Raven Crag still stands proudly overlooking the northern tip of Thirlmere, but the lower slopes around it look a little different than they did a few years ago, and the direct route to the summit does not look like the one Wainwright wrote about in 1958 or even the version of Clive Hutchby in his excellent 2016 revision.
In spring 2018 the "beast from the east" storm blew down thousands of trees - some more than 100 feet tall and weighing almost five tonnes - on the shores of Thirlmere. Many of those that survived then succumbed to the larch tree disease Phytophthora Ramorum. In total around 10,000 - yes, ten thousand - trees were removed from the slopes around Raven Crag. As a result, the forest track (such that you can still call it this) has a fascinating desolate feel, quite unlike anything else I've experienced in the Lake District.
Ironically these trees are themselves not native. They were mainly planted (not without controversy, it must be said) by the Manchester Corporation from 1907 onwards to help protect their investment in the Thirlmere reservoir. With such obvious connections to home, it's an apt place for this Greater Manchester based wanderer to explore.
The direct path to Raven Crag was closed for many months as the aforementioned 10,000 trees were cleared, but it is open now, along with the majority of the western road around Thirlmere. The dam road itself remains closed to motor vehicles for now, but you can still wander across it on foot or by pedal bike - and that comes highly recommended. It's the shortest route from the main road, yes, but it's also home to a great view south along the reservoir, and it is fascinating piece of Mancunian history tucked away in the Lake District - including the fine-looking plaque to mark the first stone in 1890.
It's possible to take the meandering forest track to the top of Raven Crag, but after hopping off the bus at Smaithwaite Bridge and traversing the dam, I decided to tackle the direct path straight up. It's moderately steep but never unpleasantly so, and there's a decent path all the way up to the col - cutting across the gentler forest track twice as it rises. Although the path ducks in and out of the forest, reminders of the lost trees are never far away.
The forest track appears for a third time at the col, and there's an abundance of choice of routes. To the right is the route through the trees to the subsidiary summit of The Benn. Straight ahead is Castle Crag. This Castle Crag did actually have a fort, although nothing remains. It looks worth a nosy, but with the Sunday winter buses only every other hour, I settle for a photo from a distance, and turn back and to the left for the stepped path to Raven Crag.
Castle Crag Fort with the slopes of High Seat behind
United Utilities have done some significant work to improve accessibility to the Raven Crag summit itself. There's a solid stepped path from the col to the summit, which has been universally welcomed, and a fenced balcony platform by the summit rocks, which is an irritant to the purists. Personally, I don't see the problem. It isn't visible from the valley so it doesn't spoil anyone's view, and it doesn't prevent you from getting up close and personal with the steeper crags should you so wish. Moreso, the centrepiece of the stunning view below is a giant man-made reservoir.
If you look closely at some of the trees adjacent to the summit rocks, you can spot the lingering signs of another sad day in the history of this area - the 2018 fire that left a large area around the summit burning for up to two days.
It's possible to follow the forest track all the way back to the dam, but that involves a considerable diversion all the way around the summit of the Benn to the north. I did fancy a bit of a change on the return though rather than purely retracing my steps, so after the initial descent from the col, I pick up the track on the lower slopes for a slightly gentler (although, it must be said, no less muddy) meander back to the valley.
Date of walk: 12th January 2020
Summits gained: Raven Crag
Total distance: 5.8km
Total ascent: 416m
Getting there
Stagecoach Cumbria's Lake Connection bus 555 travels down the A591 between Keswick and Grasmere, before continuing on to Windermere, Kendal, and Lancaster. There are plenty of parking options around Thirlmere, but I'd recommend checking the United Utilities website to double-check what is open. The dam road is closed to motor traffic for the foreseeable future.
A footnote. Raven Crag was my 101st Wainwright fell, but the more I read about the effect of the storms and the larch tree disease and the fire, the less I wanted to top and tail this article with a variation of one of the several obvious puns.