Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England — John Shaqi
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - EnglandHaskett Smith, W. P. (Walter Parry)
History
Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England
Haskett Smith, W. P. (Walter Parry)
Mountaineering -- England; Mountains -- England -- Guidebooks
Into a chasm a mighty block
Hath fallen and made a bridge of rock,
The gulf is deep below.
The gulf and the mighty block are both there still; but there is more
pleasure in seeing the former than there is excitement in crossing by
the latter.
=Eagle Crag.=--Rocks of this name are pretty numerous in the North of
England, and, like the 'Raven Crags,' are, as might be expected, always
bold and precipitous.
_On Helvellyn._--Canon Butler, in his article on the Lakes in 1844,
which appeared in _Longman's Magazine_, describes in an amusing manner
an adventure which he had on this rock. It is on the right-hand side of
the track from Patterdale to Grisedale Hause.
_In Easdale_ (W. sh. 17).--This is easily found by following up the
stream which runs into Easdale Tarn. There is not more than 200-300 ft.
of crag, and much of it is very rotten, but with pretty bits of climbing
here and there. Grasmere is the only place from which it is conveniently
reached.
_In Greenup_ (C. sh. 75) is as noble a rock as can be found in England.
As seen from Borrowdale near Rosthwaite it has the appearance of two
huge steps of rock, but the steps are really separate rocks, one behind
the other--Eagle Crag and Pounsey Crag. Large portions of each of them
are quite unclimbable, and much of them is too easy to be worth doing,
so that the amount of interesting climbing to be met with is less than
might be expected. Close by is Longstrath, where there is a little work
which may be combined with this (see _Blea Crag_ and _Serjeant Crag_).
The foot of Eagle Crag is reached from Rosthwaite or Seatoller in less
than an hour.
=Eagle's Nest=--one of the ridges of the _Napes_ lying between the
_Needle_ and the _Arrowhead_. On April 15, 1892, Messrs. Slingsby,
Baker, Solly, and Brigg ascended it and found it extremely difficult for
150 ft. At one point, about on a level with the top of the _Needle_,
there is room for one person to sit down, and here the second man on the
rope joined the leader and gave him a shoulder up. To this place they
gave the name of the _Eagle's Nest_, and it is almost the only point at
which any material help can be given to the leader.
The part just above this they considered the stiffest part of the climb;
but when they reached a patch of grass just below a slanting chimney the
difficulties moderated. From the bottom to where the ridge joins the
_Needle Ridge_ they took two hours and ten minutes.
=Eel Crag.=--The word 'Eel,' we are told, is identical with 'Ill,' which
is seen in _Ill Bell_ and the numerous _Ill Gills_, and means 'steep.'
If so the name ought to be more frequent in the Lake country than it is,
and it might be suggested that in some cases 'eagle' may have been worn
down to 'eel.' There are two crags of the name in Cumberland, not very
far apart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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