• Distance: 6.6 miles/10.6 km
• Elevation: 1685 ft/514 m
• Difficulty: Moderate – there’s a very small bit of scrambling but it’s shown moderate because the navigation isn’t straightforward.
• Start: Glen Mary Bridge Car Park
• Graham’s Cafe: You’ll likely pass Chesters by the River on your way in.
• Classification: Birkett, Wainwright

The Maps

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

You start this walk at Glen Mary Bridge then proceed past Yew Tree Farm, I’ve written a bit about both of these in another guide.

There are two listed fells on this route and both give glorious views across many of the larger fells in this part of the Lake District without the need to climb far at all. Although, having said that, sometimes you have to wait for the views, as you will see from the photographs in this guide.

The fells on this route count as both Wainwrights and Birketts but are near to the bottom of both lists in height order. Holme Fell is Wainwright 213 of 214 and Birkett 530 of 541. Black Fell is Wainwright 212 of 214 and Birkett 521 of 541.

Holme Fell is a lovely walk in what is, on the ascent side, mostly ancient or semi-ancient woodland but there’s plenty on this walk that is man-made.

At the back of Holme Fell our walk takes us past and gives glorious views into Hodge Close Quarry which can be accessed as an extension of this walk via the adjacent Parrock Quarry.

Hodge Close Quarry is an eerie place where signs of a long history are everywhere, a history that started in the 1780s and was concluded in 1964.

The quarry is massive with excavations reaching over 300ft/90m down with half of that, 45m, now below the water level. To put that into context, Wastwater, the deepest lake in England, is 79m at its deepest point. The flooded chambers and tunnels are a favourite of divers but regarded as “not for the faint hearted or unprepared” and there have been several fatalities. If you want to get an idea of what lies within the murky depths watch this video on YouTube, though you may need to mute the soundtrack. People do swim here, but I’ve never seen the dark waters as appealing.

Prior to arriving at Hodge Close you will pass what appears to be a pair of idyllic, tree lined, tarns; these are also man-made and part of the workings for Hodge Close. They show how quickly nature will reclaim what it can when left alone. The tarns are marked on the map as Reservoirs (disused) their purpose was to provide water for a funicular that hoisted the heavy green slate from the quarry.

The Walk

Glen Mary Bridge to Uskdale Gap

Park at the National Trust car park at Glen Mary Bridge.

Leave the car park onto the A593 heading south-west. Take care here, this short piece of road can be busy.

At the next turning on the right head across the bridge towards Yew Tree Farm.

Just before the farm the lane heads to the right, follow it around and up an incline.

Near the top of the incline is a path to the right. A short way along the path is a kissing-gate into a field, head through it.

Traverse the field until you reach a fence with a kissing-gate into Harry Guards Wood (probably not named after someone called “Harry”.)

Once through the kissing gate, follow the path to the right.

This will bring you to a large rock. Follow the path to the right of the rock which loops to the left as you work your way around the base of Ivy Crag and then steeply uphill to Uskdale Gap.

If the weather is being kind to you the views of the Langdales will start to open out from this point.

Uskdale Gap to Holme Fell Summit

Uskdale Gap is a bit of a valley between two summits. Holme Fell is off the left, but isn’t the first one you will see.

There are a few summits here that are all of a similar height so you will have to use your map reading skills to make sure you’ve got the right one.

As you ascend the first large cairn that you will see sits atop Ivy Crag, make your way to this cairn.

Beyond the Ivy Crag summit, south-west, you will see the Holme Fell summit ridge. As you look at it you should be able to see a path up the ridge to the left. This path will take you to the summit which is identified by a cairn on top of a slab of rock.

Holme Fell Summit to Reservoirs (disused)

To find the route down to the reservoirs head back along the Holme Fell summit ridge and beyond the path where you ascended. This will descend almost directly to the tarns.

There are several routes down to the reservoirs all of them visible from the ridge, and it doesn’t really matter which one you use.

Spend some time at the tarns; these really are quite lovely.

Reservoirs (disused) to Oxen Fell High Cross

From the reservoirs continue downhill until you reach a lane.

Turn right onto the lane.

As you follow this lane you will see Hodge Close Quarry on your left. There are several places along this route where you can traverse a stile to get a closer view. Take care though, there isn’t a safety fence and some of the cliffs are massive.

At the end of the lane is a T-junction with another lane. Our route takes us to the right. If you did want to visit the base of Hodge Close you would turn left and then left again into the base of Parrock Quarry. At the end of Parrock Quarry there is a tunnel into Hodge Close.

The lane to the right will take you through High Oxen Fell, past Low Oxen Fell and on to Oxen Fell High Cross. Do you get the impression that there is some bovine history in these parts?

Oxen Fell High Cross to Black Crag

The lane to Oxen Fell High Cross joins the busy A593. Fortunately for us, there is also nice path off the road to the left which takes us all the way to Tongue Intake Plantation.

Along the edge of the plantation is a lane that also joins the A593, opposite you should see a footpath finger sign. This is the start of our route to the top of Black Fell.

