Banishead Quarry - Dow Crag - Goats Tarn - Banishead Quarry

Joe Jackson

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This is a walk of contrasts and breathtaking scenery. The route starts at the car park at the end of Walna Scar Road and follows a quiet and rarely used path across the open moor to Banishead Quarry. The quarry has many spoil heaps and ruins but the most interesting feature is a large open quarry filled with water and a spectacular waterfall falling into the pool below. The whole scene is one of the most beautiful in the lakes and worth the entire journey on its own!

The route then starts a long stretch of ascent, heading through an ancient Bronze Age homestead and up to the Walna Scar Road. Once at the road the going is much easier until the short steep section to the summit of the pass. The route takes a brief detour to take in the summit of Walna Scar before heading north along the long ridge, taking in the minor summits of Brown Pike and Buck Pike before the final push to Dow Crag.

The ridge route along to Dow Crag follows the edge of the plunging cliffs and makes the entire section more exciting and dramatic. The summit is reached by climbing a few rocks and the view extends over a vast section of the Duddon Valley over to the Sca Fells and round to Coniston Old Man and Caw in the south.

Heading down the from the peak, the route follows a good path to Goats Hause and then down a pitched path to Goats Water, which is a lovely secluded tarn dramatically set below the rocky face of Dow Crag.

From here the path heads down gently to rejoin the Walna Scar Road and back to the car park.

England - North England - Cumbria - Lake District - South West