Thinking about somewhere to aim for, it suddenly occurred to me that I have never been up Raven Crag overlooking Thirlmere. It’s not a particularly prominent fell, its 461m summit is almost covered by aged coniferous trees planted by Manchester Corporation when they built the Thirlmere reservoir.
More interesting was the little subsidiary summit of Castle Crag on top of which was an iron age fort although I don’t understand why the ancient settlers should have chosen this top rather than the much more dominant Raven Crag. Castle Crag is completely hidden from Thirlmere but commands Shoulthwaite Gill to its west.
I used Shoulthwaite Gill to approach Raven Crag passing below Castle Crag. It is a lovely valley containing many waterfalls and pools. The main view is looking back down the gill with Iron Crag on the left and Castle Crag just on the right.
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