Helm Crag
Local highlightA small but famous fell above Grasmere, topped by the rocks people call the Lion and the Lamb
Open accesson open access land, where the right to roam applies
The knobbly rocks on the summit of Helm Crag are the reason everyone knows it: from the road below Grasmere they look like a lion crouched beside a lamb, and from another angle like an old woman playing an organ. The fell itself is only 405m, one of Wainwright’s 214 Lake District fells, and the short, steep pull up from the village of Grasmere makes a good half-day. There is a catch at the very top, though: the actual highest rock is a bare little tower that takes an awkward scramble to stand on, and Alfred Wainwright himself never managed it. For most people the walk up to the foot of the rocks, with Dove Cottage and the valley below, is plenty.
More at hill-bagging.co.uk
