Walla Crag and Bleaberry Fell from Great Wood

At the far right hand end of the Great Wood car park take the rough path past the picnic area into the woodlands. Follow the path well above the Borrowdale road, and the exit road. Keep left at the Forestry barrier.

Approaching Cat Gill you will hear the cascades before you see any of them. Swing left and start to climb to be alongside the gill. Do not cross the footbridge - that will be on your return.

With the gill on your right, follow the path above, it is rough with the occasional rocky steps.

Go through the first gate and continue climbing, bear slightly left to go through a second, kissing, gate above you. Now follow the steep zigzags to climb out of the gill and to a third gate onto the open fell.

Bear left and continue climbing, a rocky step next to the wall is the last obstacle. Ignore the stile on the left, continue climbing on a grass path through the bracken with the wall over to your left. Keep left along the wall. Over to your right is the high moorland to Bleaberry Fell.

Just above another rocky step is a wooden step stile with dog gate, cross the wall here, then bear right and climb the last little bit to the summit of Walla Crag. Beware of precipitous drops the other side.

From the airy summit of Walla Crag, return to the step stile, cross, bear right and descend a little rocky step. Below is a small cairn and the path splits, take the left hand branch heading in the general direction of Bleaberry Fell to the south.

After 200m (220 yards) the path swings right a little and then another cairn marks a further bifurcation. Again take the minor left branch to start climbing the fellside. Crossing one small beck, you soon encounter another slightly deeper beck to cross. Continue on the clearer path the other side through moss, grass, and heather.

Reaching the sheepfold marked on the OS 25K map a clear, solid track appears as if by magic. Take the track and let it swing you left to the bottom of the stone pitched path climbing the last steep section to the summit. Continue up the pitching to reach a large cairn. Bear right and continue climbing to another cairn, continue past this false summit and on to the windshelter and nearby cairn of the real summit of Bleaberry Fell.

Return from the summit of Bleaberry Fell, back down the stone pitched path and swing right to the sheepfold. Continue descending, approx 400m (440 yards) below the sheepfold when the path splits bear left on to a narrow path which cuts off rather a large and oblique corner.

Reaching the path from Walla Crag just at the head of a beck, turn left to follow it as it climbs over and around a grassy shoulder above Falcon Crag and then descend towards Ashness Bridge.

Some way before reaching the wall coming down the fellside, keep watch for a path descending steeply down through the thick summer bracken. Take the path and drop down a few rocky steps, and a step stile, to just beside the gate in the wall.

Do not go through the gate but turn sharply right almost back on yourself. Now with Keswick ahead of you, follow the path northwards, it descends gradually through the luxurious and at times head height bracken. There are some rather fine blackberry brambles hidden amongst the greenery.

The path runs just below the face of Falcon Crag. Keep right, don't drop down left to the road. Having passed the crag the path turns right to climb a little alongside a wall. Then above a last little rocky step, turn left to cross the footbridge over Cat Gill.

Bear left and follow the path back towards the car park, keep right at the forest barrier and the parking appears soon after.