 mph

4.2 mm (8%)

Sun 1 Nov

10° / 3°

13 mph

0.6 mm (2%)

Mon 2 Nov

8° / 0°

7 mph

0.0 mm (0%)

Taken 27 October 2026, 20:59 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

Parking & buses for Castle Crag

Parking

Where do you park for Castle Crag?

Grange (roadside and small paid options — fills early in summer) or Rosthwaite (National Trust car park). Borrowdale's 78 bus stops at both, and arriving by bus beats circling for a space on a fine weekend.

Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.

Rosthwaite (NT, paid) — at the start of Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag and Castle Crag from Rosthwaite

Village car park in the heart of Rosthwaite, for the central Borrowdale fells and Watendlath ridge. The 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag' route starts 10 m away; 'The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)' 23 m. Toilets beside it, often closed in winter (National Trust, read 5 October 2026). Fees: pay and display (Lake District National Park car-parks directory, checked August 2026). The National Trust does not allow overnight parking here (NT, checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

If it is full: Stonethwaite village (roadside, free) (1.5 km, 32 m up); Seatoller (NT, paid) (2.2 km, 27 m up); Quay Foot Quarry, Borrowdale (NT, paid) (2.4 km, 94 m up)

Rosthwaite Village (~32 m straight line) — Free · Accessible The Flock-in

Castle Crag (layby) — 0.7 km from summit (straight line)

The 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag' route starts 957 m away, at Rosthwaite. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Quay Foot Quarry, Borrowdale (NT, paid) — 1.0 km from summit (straight line)

Old quarry car park below the Bowder Stone and Castle Crag; the National Trust and the LDNPA directory call it the Bowder Stone car park (read 5 October 2026). Fees: £7 up to 2 hours; £8 up to 4 hours; £9.50 all day. Free for NT members (checked August 2026). Charges apply at all times. Cash at machine; JustPark app at some car parks; card/phone payment not available in all car parks (NT, checked August 2026).

Directions Something changed here?

2 more places to park near Castle Crag

Rosthwaite, south-east field car park (paid) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)

A paid field between the B5289 and Stonethwaite Beck, 0.2 km south-east of the National Trust car park; operator not identified. The 'The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round)' route starts 174 m away. Also serves 'Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag'. Paid parking (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).

Directions Something changed here?

Grange village car park (by the chapel) — 1.6 km from summit (straight line)

In Grange, beside the Methodist chapel near Grange Bridge. The 'Bowder Stone' route starts 677 m away. Fee not verified — check signage on arrival.

Directions Something changed here?

Positions are approximate.

Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.

Buses

The 77 and 78 stop at Rosthwaite General Store (near), a 180 m walk from the start of Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag — a route we rate Hard overall (hardest: distance and steepness). The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:05. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”

Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller

Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)

Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, about 2 km up the lane).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat

Hazards on Castle Crag

Notes from the Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag route

If you need to get off (the leg from the start): Carefully descend the slate path back into the woods and return to the valley floor along the river.

Quoted from the route page: the note for the leg that reaches Castle Crag.

We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.

Navigating in cloud

Not graded by the model

Our terrain model finds nothing to grade on this summit, so it gives no cloud grade here — that is not a sign of easy navigation. Read this fell’s hazard notes and the route pages before a day in cloud. Carry map and compass, and know how to use them.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Castle Crag compares with all 214: the Clag Index (experimental).

If you need Mountain Rescue

Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.

Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.

If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.

From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).

Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.

Birketts within 3 km of Castle Crag

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.