Once on the footpath opposite it ascends for a short while then descends to a stream.

At the stream the path ascends again, to the right, following the route of the stream and a dry-stone wall.

Eventually the path will start to level out and become more of a lane.

Follow the lane around to Low Arnside until you reach another dry-stone wall.

Before the wall turn left and ascend a path that takes you almost straight to the top of Black Fell.

The summit of Black Fell is marked by a stone trig-point.

Black Crag to Tarn Hows

The route from Black Fell to Tarn Hows is quite well marked heading South West. There are a few route through the open grassy moorland towards Iron Keld and Iron Keld Plantation.

As you approach the plantation you will join a wide path where you will head to the left through a gate.

This path will take you through the plantation until you reach a lane. At the lane again turn left.

After a short distance on the lane you will see a path to the right over a still next to an iron gate. This will take you around the back of Torver Intake and through another stile onto the main Tarn Hows footpath.

You can choose to go either way around Tarn Hows on this path, the shortest route is to the left.

he Tarn Hows path Is a wide accessible path.

Tarn Hows to Glen Mary Bridge

At the end of Tarn Hows nearest to the car park are two path that lead down to the Glen Mary Car Park. The one shown on the map route is off to the left of the path that leads from the car park down towards the dam.

This path winds down to the car park and opens out to give some great views of Holme Fell which feels like a great way to end the walk.

Alternatives and Extensions

There is parking at Hodge Close so you could use that as the start of this walk. I’m not sure why you would as it’s at the end of a single lane track that winds its way through the fells just beyond Glen Mary Bridge.

You can also park at Yew Tree Tarn where there are a few spaces alongside the A593. If you do this you can walk through the woods across the dam and north to join the route in Harry Guards Wood, or cross over and walk through the woods south to Glen Mary Bridge. The route through the woods alongside the A593 is the route back from Glen Mary Bridge at the end of the walk.

A visit to the base of Hodge Close Quarry via Parrock Quarry is only a short detour of the route. From the base of Parrock Quarry you walk through a tunnel into the base of Hodge Close.

The route as set out makes its way back to Glen Mary Bridge from the path near to the Tarn Hows car park. There is also a route which takes you from the Tarn Hows dam alongside the stream and the waterfalls back to the car park.

• Distance: 8.5 miles/14 km
• Elevation: 2230 ft/680 m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Start: Walna Scar Car Park
• Graham’s Cafe: I really should get a good recommendation for a cafe in Coniston. Depending on your route in Bakehouse Born + Bread is a great option.
• Classification: Birkett, Wainwright

The Maps

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

If you are in Coniston village, or down by the lake, Dow Crag sits behind the more prominent and more renowned Coniston Old Man.

The name Dow Crag originally only applied to the rocky outcrop overhanging Goat’s Water. The naming of peaks only really became a convention when walkers needed a name to describe where they were going. Dow Crag therefore became adopted as the name for the hill on which the crags resided, the same is true for Tarn Crag above Easdale Tarn.

The crags themselves have been popular with climbers since climbing became an activity that people did. In the case of Dow Crags they are split into five buttresses each imaginatively named as ‘A’ through to ‘E’. In 1928 a climbing route was put up on buttress ‘A’ by legendary climber George Basterfield, known as ‘Eliminate A’ which remains a classic test route for climbers to this day.

Goats feature in quite a few names on this route with Goat’s Water, Goat Crag and Goat Hawse. The naming is probably quite literal hinting that this was probably an area where feral goats roamed.

A little way off the route between Buck Pike and Brown Pike is an interesting geological feature – Blind Tarn. Unusually the tarn has no visible inlet or outlet yet manages to maintain its water level and good stock of Brown Trout, apparently.

As you walk onto Walna Scar and White Maiden this walk has some glorious views across the Duddon Valley a place made famous by William Wordsworth. Having explored the valley as a schoolboy Wordsworth returned to the valley to write a progression of 34 sonnets reflecting the river Duddon from its source to the sea. Even today the Duddon Valley retains a certain remoteness.

Then there’s White Maiden, where did that name come from? If you are hoping for a mystical legend sorry, it’s probably linguistic again. Maiden is used in several places, across the area, to describe a hill fort and this would seem like a great place to put one but there isn’t any evidence of one being there. White probably indicates the colour of the local rock. There are other places named white in the Lake District – interestingly these include Whiteside and White Side as two different places.

There are currently two car parks at Walna Scar so you shouldn’t have any problems parking. They do have different charging regimes and one is likely to be cheaper than the other for your stay. The drive up to the car park, Walna Scar Road, is a steep narrow lane requiring confidence in your driving ability.

The Walk

Walna Scar Car Park to Goat’s Hawse

There are a couple of paths out of Walna Scar car park, the one we want is a continuation of the road that you used to drive up the hill and continues to be known as Walna Scar Road.

For the first half of this section we follow this lane, it’s wide and stony and not particularly comfortable walking. Fortunately, as you walk up to an area known as The Cove, you also have the option of walking on a footpath just off to the left of the lane hidden behind the bracken. This footpath includes a bit more up-and-down but is gentler on the feet and ankles.

