Latrigg 1203 feet
Distance:
6 miles
Total Feet of Climbing: 1000 feet
Suggested Time: 3 hours
Starting Point: Moot Hall, Keswick (NY 266 234)
Latrigg is Keswick's own personal fell. Its close proximity
and steep rising gradients make it an imposing presence. Yet in
reality it is only a very modest fell, little more than a third
of the height of its giant neighbour Skiddaw. The reward for climbing
Latrigg is the view from it. On a clear day you see the length
of Borrowdale and the Helvellyn range can be seen on your left.
1. From Moot Hall, walk past The Lodge and turn left onto Station
Street. Continue to the top of the street and across the main
Penrith Road, where Station Street becomes Station Road, and to
the top of Station Road to where the leisure pool is situated.
(0.5 mile)
2. Walk round the leisure pool to the car park at the rear.
At the exit to the car park, at a minature roundabout, turn left
onto Brundholme Road which merges into Briar Rigg Road. A few
hundred yards on your right is the start of Spooney Green Lane,
a trackway signposted as being a bridleway leading to Skiddaw.
(0.25 mile)
3. The track crosses the A66 and then ascends the Western slopes
of Latrigg. About a mile from the start of the track, after passing
a metal six bar gate on your left giving access to a thickly wooded
plantation of conifers, begin looking on your right for the start
of a grassy pathway about 200 yards further on from this gate.
The path turns acutely off to the right from the trackway and
takes a graceful, partially zigzagged, course to the top of the
fell. (1.5 miles)
4. Follow the summit ridge North-Eastwards to a stile crossing
over a wire fence. Over the stile the path continues straight
ahead following the ill defined crest of the fells North-Eastern
ridge. Eventually the path reaches a second wire fence and a line
of spindly hawthorn bushes. Here turn left and follow the fence
to a metal farm gate. From this gate the trackway continues to
follow the tapering North-Eastern ridge until it finally reaches
a roadway. (1.25 miles)
5. Turn right onto the roadway (which leads back to Keswick).
There is, however, a mostly off road alternative way back to the
town: a woodland path running at a level below that of the roadway.
The start begins fifty yards from the point where the road is
enclosed on both sides by Brundleholme wood. (0.25 mile)
6. Here leading acutely off to the left is the start of a trackway
leading into the wood. The track soon makes a sharp right-hand
turn. From this sharp turn a couple of hundred yards further begin
looking for the start of a distinct path leading off to the right.
This is a partially constructed path and takes an undulating course
back to Keswick. After passing under the impressive Great Bridge,
carrying the A66, the path approaches an older stone built bridge
called Calvert Bridge leading to a group of houses called the
Forge. (1 mile)
7. Nearing Calvert Bridge a flight of wooden steps leads off
to the right. Although this is signposted as leading to Keswick
ignore this route and continue to the kissing gate a few steps
further on. Here follow the trackway staright ahead leading from
the Forge and climbing a little uphill to the Calvert trust Riding
Centre where it joins a roadway. Here turn left and follow the
road back to the centre of Keswick. On reaching the road junction
you will doubtless recognise this as the junction you passed at
the beginning of the walk. Here turn left and retrace your earlier
route back to Keswick. (1.25 miles)
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