Raven Crag plunges down vertically, a great wall of rock, at whose feet sits one side of the dam that holds back the waters of Thirlmere. Like many Lake District lakes, Thirlmere has been artificially raised, in this case to slake the thirsts of Manchester. The villages of Wythburn and Armboth were dismantled and flooded in the reservoir project. Only Wythburn church still exists, a reminder of the community that once lived here.