Follow the route of the lane until you reach the path off to the right. This is a significant path and comes just as the crags on the right start to open out.

From a route perspective all you need to do is follow this path to Goat Hawse; there is a little more to it than that, but not much.

The route to Goat Hawse takes you alongside The Cove from which the views of Dow Crag will start to open up.

You’ll climb for a while, then the terrain will become more rocky as you climb until you start to see Goat’s Tarn. Follow the route around the west of the tarn. It might look like there’s an interesting route around the east of the tarn but it’s really a path for the climbers only.

At the end of Goat’s Tarn the path will climb to the hawse – a hawse meaning ‘neck’ and being the connecting land between two higher grounds, it’s more commonly spelled ‘hause.’ A hawse is often a high pass. In this case Goat Hawse is the top of the pass that goes between Brim Fell and Dow Crag.

Goat’s Hawse to Dow Crag

At the top of Goat Hawse you’ll join a crossroads of paths (why isn’t that a ‘crosspaths’?)

You want to take the path that is going off to the left on an incline with the crag to your left.

Follow this path to the top of Dow Crag.

This is a well worn path with several routes but all of them heading in the same direction.

The crags off to the left start to become very steep with some huge cliffs. It’s possible to get quite close to the edge and caution is required.

Dow Crag to Brown Pike via Buck Pike

The route from Dow Crag to Brown Pike is along the ridge of the crags.

There are some fabulous views down to the tarn, over 200m below, and on a good day views over to Coniston Old Man. This is a great time to marvel at the majesty of these magnificent rock formations but caution is still required.

You will see, on this section, several paths that look like they come up from the tarn, do not be tempted to try to go down any of them they are mostly walk-out paths from the climbing routes.

Brown Pike to White Pike via Walna Scar

From the summit of Brown Pike carry along the ridge down to Walna Scar Road (this is the same road that you started the walk on) and cross over onto Walna Scar itself.

The path from Walna Scar goes almost straight to White Pike. Ignore the closer hill to your left this is likely White Maiden which we are coming back to.

White Pike to White Maiden

The route from White Pike to White Maiden is less distinct than the other paths you’ve been on today. Looking back on the path you’ve just travelled on you should see a path heading slightly to the right and aiming for a wall.

The summit of White Maiden is just about at the point where the wall takes a 90 degree turn to the right.

White Maiden to High Pike Haw

The next two sections are Birkett’s off-path section; something he seemingly likes to include in his routes.

At the summit of White Maiden you can’t see High Pike Haw, nor will you see a path. My best advice is to follow the route of the wall on its journey down.

If you are a compass person set a bearing for High Pike Haw and work your way down to it following the sheep tracks as you go and trying to avoid falling off any crags. On the GPX and OS Maps Route for this walk I’ve shown where I walked last time I did this walk and you will see it’s a bit higgledy-piggledy.

If you aren’t confident with a compass then I would advise that you stay a bit closer to the wall and cross the common once you see High Pike Haw. It is quite a distinctive outcrop.

High Pike Haw to Walna Scar Car Park

To the south of High Pike Haw is a fence, this will be your guide back to Walna Scar Road. The fence roughly follows the line of Seal Gill. The fence and stream will eventually take a sharp turn to the right. Follow along for a while further until you come to Ash Beck and a return to actual paths near a disused quarry.

Once you’ve reached the path turn left along it over Ash Gill Beck via some stepping stones where there once was a bridge.

The path then follows, at a little distance, the route of a wall past a couple of quarries.

In time the path will reach a kind of t-junction with a larger path beyond which is a beck, beyond the beck the path will continue. If the beck is low feel free to traverse it, if not then head left up the hill and back to Walna Scar Road there.

If you traversed the beck follow the path on that side up to Walna Scar Road cutting off a corner and a climb. This path should join onto the path that is easier on your feet and ankles.

Once you’ve reached Walna Scar Road turn right and follow it back to your vehicle.

Alternatives and Extensions

I, for one, wouldn’t blame you if you decided to skip High Pike Haw. To return directly from White Maiden follow the path you are already on back to Walna Scar and onto the road.

You could massively extend this route by starting with Coniston Old Man. While this would be a magnificent walk it’s worth noting that Coniston Old Man features in a different Birkett route heading away from Dow Crag over to Whetherlam and starting from a different place.

There is an alternative walk which starts in Seathwaite, Dunnerdale and makes its way up to Goat Hawse via Seathwaite Tarn. You’d then return to Seathwaite via the Walna Scar Road, but in the opposite direction. You’d definitely miss out High Pike Haw if this was your route. Also, Dunnerdale is significantly more difficult to get to than Coniston, for most people.

• Distance: 7.6 miles/12 km
• Elevation: 1730 ft/527 m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Start: Shap Summit Lay-by on the A6
• Graham’s Cafe: Not really.
• Classification: Birkett

The Maps

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

This walk is about as far East as you can go and still be in the Lake District National Park. Although there are plans to extend the park as far as the border with the Yorkshire Dales National park, the current boundary of the National Park is the A6 where we will be parking.

