Sergeant's Crag

South of Stonethwaite, Langstrath and Greenup Gill split around a long ridge. Eagle Crag guards its end, and Sergeant's Crag is the next top along, an easy walk further up.

Parking in Stonethwaite is limited, so use the verges on the approach road with care. Cross Stonethwaite Beck and follow it upstream through the fields to the Greenup Gill footbridge. Nearly everyone climbs Eagle Crag first, either by the gullies and terraces on its front or by the easier line from the Greenup Gill path, then follows the stone wall along the ridge to Sergeant's Crag. Otherwise you are left with pathless climbs from further up either valley: steep ground on the Langstrath side, or the gentler eastern slopes above Greenup Gill.

The walk along the wall between the two tops is straightforward. Beyond the summit, as the ridge broadens towards High Raise, the path becomes indistinct. The north west face above Langstrath is steep and rocky, with a gully and lower slabs that climbers use, and Bull Crag on the same flank. Keep to the wall and none of it needs hands.

The summit is a cairn on a rock platform, partly enclosed by the wall. Up Langstrath you see Bowfell and Esk Pike, and to the north the North Western and Northern Fells are spread out.

Blea Rock, a big boulder at the foot of the Langstrath slopes, is a useful landmark if you come back down that valley. For a longer day, carry on over Greenup Edge to Ullscarf and come down through the woods by Willygrass Gill to Stonethwaite.