The Great Outdoors - UK (2021-08)

Always take a mapand compass with you. ©Crown copyright 2021 Ordnance Survey. Media 051 / 19

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Start/Finish

National Trust

pay-and-display car park

at Seatoller

GR: NY 245137

Turn L along B5289 and takelane

on R. Immediately before bridge

over River Derwent, join path

on R towards Seathwaite.

(^2) 
After footbridge over
Sourmilk Gill, turn R to
begin ascent beside gill.
(^3) 
About 300m after gate in
wall, leavepath by heading
SSE for roughly 140m to largest
boulder at foot of Hanging Stone
crags. Head up distinct line of
Base Brown
LakeDistrict ENGLAND
12 km/ 7. 5 miles/ 4 - 5 hours
Ascent 780 m/ 2560 ft

“IT WAS TERRIFYING!

e way Brian took us, we

just kept coming to these

sheer drops with vertical

rock faces at our feet, and

then we ended uppractically

breaking our ankles in a pile

of boulders. Hedidn’thave

a clue whathe was doing!”

My ex-colleague Alan’s

recollection of descending

Base Brown’sHanging Stone

ridge with a mutualfriend

rang in myears as I set off

from Borrowdale. Itmade

me a littlenervous but I had

a couple of things in my

favour. Alan and Brian – the

names have been changed

to protect the guilty– had

used the ridgeas a descent

route from Great Gable;I was

going up it so,in theory

stones towards base of crag.

Follow faint trail SE for further

130m, bypassing crags, and then

climb steep, pathless ground on R.

On reaching ridge just above

Hanging Stone, continue uphill

on faint path.

(^4)  
From BaseBrown’s summit
cairn, walk SW along path,
later joining clearer route from R.
(^5)  
Just after path bends L
on reaching Green Gable’s
N ridge, head N, following line
of old fenceposts down to pools
at Gillercomb Head. Keep to R
of pools.
(^6) 
Just as path begins climbing
again, follow cairns NW
acrossSWflankofBrandreth.
(^7) 
Turn R on reaching wide,
raised path – remains of
old tramway – at Drum House.
At bottom, turn R to enter
Honister Slate Mine car park.
(^8) 
Turn right along B5289.
After 450m, takesigned
‘Coast to Coast’ path on L.
Rejoining road, continue downhill
and then takebroad track on L.
After four gates, turn R at squat
fingerpost.GoLatroadthrough
Seatoller. Car park is on L on far
side of hamlet.
Gradient profileMetres above sea level
Vivienne Crow
survives the
perils of the
Hanging Stone
August 2021 The Great Outdoors 91