Bill Birkett recommends parking at Crookdale Bridge where I could only see a single parking space which itself wasn’t wholly satisfactory so I’ve moved the starting point to a summit lay-by on the A6. As the name suggests this lay-by marks the summit of the A6 which is commemorated by a granite and slate memorial to the people who used to travel on the road before the M6 was built. There’s also a commendation to the local people: “Remembered too are those who built and maintained the road and the generations of local people who gave freely of food and shelter to stranded travellers in bad weather.”

This is a walk in one of the more remote parts of the Lake District, once you walk away from the A6 you aren’t likely to see another person all day. Most of the valley basin for this horseshoe isn’t even visible from the A6. Even from the tops there are only occasional views of any road.This is a walk in one of the more remote parts of the Lake District, once you walk away from the A6 you aren’t likely to see another person all day. Most of the valley basin for this horseshoe isn’t even visible from the A6. Even from the tops there are only occasional views of any road.

There are some interesting names on this route. Several fells in Cumbria, as well as other geographic features, have names that either point to local mythology or to the local heraldic systems, but it’s not always as clear-cut as that. Two of the names on this route mean very similar things, Lord’s Seat and Yarlside. Yarl is the root of the modern word Earl, side describes elevated land. Lord’s points to the local heraldic system, in this case the land was held under the Lordship of Fawcett. Seat refers, again, to a high place or prominent vantage point.

Robin Hood could point to the legendary outlaw more normally associated with Nottinghamshire. There are several places in the Lake District that mention legendary characters such as King Arthur. Cumbria has its own legendary outlaw in Adam Bell, but that’s from a bit further north. Robin Hood could also be a simple word-morph from Rob-in-Wood which has been known to happen in several places across the north of England.

A version of the Crookdale Horseshoe is also included in Wainwright’s Outlying Fells book but in an anti-clockwise direction and missing out the northern ridge which is included in the Wasdale Horseshoe.

The Walk

A6 Summit Lay-by to Crookdale Bridge

From the Shap Summit Lay-by look out for the footpath finger-sign on the other side. Go through the gate and across a field until the path joins a track. Turn left onto the track.

Follow this track down the valley to Crookdale Bridge.

Cross over the bridge.

Crookdale Bridge to High House Bank

On the other side of the bridge follow the brook upstream. There isn’t really a path here, as I am learning, Birkett likes to have at least one part of each walk off-path.

Birkett recommends a slightly different route and also a climb over a wall, there isn’t a path there and I’m not a fan of climbing walls. This different route avoids the wall climb but there still isn’t anything you could really describe as a path.

Alongside the stream follow the line of a wall. After a short distance the wall will become a fence. At the start of the fence are some wooden slats to enable you to climb over.

On the other side of the fence follow the route of the wall uphill.

Eventually you will need to head off to the right uphill. There aren’t really any distinguishing features other than the hill getting higher to the right as the wall tracks to the left and lower. Aim for the highest point on the hill and you’ll find the summit.

Near to the summit of High House Bank you should unexpectedly come across a path that will lead you to the summit.

High House Bank to Robin Hood

From the summit of High House Bank continue to follow the path to the summit of Robin Hood.

You will pass through a couple of gates on your way there. Through the first gate the path will become more of a track.

There are also a few wiggles in the path as it tries to avoid the really boggy bits.

Through the second gate you will need to head on the track to the left for the route to the summit of Robin Hood.

Robin Hood to Lord’s Seat

From Robin Hood continue on the wide path to Lord’s Seat. This route is again on the track and quite straight.

Lord’s Seat to Great Yarlside

The route from Lord’s Seat to Great Yarlside requires some more off-path navigation.

Head along the track until it starts to veer off to the left.

Leave the path turning to the right and head across the valley towards Lawyer’s Brow navigating Blueberry Gill.

There aren’t any paths here, there are a few sheep tracks and there is also plenty of bog. You are unlikely to avoid the bog completely, the best you can hope for is to stay high in the valley and hope.

From Lawyer’s Brow continue to ascend until you reach the summit of Great Yarlside.

Great Yarlside to Little Yarlside

The route from Great Yarlside to Little Yarlside is in the direction of the wall that you will see from the summit of Great Yarlside.

Great Yarlside is on the southern side of the wall, Little Yarlside is on the northern side so you will need to cross the wall at some point. There are a few options as you go along but don’t leave it too late.

On the north side of the wall the path becomes more of a track again.

The defined summit of Little Yarlside is a little way north of the track if you want to get to the precise point.

Little Yarlside to Whatshaw Common (almost)

From Little Yarlside there is a track towards Whatshaw Common along the line of the wall on its northern side.

The defined summit for Whatshaw Common is on the southern side of the wall. When I walked it recently there didn’t appear to be any way of traversing the wall near the summit point so I stayed on the track and counted this as the summit.

Whatshaw Common to the A6 Summit Lay-by

The track alongside the northern side of the wall continues down from Whatshaw Common as far as the lay-by.

Alternatives and Extensions

There are a few tweaks you could do on this walk but on the whole it’s self-contained.

