Ard Crags facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ard Crags |
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Ard Crags seen from Skelgill in the Newlands Valley
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 581 m (1,906 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 120 m |
| Parent peak | Grasmoor |
| Listing | Wainwright |
| Geography | |
 Ard Crags
Location in Lake District
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| Location | Cumbria, England |
| Parent range | Lake District, North Western Fells |
| OS grid | NY206197 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 89, 90 OS Explorer 4 |
Ard Crags is a small mountain, called a fell, in the beautiful Lake District in Cumbria, England. It's located in the Newlands Valley, near the towns of Keswick and Buttermere. This fell is officially 581 metres (1,906 feet) tall. When Alfred Wainwright wrote about it in 1964, he estimated it was a bit shorter. This was before we had satellite mapping!
Ard Crags is close to taller fells like Causey Pike and Eel Crag, so it can sometimes be overlooked. But from certain spots in the Rigg Beck or Newlands valley, it looks like a clear, pyramid-shaped peak that really stands out.
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What is Ard Crags Like?
Ard Crags is part of a long, high ridge that stretches east from Whiteless Pike. This ridge includes other fells like Wandope, Crag Hill, Sail (Lake District), and Causey Pike. Running next to this main ridge, to the south, is a lower ridge. This lower ridge is made up of Knott Rigg and Ard Crags. It has a lovely, narrow, and open feel. Ard Crags forms the eastern part of this lower ridge. It rises between Keskadale and a smaller valley called Rigg Beck. Sometimes, Ard Crags is also known as Aikin Knott, which is the name of a rocky part on the front of the ridge.
How Ard Crags Was Formed
The rocks that make up Ard Crags are part of something called the Buttermere Formation. This is a type of rock layer that has been moved, squeezed, and folded over time. It's mostly made of mudstone, siltstone, and sandstone.
- Mudstone is like hardened mud.
- Siltstone is similar, but made of slightly larger particles than mud.
- Sandstone is made from sand grains that have been cemented together.
Climbing Ard Crags
Ard Crags is connected by a ridge to another Wainwright fell, Knott Rigg. Many hikers like to climb both fells on the same trip. There are two main ways to start your climb:
Starting from Rigg Beck
One way to start is from Rigg Beck in Newlands. This route goes straight up the eastern ridge. You'll pass a rocky area called Aikin Knott. After this, the ridge becomes quite narrow. You'll then reach the top, which is covered in heather. From here, you get an amazing view down into the Newlands Valley.
Starting from Newlands Hause
The other starting point is the car park at Newlands Hause. This spot is already quite high up, at 333 metres (1,093 feet). If you start here, you'll cross the summit of Knott Rigg first. Then, you continue your walk onto Ard Crags.
The Summit View
The top of Ard Crags is a narrow ridge covered with heather. A small pile of stones, called a cairn, marks the highest point. The view to the north and west is partly blocked by the taller fells of Eel Crag and Causey Pike. But the best part of the view is looking down into the Newlands Valley. On a clear day, you might even catch a glimpse of Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain, about eight miles away through a gap in the hills to the south.
