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7

Dove Crag 792m/2599ft

Start
Climb it from	Cowbridge 22, Caudale Bridge 21 or Rydal Road 17
Character	Paternal craggy face above the shy and secretive Dovedale
Fell-friendly route	1, 5
Summit grid ref	NY 375 104
Link it with	Hart Crag, High Pike or Little Hart Crag
Part of	Fairfield Horseshoe, Deepdale and Dovedale Round

Familiar to travellers passing the Brotherswater Inn on the Kirkstone Pass road, Dove Crag forms the rugged backdrop to Dovedale. In spite of a romantic name, the eponymous crag is one of the fiercest, and therefore to climbers most compelling, crags in Lakeland. Its eastern face, guarding a tangle of knobbly ridge and cradling rough coves of stirring beauty, looks a little like a hooded monk and has a certain mystique.

Perched high on its northern face, and from every angle apparently unassailable until the approach path out of Houndshope Cove is directly underfoot, is the Priest’s Hole cave (off Route 1). Considered to be natural rather than man-made, it offers a thrilling balcony, peering directly into Hunsett Cove. This place is thought to have been the crater of a long silent volcano, and is littered with huge boulders spilt from the crag and henged by knobbly ridges culminating in the upper cleft of Hogget Gill.

Those who visit the unremarkable summit of Dove Crag will likely either do so almost unwittingly on their way round the Fairfield Horseshoe, unaware of the craggy drama at their feet, or as the culmination of an expedition from Brothers Water (1–4) or Ambleside (5–8), savouring the complex topology of Dovedale or the wild drama of Scandale respectively en route.

Dove Crag from the approach up Dovedale

Ascent from Cowbridge 22 off map N or Caudale Bridge 21

Via Houndshope Cove →5.5km/3½ miles ↑640m/2100ft 2hr 30min

By far the most popular approach, with a couple of variant options, and deservedly so.

1 From the Cowbridge car park a delightful track overhung by trees leads by Brothers Water, via gates, to pass Hartsop Hall. (If you park at Caudale Bridge, walk up the road to the Brotherswater Inn to take the bridle-track through Sykeside Camping Site and across the valley to the same spot.) From the hall a track leads by the outbarn and stock pen. As you pass the larch spinney bear off the track part-right onto the green-way. This leads via gates under the spoil banks of the old lead mine abandoned in 1942 after at least 400 years. Continuing on with a wall to the left, the path rises gently through woodland to emerge at a hand-gate above Dove Falls and almost directly beneath Dovedale Slabs, seen high above.

The popular path leads steadily up into Hunsett Cove, and the steeper parts of its ascent have now been pitched. Passing a ruin, thought to have been the retreat of a persecuted religious sect, the path climbs a loose gully, an uncomfortable passage, to emerge onto the peaty shoulder close below the precipitous cliff of Dove Crag.

In fair weather walkers with a head for heights may peel off here to inspect Priest’s Hole. The approach path is not too difficult to find. Bear half-left from the solitary erratic boulder, and go up the grass bank and boulder scree to find a path leading onto the cliff and continue until the cave is reached: the ledge in front offers no security above a precipitous 200m drop! Please do not tamper with the metal casket which holds a visitors’ book and bare provisions for benighted climbers. Retrace your steps.

Continue the steady ascent of Houndshope Cove to meet the broken wall turning left (southeast) to reach the summit.

2 Alternatively, start with Route 1 but remain with the main track after the outbarn to continue across a flat meadow to a plank footbridge spanning Hartsop Beck. A clear path winds up through the bracken, crossing a further small gill. The path runs parallel to the principal beck and gives views to Dove Falls as it rises to a hand-gate. Keep by the wall to view the upper falls, then, where the old metal fence meets the wall, go with the fence to pass a large erratic beside the beck. Ford the beck to join the main valley path above the north bank (view right to Dove Crag).

Via Hogget Gill →5km/3 miles ↑640m/2100ft 2hr 45min

There are two further little-used lines out of Dovedale.

3 Start with Route 2, but approaching the Dovedale meadow ford the broad Hartsop Beck on a track which leads to a gate. Pass the old sheepwash and fold with no sign of a path, and pass up the flood spill to reach the foot of Hogget Gill. Keep to the bracken ridge on the right of the ravine, clamber up the initial outcrop and follow the sheep track up the low ridge beside the deeply incised gill. Where the second open gill enters from the south descend left on a sheep trod and ford Hogget Gill. Ascend the side-gill keeping to the left fork to gain the steeply rising fellside. The blunt ridge, although rocky in parts, offers no barrier to a steady climb to the brink of Black Brow. Follow the broken fence right (west) rising onto the main ridge, and keep right at the ridge wall to gain the summit.

Hartsop above How from the shepherds’ wall shielding the top of the Dove Crag buttress

Via Stangs →5.2km/3¼ miles ↑640m/2100ft 2hr 45min

Arguably the best-kept secret is the Stand Crags ridge.