About the only extension that you could do is to continue along the valley and add in the summit of Harrop Pike. This would mean a tramp across quite a lot of bog from Lord’s Seat. The route from Harrop Pike to Great Yarlside is along a track and a bit more straightforward. Harrop Pike is part of Sleddale Fell Circular from Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale which is Birkett SHA 5.

• Distance: 10.2 miles/16.4 km
• Elevation: 1357 ft/413 m
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Start: Dunsop Bridge Car Park
• Graham’s Cafe: Not really, you could decide to drop into Lancaster or Scorton at the end of the walk. There is Puddleducks Tearoom in the village which isn’t on Graham’s Guides because I’ve never been.
• Classification: None

The Maps

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

This walk starts from the main car park in Dunsop Bridge a village whose main claim to fame is that it’s close to the Gravitational Centre of Great Britain, according to the Ordnance Survey. The measured centre is 7km further north near to a place known as the Whitendale Hanging Stones.

Dunsop Bridge sits on the River Dunsop, hence the name. The latter stages of this route follow the river from fells to the village. Just beyond the village, not on our walk, is the confluence of the Dunsop and the Hodder. The village and much of the area of this walk sit within the Duchy of Lancaster Whitewell Estate. The major exception to this is the land within the valley which is owned and managed by United Utilities as a water catchment area. You’ll pass several signposts talking about how United Utilities reduced the amount of water they are taking and seeking to make it better for nature.

Part way around this route is a memorial to four plane crashes that took place between 1940 and 1945, some quite near to our route, there are apparently 14 crash sites around the Bowland Fells.

One of the crashes that is commemorated is from January 1943 when a squadron of 45 Lockheed Lightning P38 were travelling from Hull to Northern Ireland for a refit. In cloudy conditions two of the Lightnings collided killing both pilots. The planes came down a mile apart, one on Dunsop Fell near to our route and the second on Baxton Fell a little further north of our route.

Another commemoration is to Sgt. T.T. Nawrocki from Poland who was the pilot of a Spitfire that crashed in 1942. The plane was on a test flight following an extensive overhaul at Woodvale in Merseyside near Southport. Radio communications suggested that all was well with the aircraft. Further radio communications said that the aircraft was in cloud near Preston and would be descending through that cloud back to Woodvale. When the aircraft didn’t return a search commenced which carried on for two days before a farmer found the wreckage and a day later members of the local home guard found the pilot’s body.

Notice that poor visibility is a common theme in these parts including on the day I decided to go.

While we are on the subject of clouds and rainfall. Dunsop is made up of two words Dun meaning hill and sop meaning marsh, bog, wet soggy place. They knew what they were doing with their names back then.

The Walk

Significant sections of this walk are on open moorland where you will need to be able to navigate without clearly defined paths and in poor visibility, hence I’ve marked this route as Difficult. While the latter stages of this walk are on accessible paths, there are several places where you will need to use a stile, climb some fencing and negotiate a bog or two.

I set off on a dull day with little promise of it getting any better and it didn’t until right at the end.

Dunsop Bridge to Beatrix

We start this walk in the Dunsop Bridge car park where you will find public toilets for your convenience. When I was last there the machine at the car park wouldn’t take cards, I didn’t have enough cash and there wasn’t enough mobile signal to pay via MiPermit. The solution was to take down the MiPermit number and to pay when I could get a signal which, from memory, was somewhere near to the village park.

From the car park head, on the road, towards the bridge and Puddleducks Tearoom. Just before the bridge take a right down the side of the tearooms. You’ll follow this path down the side of the river and the village park, along a straight bit of lane and then around the back of a couple of cottages.

Not far beyond the cottage there is a kissing-gate off to the right with a short footpath sign nearby. Beyond the gate you will walk through some woods up a hill and over a drystone wall.

This is where my route follows the signposts that are in the field rather than the paths shown on the OS maps. The OS maps show a path cutting an angle across the field. The signs in the field direct you alongside the fence and onto a lane where you turn left to Beatrix.

Beatrix to Laythams

This section is a long one, it’s not that the navigation is complicated, it’s just fiddly field-to-field stuff. The reality is it’s mostly straight from one field to the next but every now and then the path traverses a field diagonally.

In Beatrix the OS maps show a path going up to the top of Burns Fell on the left. At the start of this path is a big PRIVATE sign, so I decided to take a different route.

Not far beyond the PRIVATE sign is another path off to the left of the lane as it turns right.

You follow this path alongside fences and walls until you reach Oxenhurst Clough. Here the path descends quite steeply to a stream and ascends out the other side through some pine woods. The clough is a delightful little place.

Beyond the pine wood of the clough the path again traverses the hillside alongside fences and walls past The Hey and Burn House. Some of this is footpath, other parts are lane.

At Burn House you will first reach Hartley’s Huts, then go down the back of the farm and through an electric gate. The farm is the location of the crash memorial on the lefthand side of the lane just before the gate.

After the electric gate the lane takes a sharp righthand turn with a bank on the left.

