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Bleaberry Fell is a fell in the Lake District
with a height of 590 metres (1,936 feet). It stands on the main
watershed between Borrowdale and Thirlmere and can be climbed from
either flank. Walla Crag is a subsidiary top of Bleaberry Fell.
Situated in the central area of the national park,
four kilometres south of Keswick, Bleaberry Fell is the northernmost top
on the ridge that separates the valleys containing the lakes of Derwent
Water (Borrowdale) and Thirlmere.
This ridge, which also contains
the fells of High Seat and High Tove, is notoriously boggy underfoot but
Bleaberry Fell is mostly dry and the heather covered summit gives an
excellent all round vista.
To the east the fell has the rock
faces of Iron Crag and Goat Crags as it falls away towards the Thirlmere
valley. The top is heather clad and carries a number of cairns.
Bleaberry Fell's central position is rewarded by a fine all round view
with all of the major fell groups being visible. Derwentwater can be
brought into sight by moving to the north west cairn.
The fell is
usually climbed from the car park in Great Wood in Borrowdale, firstly
ascending Walla Crag via Cat Gill and then continuing south easterly for
two kilometres to Bleaberry Fell which is clearly in view.
The
fell can also be climbed from Keswick, an 11 kilometre round trip, again
going by Walla Crag.
Walla Crag is in fact part of Bleaberry
Fell, being the outlying north western crags, but is given the status of
a separate fell by Lake District writers due to its excellent views and
popularity.
Another possible starting point is the hamlet of Dale
Bottom on the main Keswick to Ambleside road.
It is possible to
continue from Bleaberry Fell southerly along the ridge to take in the
other Wainwright fells of High Seat and High Tove following a line of
old fence posts, although this ridge is very boggy.
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