Arnison Crag

Arnison Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It looks down on Patterdale village and the upper reach of Ullswater. TopographyAlthough properly a northeastern ridge of Birks and having little topographical prominence, Arnison Crag was classed as a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. That convention is followed here. In support of his decision he referred to it as ‘a low hill with a summit worthy of a mountain’. Birks, which is itself a satellite of St Sunday Crag, resides on a southwest to northeast ridge. Below the summit and about halfway down the main slope, a level spur juts out eastward and then curves around to the north to run parallel with Birks. At the far end of this subsidiary ridge is the rocky summit of Arnison Crag. The slight col where the Arnison Crag ridge connects to the flank of Birks is Trough Head. To the east of Arnison Crag is the lower portion of Deepdale and the settlement of Bridgend. This flank is rough and includes Aiken Crag and the face of Arnison Crag itself, just below the summit. To the west, separating the fell from the main ridge of Birks, is Hag Beck. This flows northward from Trough Head, passing through the woods of Glenamara Park before issuing into Grisedale Beck just above the main road. Glenamara Park was once a deer park and now contains much broadleaved woodland. Its retaining wall is still largely intact.

Arnison Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, an outlier of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It looks down on Patterdale village and the upper reach of Ullswater. TopographyAlthough properly a northeastern ridge of Birks and having little topographical prominence, Arnison Crag was classed as a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. That convention is followed here. In support of his decision he referred to it as ‘a low hill with a summit worthy of a mountain’. Birks, which is itself a satellite of St Sunday Crag, resides on a southwest to northeast ridge. Below the summit and about halfway down the main slope, a level spur juts out eastward and then curves around to the north to run parallel with Birks. At the far end of this subsidiary ridge is the rocky summit of Arnison Crag. The slight col where the Arnison Crag ridge connects to the flank of Birks is Trough Head. To the east of Arnison Crag is the lower portion of Deepdale and the settlement of Bridgend. This flank is rough and includes Aiken Crag and the face of Arnison Crag itself, just below the summit. To the west, separating the fell from the main ridge of Birks, is Hag Beck. This flows northward from Trough Head, passing through the woods of Glenamara Park before issuing into Grisedale Beck just above the main road. Glenamara Park was once a deer park and now contains much broadleaved woodland. Its retaining wall is still largely intact.