From the turn head up the banking and look across the field where in most conditions you should be able to see a large multi-step stile on the far side of the field which heads into a wood. Aim straight for the stile picking up whichever bits of path you can find as you go.

Inside the woods on the other side of the stile you will find a path heading into the woods off to the right. This path will reach a ditch beyond which the area is marked PRIVATE and the path is directed along the ditch. At the end of the ditch you will find a stile.

On the other side of the stile the path heads diagonally across a field to the left. At the other end of the field you should be able to see a gate between two woods, aim for this.

Beyond the gate the path heads alongside a fence up a small incline which will bring you to a wall with another stile.

The field beyond the stile is the last fields in this section and again the OS map shows a path straight across it from one corner to the opposite corner. When I walked it recently the grass and wildflowers were quite tall and it wasn’t possible to see whether there was a defined path so I just headed across picking up whatever routes I could find.

At the far end of the field is a small gate out onto the road at Laythams.

Laythams to Burn End

The navigation on this section is a little easier.

Through the gate turn left along the road until you come to the entrance to Burnside Cottage which has a footpath fingerboard at the end.

Walk up the driveway towards the cottage until you reach a gate which will direct you to a footpath off to the right through a gate, then left alongside a hedge.

Follow the hedge until you come to another gate which will take you back onto the last remnants of the lane before it becomes a boggy path.

The boggy path will take you up an incline roughly following the route of a stream and a wall until you reach another wall where you will find a gate.

On the other side of the gate head to the right on a path that climbs while traversing the hill.

You will reach a switchback in the path to the left at what is roughly Burn End.

Burn End to Dunsop Head

From the switch back it’s time to enter more open moorland ascending the ridge of Wisket Hill which I think is a fabulous name.

At this point my dull weather day turned into rainy low cloud and any expectation of views slipped away. I suspect you can see for miles from up here, but I’ve never had that privilege.

Heading upwards you will eventually come to a fence which you will track alongside, up and along until you reach Dunsop Head close to the summit of Dunsop Fell.

At Dunsop Head there’s a stile over the fence. On the other side of the fence the landscape changes from grassy moorland grazed by sheep to grouse moor with heather. The grassy moorland is quite boggy, the grouse moor is especially boggy near to the summit.

Dunsop Head to Whitendale

Near to Dunsop Head there is a vague path heading off across the moor towards Whitendale directly opposite the stile.

Further along there is the occasional post marking the path as it works its way along a set of culverts interspersed by peat hags.

In time the path will become more discernible as a path.

The path will eventually start to descend towards Whitendale which it does via a couple of switchbacks to the left and then to the right.

Whitendale to Foot Holme

Just before the farm buildings and before the bridge over the Whitendale river turn to the left in the direction of the river alongside a wall.

The first part of this path isn’t well defined, but it will become a nice even path along the side of the valley.

The path passes through several gates and over a couple of footbridges where there are some nice waterfalls.

Beyond the waterfalls the path descends to Foot Holme where there is a footbridge across the Whitendale just before it joins with the Brennand to become the Dunsop. Cross the footbridge and turn left.

Foot Holme to Dunsop Bridge

On the other side of the footbridge at Foot Holme the path becomes more of a lane and most of it tarmac.

This lane goes all the way back to Dunsop Bridge. It’s pretty countryside, but the lane isn’t close enough to the Dunsop to give great views of river itself. There is, however, the occasional path that takes you alongside the river for a little while.

The route that we will take doesn’t use the lane all the way into Dunsop Bridge, we’ll take the footbridge back over the Dunsop near to the path we took to Beatrix and alongside the village park. The footbridge is accessed straight off the lane.

Beyond the village park you will come out onto the road next to Puddleducks Tearoom. Turn left onto the road and back to the car park on your left.

Alternative and Extensions

From Whitendale you can cross the river here and follow the road back to Foot Holme. The road climbs further than the path on the other side and takes a slightly longer route.

There is an alternative lower path from Beatrix to Laythams, I’ve never walked this route so couldn’t comment on how good it is.

• Distance: 4.5 miles/7 km
• Elevation: 525 ft/160 m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Start: Wolf House
• Graham’s Cafe: Wolf (awaiting a guide)
• Classification: None

The Maps

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

Silverdale sits on limestone a porous rock which allows water to seep through crevices and to ascend through springs.

We are used to turning on a tap and the water being there, but that wasn’t always the case. It’s not that long ago that people needed to retrieve water for their daily use. Silverdale doesn’t have a river to go to which made the local community dependent upon a series of wells.

The wells were in use as recently as 1938 when the Lune Valley Water Board connected the community into the Haweswater Aqueduct.

(The Haweswater Aqueduct is mentioned in a few other routes: Clougha Pike Circular from Riggs Lane, River Lune and Lancaster Canal Circular from the Lune Aqueduct, Sleddale Fell Circular from Sadgill Bridge, Longsleddale)

There are supposed to be at least 11 wells in the area, but that doesn’t mean that they are all accessible. This walk takes you past the ones that you can access and close to a few others that are marked on the map but aren’t accessible. There are also a few that are outside the area of this walk to include them would have turned the walk into a bit of a slog.

