North from the car park near Rannerdale Bridge to the footbridge across Liza Beck, then east through the Gasgale Gill valley to reach the crossroads at Coledale Hause. Briefly south followed by a climb to the summit of Grasmoor using the path above Dove Crags. East in the direction of Wandhope Moss and south-west via Whiteless Edge to Whiteless Pike. After a southerly descent of the mountain it’s north-west between Whiteless Pike and Rannerdale Knotts, alongside Squat Beck, back to the starting point. An 8-mile walk in the Lake District.
Recommended Ordnance Survey Map
The best map to use on this walk is the Ordnance Survey map of the Lake District North-Western Area, reference OS Explorer OL4, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.
Standard Version
The footbridge over Liza Beck at the bottom of the Gasgale Gill valley.
From the footbridge, Liza Beck flows in a north-westerly direction until it reaches the River Cocker at Low Liza Bridge. The river then runs south and empties its waters into Crummock Water.
The start of the two-mile-long climb up through the Gasgale Gill valley to Coledale Hause.
The route through the valley follows the course of Liza Beck and there are several beautiful waterfalls along the way.
About one-third of the way up the valley and Hopegill Head becomes visible in the distance.
Almost at the top of the valley and Eel Crag (Crag Hill) can just be seen. In a few places the route through Gasgale Gill is tricky to negotiate and a bit of scrambling is required.
Looking north-east from Coledale Hause towards Keswick, with the mountain ranges of Skiddaw and Blencathra in the background.
Time for a break at Coledale Hause.
Looking back towards Keswick, Skiddaw and Blencathra soon after the beginning of the ascent of Grasmoor. On the left, the footpath from Coledale Hause to the pointed summit of Grisedale Pike can clearly be seen.
As we climb Grasmoor there are some fantastic views of Gasgale Crags and Whiteside.
Views from the path above Dove Crags close to the summit of Grasmoor. Beyond Whiteside to the north, the Solway Firth and the mountains of south-west Scotland are visible.
The summit of Grasmoor, height 852 metres (2794 feet).
Looking south from Grasmoor towards Whiteless Pike, High Snockrigg and, in the far distance on the horizon, the mountain range which includes Sca Fell and Scafell Pike.
The view from Grasmoor down to Crummock Water.
Looking north from Grasmoor towards the Solway Firth and Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.
Fantastic views of Whiteless Pike, Rannerdale Knotts and Crummock Water during the descent of Grasmoor.
The route across Whiteless Edge to Whiteless Pike.
Crummock Water and, in the distance, Loweswater as seen from Whiteless Edge.
The summit of Whiteless Pike, height 660 metres (2165 feet).
The view of Crummock Water, backed by Mellbreak, from Whiteless Pike.
From Whiteless Pike an alternative path from our car park to the top of Grasmoor is clear to see. The steeper but more direct route crosses Lad Hows.
The view north-east through the Sall Beck valley with Causey Pike visible in the distance in the centre of the picture. On the right-hand side of the valley is the Knott Rigg to Ard Crags ridge, and to the left is the Wandhope, Crag Hill and Sail mountain range.
Fantastic views of Rannerdale Knotts during the descent of Whiteless Pike.
Looking up towards Whiteless Pike from the path alongside Squat Beck.
The mighty Grasmoor where we had been a couple of hours earlier.
Footbridge across Squat Beck beneath Dale How and Rannerdale Knotts.
The word ‘how’ comes from the Old Norse word ‘haugr’ for a hill or mound. ‘Knott’, again from the Old Norse, is the old word ‘knottr’ which meant a lump or a hard knot. Hows are smooth and round and knots are craggy and knot-like.
Information from https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/hows-knotts
Looking back towards Rannerdale Knotts from the path back to our car park.
