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How and why the ancients enchanted Great Britain and Brittany

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Castle Crag Hillfort - Hillfort in England in Cumbria

Submitted by nicoladidsbury on Monday, 02 January 2006  Page Views: 12856

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Castle Crag Hillfort
Country: England County: Cumbria Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Keswick  Nearest Village: Grange in Borrowdale
Map Ref: NY249159
Latitude: 54.532783N  Longitude: 3.162072W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
1 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
2 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
3

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I have visited· I would like to visit

WindC visited - their rating: Cond: -1 Amb: 5 Access: 2 This place to me is just wonderful. It is steep, but taking rests you can see Borrowdale start to stretch out below, even if you just got 1/2 way up, you'd be glad you had. There are coves, and many various slate compilations, some are in the photos posted, it appeared like a beehive of activity [though there was no one around]. I feel, that like me , they will all want to return to see how their slate structures are faring.

nicoladidsbury have visited here

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : A calm and tranquil area, near the summit. June, 2011. (Vote or comment on this photo)
An ancient hillfort on top of a precipitous craggy hill. The summit is small, with vertical cliffs falling away on the North, East and West sides. The top of the spoil heap levels out, and all around are sharp stones that have been rescued from the scree and stood on end.

The path up to the hillfort is steep and difficult, it climbs up though slate scree. I would not recommend this path to people with vertigo.
The views from the summit are out of this world, it is surrounded by majestic mountains, with Derwent Water glistening to the north.
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Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : I resurrected a fallen pile, on the bottom left. Viewing the photo at home, it appears to be smiling ! June, 2011. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : Sheltering area near to summit. June, 2011 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : Showing just how close the former quarry came to decapitating the summit. June, 2011. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : The top of the slate scree/spoil heap, levels out, and all around are these erections. I have heard that they are sometimes pushed down, they just to reappear again. June, 2011. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by nicoladidsbury : Castle Crag Hillfort Castle Crag is the small pointed hill in the center of the valley. The setting winter sun throws a shaft of sunlight through Honister pass into the valley. Magic! (5 comments)

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : On top of the summit, viewing Derwent Water. This area is now a World War 1 memorial site, and owned by the National Trust. On the way up the view of Borrowdale is stunning, and has been described by A. Wainwright as 'the loveliest square mile in Lakeland'. June, 2011.

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by Antonine : From the Bowder Stone, 2011

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by Antonine : Photo taken in 2011

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by Antonine

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : The cliffs to the NE of the Hillfort fall abruptly and dramatically onto a boulder strewn hillside - no place for anyone to fall from the fort above! A major reason why the fort was so well naturally defended. It must be remembered Haweswater did not exist in its present watery extent in Iron-Age times but a deep valley and small tarn did.

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : The NW cliffed flank of Castle Crag

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : Inside the Hillfort looking SW back at the inner rampart of stones and Birks Crag behind

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : Inner rock-cut ditch and rampart with modern drystone wall running across the site.

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : The massive earthen rampart of the fort and the inner ditch, Haweswater to the SE.

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : Castle Crag Hillfort looking NW from Speaking crag foreland across Haweswater. The fort is clearly seen as a rounded profile with inner ditch on top of the naturally cliffed crag.

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by MonumentMan : Castle Crag Hillfort looking NE towards the forts massive rampart (Haweswater to the rear) and showing the two rock-cut ditches on approach as defences on the hillside.

Castle Crag Hillfort
Castle Crag Hillfort submitted by WindC : From below, the spoil heap looks like a treacherous pile of slate. A well trodden zig zaggy path will take you up. Before you get to this point, you will have passed the nearby cave of the late Millican Dalton. If you know nothing of him, I hope you may look him up. Someone I would have loved to have met. June, 2011.

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
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Re: Castle Crag Hillfort by WindC on Monday, 21 November 2011
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So worth a visit, though there is no sign of the Hillfort,
the very last part of the ascent can seem daunting, all I can say is that if you've got that far, then have a rest, and maybe see some descending. I watched 2 , we had a chat, and then I quite easily zigzagged up the slate scree path. I was concerned a little when a dog ran by, but really, there was no problem.
Even if you got 1/2 way up, you'd be glad you had. The Jaw of Borrowdale stretch's out behind and below you.
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