The wells are in various states of disrepair and I’m not recommending that you take water from any of them. Just because something was once highly prized doesn’t mean that it’s shown respect today, it’s a warning to us all.

This walk includes a visit to the local memorial for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee on the top of Castlebarrow Hill. It’s known as The Pepper Pot due to its shape. The Pepper Pot is a relatively short diversion from the primary task of visiting wells.

The Walk

The Start to Woodwell

As the name might suggest, Woodwell is in, or at least next to, a wood.

The most convenient place to park is on the road, here, where you should see a finger signpost to Woodwell through a gap in the wall. There are a couple of spaces here, but if these aren’t available head down the road towards Wolf House where there is more parking. The last part of this walk is along this road so you will just be swapping distance at the start for reduced distance at the end.

Once you are through the gap in the wall you will take a couple of steps down and see a fork in the path. Take the lefthand path down the hill.

Follow this path to the edge of the wood and then along a little where you will find a water pool and in the cliff face a smaller pool with water dripping into it. This is Woodwell.

Woodwell to Burton Well

Heading back into the wood from Woodwell the path will look like it’s about to head straight up the cliff, and that is what it does. It may look a bit daunting but the steps aren’t too big and you are soon out at the top.

Continue the path through the woods until it takes a righthand turn down the side of a field.

On the other side of the field the route drops onto a lane which you should follow until it comes out onto a road.

Turn right onto the road and follow along until you come to a fork. Take the lefthand road for a short way until you see a lane on the right. Follow the lane which narrows and become more of path.

Part way along the path you will find Burton Well in the bushes on the right. It’s quite a large pool.

Burton Well to Dogslack Well (and Bank Well)

Return to the path and continue in the direction you had been going. The path will leave the woods and into a more open field through a gate. This is Lambert Meadow. Follow the path along the left side of the meadow until you reach a path crossing it to the right over duckboard.

The path across the meadow will bring you to a gate through which there is a set of steps. Follow the steps up and through a wood until you come out onto a road.

Turn left onto the road the right onto a lane which has a fingerboard at the end telling you that this is the way to Dogslack Well and The Row. On the lefthand side of the road just before you head down the lane is the location of Bank Well now a small pond. The inclusion of The Row on the fingerboard is a bit confusing because the road you’ve just left is The Row although it is correct to say that the end of the lane places you back on The Row a little further along.

Head down the lane until you come to a hand pump marking the location of Dogslack Well.

Dogslack Well to Eaves Wood Car Park

From the hand-pump of Dogslack Well continue on the path until you return to The Row.

It’s worth noting that if you decide to do this walk in the opposite, clockwise, direction the gate at the end of the lane is marked with the number 37 making it look like the entrance to someone’s house. It is also marked with a sign showing it’s a footpath.

Turn right onto the road and follow it as it curved to the left.

The road will eventually come out onto a T-junction. Opposite the junction you should be able to see the entrance to the Eaves Wood car park.

Eaves Wood Car Park to The Pepper Pot

Walk through the Eaves Wood car park and follow the lane up the hill and into the woods.

The path will come to a T-junction with another path, turn left along the edge of the wood.

As you travel along you will see several path heading up to the right. If you want to explore a bit pick one and meander your way up the hillside and along to the Pepper Pot. There are several signs around that will lead you to where you want to be.

If you want a more defined route follow the path until you notice another path joining from the left, turn right at this point, up the hill and around to the Pepper Pot.

As you reach the top of the hill you will notice a sign pointing off to the left with a picture of a Pepper Pot on it, this is the route you need to take.

The Pepper Pot to the Cove Well

Our route to the Cove is via the path at the edge of Eaves Wood. You can either retrace your steps all the way down, or follow the signs down.

As you join the Eaves Wood path turn right and travel along a little way with a wall on your left. As you reach the end of the wall there is a path off to your left. Elmslack Well is supposed to be around here somewhere, but I’ve never been able to find it. There is a rumour that it’s under a bin.

This should take you onto Elmslack Lane at the junction with Castle Bank. Head straight across on Elmslack Lane to its end.

There is then a footpath through to Walling’s Lane.

As Walling’s Lane swings left there is a footpath that will take you down onto Cove Road.

Follow Cove Road for a short way until you get to Cove Lane. Cove Lane will take you down to the Cove.

The actual well in the cove is no longer visible, but it’s a glorious stop all the same.

The Cove Well to Wolf House

The path out of the Cove follows the cliff edge to the left as you enter it.

Our route takes us up alongside the cliff, through some woods, through a gate and out onto an open field. Follow the well worn path across the field through another gate in a drystone wall. Cross another field and a gate out onto the road.

Turn right on the road. The road you are on will head to the right, this is the route down to the shore. In front of you is a junction with another road heading up the hill. This road is Lindeth Road which you will follow all the way up the gentle incline to Wolf House where it will turn left and you will find your vehicle.

This is where you take the reward of refreshments at Wolf Cafe.

Alternatives and Extensions

You can make this walk shorter by missing out some of the wells, but that’s a different walk – Silverdale Circular via Scout Wood and The Cove.

