Banner: Looking down Thirlmere. Note the couple camping to the bottom right.

Raven Crag and Castle Crag

Wainwrights

Raven Crag

Distance/Ascent

2.6km    268m

Time taken

1h 15min

14 July 2026

This was another of my "fells before breakfast", while on holiday with my family. There are signs saying "Camping is prohibited in this area", but I passed two pairs of campers on their way down. There was still a tent in a prime spot and I went over to have a chat with them. Living in Scotland, I am sympathetic to their desire to wild camp in such a great place. There is a viewing platform and below it another good camping spot, where I saw a large fire pit. It is the fires that are a problem, not the tents! The man and woman I spoke with had not lit a fire and seemed like responsible people. 

Raven Crag is a hill of modest height but offers outstanding views. I generally do not like reservoirs, but Thirlmere does not have the ugly tide marks that are so common with Scottish reservoirs. It looks relatively natural.

From Raven Crag, I made my way over to Castle Crag. This was the site of an Iron Age fort BC 400 - AD 100. 

The descent was quick. There is parking closer to the hill path but I had parked over the other side of the dam, and while it added a bit of distance and time to the walk, I am glad that I did, as I was able to check out the dam and look back at Raven Crag.