4 Diverge left from Route 2 at the point where the fence meets the wall corner. Follow the wall contouring, then slightly rising, across the shoulder of Stangs. At the point where the wall crosses the ridge and prepares to plummet into the Hogget Gill valley, bear right up the ridge, initially with bracken on your left, and weave up by a crag to top a broken wall and continue on to crest the Stand Crags ridge on grass. Join the fence and cross the head of the Hogget Gill ravine, marvelling in a fabulous view into Dovedale and towards the white-washed Brotherswater Inn. Follow the old fence to the Black Brow fence-junction, and turn right to complete the ascent onto Dove Crag.

Splintered outcrop on the plateau above the Dove Crag buttress

Ascent from Rydal Road 17 off map S

There are two basic lines of approach from here. The principal and most entertaining route climbs via Low Sweden Bridge onto the Low and High Pike ridge. The second and distinctly quieter journey advances up Scandale, with two options at the dale head – to go by Scandale Pass or, slightly more adventurously, High Bakestones.

Via High Pike →8km/5 miles ↑745m/2445ft 3hr 45min

5 From the car park, cross the mini-roundabout into Smithy Brow, turning left into Nook Lane. Tarmac continues to Nook Farm. Here go through the gate and cross Low Sweden Bridge. The ensuing track switches up right above the bank then goes left, keeping the wall to the left. Beyond the next gateway the path forks, with a way bearing up left accompanying the ridge-top wall, via ladder-stiles, and negotiating the awkward Sweden Crag ‘bad step’. (This is a very minor challenge in ascent but still some walkers prefer to take an alternative scarp path to the right, joining back on top of High Brock Crags.) The main way leads on through two further gateways before bearing up through High Brock Crags onto the ridge, skirting round some fenced-off boggy ground and climbing by the wall to the summit of Low Pike. From here just follow the wall on, due north, down to the depression, over the ladder-stile and back up again to High Pike. The ridge wall continues north, with the popular path keeping to the east side for shelter from prevailing winds. A lesser path exists on the west side, and this is better on sunny days as the views are just that bit better. The detour to High Bakestones is recommended. A clear path that diverges from the popular east-side path after ½ mile runs along the edge to the landmark cairn. As it approaches the summit, the ridge wall becomes intermittently broken.

Via Scandale →7.2km/4½ miles ↑745m/2445ft 3hr 30min

6 Leave the car park to the east, crossing the footbridge to reach Rydal Road and here turn left to the mini-roundabout and right to climb up Smithy Brow past the Golden Rule pub. Bend left on Kirkstone Road and then take the next left, Sweden Bridge Lane. This becomes a walled lane which passes through woodland and forks, after about 2km, with High Sweden Bridge down to the left. Stay with the old valley track as it wanders into an undulating lane, after passing through a gate traversing Scandale Bottom, to reach a sheepfold complex and, beyond, to pass through a gate. At this point you have a choice.

The handsome standard cairn distinguishing High Bakestones

7 Continue for another kilometre up to the Scandale Pass ladder-stile and bear left to follow the path above Scandale Tarn which winds up to High Bakestones (Beckstones). The path continues beyond to meet the ridge wall, where you turn right (north) to reach the bleached outcrop and summit cairn. 8 Alternatively, go through the gap immediately left of the gate, cross the first beck confluence and go up to where a wall and fence meet at the top of the bank above the beck. Keep adjacent and above the beck, rising right with the first feeder-gill. Above the bracken the ridge steepens, and a grooved path winds above the eastern side of the gill and crosses a marsh to join the path from Scandale Tarn. Bear left to gain the distinguished cairn surmounting High Bakestones and rejoin Route 6 to the summit.

Summit cairn

The summit

A relatively small outcrop forms a plinth for the cairn set 25m east of a deteriorating ridge wall. The plateau has a random scattering of stones, while west of the wall the fell is largely grass. In settled weather you might consider visiting the top of Dove Crag itself, where a length of wall to keep out sheep defines the limit of safe exploration.

Safe descents

The ridge wall is key, as any vague wandering to the E will surely end in tears. Either head N to the depression short of Hart Crag, descending Houndshope Cove (1) for Dovedale, or go S 360m to the old fence-junction, religiously following the fence down to Scandale Pass (6) for both Brothers Water via Caiston Glen and Ambleside via Scandale.

Ridge routes

Hart Crag →0.8km/½ mile ↓45m/150ft ↑75m/250ft 25min

Again it is the ridge wall that acts as the guide – descend easily NW to the shallow depression at the head of Houndshope Cove, and clamber to the summit cairn amid an abundance of splintered rock.

High Pike →2km/1¼ mile ↓135m/445ft 30min

Follow the wall S on a gentle grassy, occasionally peaty, path to where the ridge narrows at the summit.

Little Hart Crag →2km/1¼ miles ↓165m/540ft ↑15m/50ft 45min

Follow the wall S for 360 metres, at which point an old fence diverges east. Follow this, descending, to run along the undulating peaty moor above Black Brow and continue direct to the twin-outcrop summit.