Muncaster Fell
This fine circular walk near Ravenglass climbs to Muncaster Fell with a visit to Muncaster Tarn and great views along the Cumbrian Coast.
You can start the walk from the Muncaster Castle car park and follow trails up to Fell Lane. Follow the lane up to Chapel Hill where you pick up woodland trails to High Eskholme.
The wooded section continues you Muncaster Head where you turn north to Rabbit How. You then follow the elevated ridge to the high point of Hooker Crag at a height of 231 m (758 ft). There's great views towards the coast and over Eskdale to the Scafell range.
The route then descends to the pretty Muncaster Tarn which sits amongst woodland on the slopes below the top of Hooker Crag. From here you can pick up Fell Lane and follow it back to the car park.
Along the way you may see the steam trains of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway running alongside the fell. You can catch the train from Ravenglass to Eskdale if you would like to shorten the walk.
You can extend the walk by exploring the grounds of Muncaster Castle where there's 77 acres of beautiful gardens and over 6 miles of walking paths through the estate.
Our Eskdale walk will take you through the beautiful valley to the east of Muncaster.
In Ravenglass you can pick up the Cumbria Coastal Way and explore the estuary of the River Esk.
Muncaster Fell Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map
Muncaster Fell Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map
Muncaster Fell OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Muncaster Fell Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
Just to the east is the worthy village of Eskdale Green. The pretty settlement includes a tarn, woods, a Japanese Garden, riverside trails and two fine historic pubs. There's also Eskdale Green station or Irton Road Station on the heritage Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway here. As such the village is a fine alternative start point for climbing the fell.
Just to the north east there's the climb to Irton Pike. There's some excellent views to Wast Water from this fine viewpoint.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
To continue your walking in the area try the Ravenglass Circular Beach Walk which visits the Drigg Beach Nature Reserve from the village. Here you'll find sand dunes, an abundance of interesting plantlife and lots of wildlife, with several species of wading birds to look out for on the river estuary.