1.1 km NEKing's How - Grange Fell392 m · Central

Routes over Castle Crag

Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag

Summits: Castle CragKing's How - Grange Fell Grange Fell (Brund Fell)Great Crag (Stonethwaite)

Download GPX Walked by Lee, August 2025

Route guide: Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag →

Castle Crag from Rosthwaite

Summits: Castle Crag

Download GPX Walked in part, August 2025 · km 1.5–2.6, km 4.3–5.0 from the map

Warnings: The line crosses the River Derwent on stepping stones at about 0.5 km, and again on the way back at about 5.5 km. OpenStreetMap maps a footbridge about 0.3 km downstream, reached by the public footpath along the east bank from the stones; it meets the line at about 0.8 km, and at about 5.2 km on the way back. If the stones are under water, cross by the bridge. The path up to the top climbs through old slate workings on loose slate, with a crag edge mapped beside the path at the top. Keep back from the quarry edges, and keep children close. About 1.6 km of the line follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way: about 1.2 km beside the river between about 1.4 and 2.6 km, and about 0.4 km on the way down between about 4.15 and 4.6 km. The rest is public footpaths, a public bridleway and the lane in Rosthwaite. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch.

Route guide: Castle Crag from Rosthwaite →

Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Castle Crag

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag route:

bus shelter (8 m off the line) toilets (11 m off the line) General Store (N bound) (68 m from the start, straight line) General Store (S bound) (82 m from the start, straight line) Howe Lane End (S bound) (337 m from the start, straight line) Howe Lane End (N bound) (339 m from the start, straight line)

On the Castle Crag from Rosthwaite route:

bus shelter (67 m off the line) General Store (N bound) (79 m from the start, straight line) General Store (S bound) (91 m from the start, straight line) Howe Lane End (S bound) (338 m from the start, straight line) Howe Lane End (N bound) (340 m from the start, straight line)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

About Castle Crag

The summit, topped by a war memorial, gives extraordinary views of the gorge and the valley beyond. Short and steep from either Grange or Rosthwaite, with a final climb up loose slate spoil.

Field notes

This is a honeypot Wainwright that I never connected with. It was the first of a longer hike that took in the Birkett of King's How, and I rushed the route. I didn't fully scope it out and I plotted through a mass of slate scree as opposed to a more sensible line. I'm used to challenging conditions, but this just started my head off in the wrong way. I don't particularly like these slate mines — I find them cold, industrial and haunting. I was alone up there and didn't enjoy it. You might.

— Lee McCoy, who walked it on 2 of our routes

My Strava hikes over Castle Crag

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Least favourite hike, should forget the Birketts and their dodgy tracks (opens in new tab) — 13.6 km · 790 m ascent · 4h 09m moving · 30 August 2025

Data from Strava.

Classifications & hill data

Is Castle Crag a Wainwright?

Castle Crag is a Wainwright. It is also on the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Selected lists

290 m

Height

951 ft

In feet

NY 2493 1594

Grid ref

This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.

The summit is not a Birkett top.

Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →

The view from Castle Crag

The 360° skyline from Castle Crag

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys

The skyline as a list, by direction

North: Skiddaw Lesser Man (12 km), Jenkin Hill (12 km), Lonscale Fell (12 km), Skiddaw Little Man (12 km), Lonscale Pike (12 km), Carl Side (12 km), Long Side (12 km), Skiddaw South Top (13 km), Ullock Pike (13 km)
North-east: High Seat (4 km), Bleaberry Fell (5 km), Knowe Crags (13 km), Gategill Fell Top (13 km), Blencathra (14 km), Doddick Fell (14 km), Mungrisdale Common (15 km)
East: Watendlath Fell (4 km), Bell Crags (5 km), Helvellyn Lower Man (9 km), Helvellyn (9 km), Nethermost Pike (10 km), High Crag (10 km), Dollywaggon Pike (10 km)
South-east: Eagle Crag (5 km), Low Saddle (5 km), Coldbarrow Fell (5 km), Low White Stones (7 km), High Raise (7 km)
South: Dovenest Top (5 km), Combe Head (5 km), Glaramara (6 km), Allen Crags (8 km), Great End (8 km), Esk Pike (8 km), Broad Crag (9 km), Scafell Pike (9 km)
South-west: Base Brown (5 km), Green Gable (6 km), Great Gable (7 km), Scafell (10 km)

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills v18.4 (opens in new tab) (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

Sunrise and sunset on Castle Crag

Castle Crag waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when the sun is up for 39 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 05:16 against an almanac sunrise of 04:37. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the north-east from here (53.1°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 3.85°.

Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.

Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
	First light	Almanac sunrise	Difference
Midsummer	05:16 BST ±5.0 min	04:37	+39 min
Equinox	06:45 GMT ±5.0 min	06:16	+29 min
Midwinter	09:08 GMT ±5.0 min	08:33	+35 min

The northern horizon stands at about 3.77° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Castle Crag

Castle Crag loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midsummer, when last light is 143 minutes before almanac sunset — 19:30 against 21:53. The sun goes down to the west-north-west from here (287.1°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 17.09°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
	Last light	Almanac sunset	Difference
Midsummer	19:30 BST ±5.0 min	21:53	-143 min
Equinox	17:01 GMT ±5.0 min	18:27	-86 min
Midwinter	14:51 GMT ±5.0 min	15:49	-58 min

These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

Castle Crag is one of our picked Lake District viewpoints — what you can see from it, when the light is best, and where to park.

What you can see from Castle Crag

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.

33Wainwrights in view+3 marginal

—Sea in viewnone from here

All 33 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

Grange Fell (Brund Fell), Great Crag (Stonethwaite), Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot, Cat Bells (Catbells), High Seat, Eagle Crag, Base Brown, Bleaberry Fell, Sergeant's Crag, Glaramara, Ullscarf, Walla Crag, Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit), Green Gable, Great Gable, High Raise (High White Stones), Allen Crags, Great End, Esk Pike, Latrigg, Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Scafell, Dodd (Skiddaw), Lonscale Fell, Skiddaw Little Man, Carl Side, Long Side, Ullock Pike, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Mungrisdale Common

How the view from Castle Crag compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

How the skyline, light and sightlines are computed

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Castle Crag. Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes.

Sightlines from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model, which is a surface model: each 30 m cell holds the top of whatever stands there, trees and buildings included, rather than bare ground. Corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Places to stay near this fell

Seatoller House B&B (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.6 km

We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).

Frequently asked questions about Castle Crag

Is Castle Crag a hard walk? Answered above.

How long does the Castle Crag walk take? Answered above: Routes up Castle Crag.

Where do you park for Castle Crag? Answered above: Parking for Castle Crag.

What did Wainwright think of Castle Crag?

He made it the only fell under 1,000 ft to get its own chapter — a measure of how highly he rated it. He wrote of it with unusual warmth as a small fell of exceptional character, guarding the Jaws of Borrowdale. (As ever, read his own words in the North Western Fells volume — they're better than any summary.)

The summit also carries a war memorial to the men of Borrowdale, and the top is riddled with old slate workings — keep children close around the quarry edges.

Is this the same Castle Crag as the ones at Haweswater and Thirlmere?

No — Lakeland has several Castle Crags. This is the famous Borrowdale one. The others with pages here are Castle Crag (Mardale), the hillfort spur above Haweswater, and Castle Crag (Shoulthwaite) near Thirlmere — both fine, much quieter objectives.

Questions from Google’s “People also ask”. · Last updated 2026-07-20 · Suggest a question or correction (opens in new tab)

Castle Crag

Summit conditions on Castle Crag

Wind on the top

Rain, and the becks

Routes up Castle Crag

Is Castle Crag a hard walk?

Conditions and 7-day summit forecast

Parking & buses for Castle Crag

Parking

Where do you park for Castle Crag?

Buses

Hazards on Castle Crag

Notes from the Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag route

Navigating in cloud

If you need Mountain Rescue

Map, GPX and nearby Birketts

Birketts within 3 km of Castle Crag

Routes over Castle Crag

On the hill: terrain and water on Castle Crag

Water & shelter on the way up

About Castle Crag

Field notes

My Strava hikes over Castle Crag

Classifications & hill data

Is Castle Crag a Wainwright?

Selected lists

The view from Castle Crag

The 360° skyline from Castle Crag

Sunrise and sunset on Castle Crag

Last light — when the sun leaves Castle Crag

What you can see from Castle Crag

Places to stay near this fell

Frequently asked questions about Castle Crag

Other fells near Castle Crag