Essential Beta

How to get there:

From Consiton, head up Walna Scar Road, an unmetalled road in its later reaches. Park by a gate; some way up the track. The crag is a relatively easy walk-in from here; allow about an hour.

When to Visit:

Being a ‘high’ mountain crag visits need to coincide with favourable conditions; typically late spring through to autumn. However, even in June, the weather can turn nasty quickly and hail storms can whip up from nowhere! That said, given a settled spell, Dow is one of the few ‘high’ mountain crags were evening visits are possible.

Where to Stay/Shop:

Ambleside is the nearest town of any size wherein most, if not all you could possible desire, can be obtained. Rock and Run is perhaps the specialist of all the climbing shops.

Which Watering Hole: Coniston, and the nearby villages, are well-served.

Which Guide:

The Fell and Rock Climbing Club publish both a definitive and a selected guide, both of which cover Dow Crag.

Photos:

Main: Nick Wharton and Brian Davison high on Murray’s Route (Sev).

Secondary: Dow Crag itself.

Download:

March 2007 Factfile.pdf

Dow Crag ...

lies on a fell of the same name, just west of Coniston Old Man in the southern reaches of the English Lake District. Split into several major buttresses by deep gullies and rakes, Dow commands a spectacular position high above Goat’s Water. Recorded climbing activity dates from the late nineteen/early twenty century, though many of the endearing classics, Murray’s included, were done in the golden age between the great wars. Development of the ‘extreme’ classics, for which Dow is equally famous, occurred much later in the Sixties and Seventies. Since then, a handful of harder desperate routes have been done, largely by indigenous Lakes devotees. Today, Dow Crag remains popular; a bastion of traditional climbing in a mountain setting much loved by all who visit.

Featured Problems:

Murray’s Route (Sev) on ‘B’ Buttress is an outstanding mountaineering-style rock climb, firmly in the traditional mold. Dating back to 1918, Murray’s was perhaps the principal addition of its day. Murray’s Route now has two major variations, both of which offer harder climbing, though neither usurps the original line which remains a route-finding masterpiece.

Tips:

Catch a decent weather forecast before leaving and allow a couple or three hours for an ascent of Murray’s itself.

Clips:

A standard trad. rack with a pair of 50 m ropes is sufficient.

‘Must Do’s’:

Dow Crag is rammed with classics of every grade from routes like Giant’s Crawl (Diff), or ‘C’ Ordinary (Diff) through to Nimrod (E1), Catacomb (E1), Isengard (E2) or Holocaust (E4).

Alternatives:

At the grade, Eliminate ‘A’ on Dow’s A Buttress is perhaps the # 1 alternative to Murray’s.

Rest Days:

Amidst such scenic splendour, walking the fells as to be a strong consideration. Alternatively, many of the National Trust’s properties are well worth a visit. Finally, Ambleside should satisfy most retail and/or recreation needs.