There are lots of paths within Eaves Wood to explore most of which end up at the Pepper Pot eventually.

You could significantly extend the walk by adding in a loop of Arnside Tower. You’d do this by branching off from Eaves Wood car park, heading around the western side of Eaves Wood towards Waterslack and around through Middlebarrow Woods. If you do this you will pass Middlebarrow Quarry which is impressive for its size, but is fenced off. From Arnside Tower you would then make your way back to the Cove.

There is an option to travel from the Cove to Silverdale Beach via the shoreline. This is a muddy venture and should only be undertaken after consulting the tide times. The tides around Morecambe Bay are treacherous.

Eaves Wood car park would be a good alternative place to start this walk.

• Distance: 6.3 miles/10.1 km
• Elevation: 1778 ft/542 m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Start: Sadgill Bridge
• Graham’s Cafe: Not really, you could take a diversion to More? The Artisan Bakery, Staveley
• Classification: Birkett, Wainwright

The Map

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

Sleddale Fell is in a lesser visited area of the Lake District hidden away at the end of Longsleddale a valley in the South East of the National Park, a little way north of Kendal.

In most places the valley name is compressed to a single word, Longsleddale, but in some it appears as two words, Long Sleddale. The Ordnance Survey has it both ways depending on the resolution of the map that you use, at 1:50K it’s Long Sleddale, at 1:25K it’s Longsleddale. I make this point simply to show that place names aren’t as concrete as some people would love them to be.

On your way into the valley you will pass Longsleddale Church, St. Mary’s, which is a glorious country church offering fabulous views along the valley. Opposite the church is the village hall and a public toilet; this is your last opportunity in the valley without going wild.

As well as being a beautiful secluded Lake District valley Longsleddale has a claim to fame. The valley is reported to be the inspiration behind Greendale in the TV show Postman Pat. I’m talking here about the pre-2017 version where it was one man and a black-and-white cat, since then Pat appears to have gained all sorts of technical abilities in his new role at the Special Delivery Service. John Cunliffe, the creator of the show, lived in nearby Kendal.

Longsleddale and part of our walk are also the route of the Haweswater Aqueduct taking water to Manchester. The aqueduct is featured in other Graham’s Guides including; River Lune and Lancaster Canal Circular from the Lune Aqueduct and Clougha Pike Circular from Riggs Lane. Directly on the route and just to the side of it we will pass several of the survey towers used in the construction of the aqueduct.

You will ascend Tarn Crag on this walk, which overlooks what is known as Greycrag Tarn. Greycrag Tarn feels like a bit of an overstatement. A tarn is normally a mountain lake or pond, but Greycrag Tarn is more of a permanently wet boggy area.

The name Longsleddale comes from three words – “long” “sledge” and “dale.”

It appears the “long” was added to distinguish this valley from Wet Sleddale near Shap.

For “sled” there are a couple of theories, I’ll let you decide which you prefer.

“Sled” is a shortened version of similar words to “sledge” in Old English and Old Norse. It highlights that this was a place where sledges were used to transport things which can be easier on steep slopes.

“Sled” could also be highlighting the U-shape of the valley. This is based on a similar word in Old English meaning glade, dell, or a strip of smooth, low-lying land between hills.

“Dale” means valley meaning that it’s not really necessary to call it Longsleddale valley, because that information is already in the name. There are variants of “Dale” in both Old Norse and Old English.

The Walk

Sadgill Bridge to the Ford

This walk starts from the end of the road in Longsleddale at Sadgill where the road becomes a metalled track and there is a stone bridge off to the left. There’s an area there to park several cars which is normally sufficient. I’ve visited on several occasions but never struggled to park.

There’s one route into Longsleddale which is a narrow track that winds its way alongside the River Sprint that you join from the A6, or through Burneside, to Garnett Bridge.

Once you’ve parked up it’s time to get back on the bridleway as it continues along the side of the river. There are some wonderful waterfalls and pools as you make your way up into the hills.

For nearly two miles the navigation is straightforward, just keep to the track. Having climbed for most of this distance you’ll pass through a gate and the path will level out. You’ll also cross a bridge. For most of the distance the river will have been on your left, there will be now be a stream on your right.

The Ford to Tarn Crag

On the OS Maps there is a ford shown across the stream and a path labelled Brownhowe Bottom. There should also be a Public Bridleway signpost showing Swindale Head and Wet Sleddale.

This is one of those situations where there are a few paths on the ground that all appear to go in a similar direction. In this case they are all heading to a very similar place which is a gate in a fence. Don’t go through the gate though, follow the route of the fence to the right as it heads up Tarn Crag.

The fence will lead you to a stile over another fence.

Beyond the stile you should see a path veering away from the fence to the right a little way before the fence makes a turn to the left. Take the path to the right. On a clear day you will soon be able to see the survey tower near to the summit of Tarn Crag.

The survey pillar isn’t the true summit of Tarn Crag that’s marked by a nearby cairn. The views are better from the tower though.

Tarn Crag to Harrop Pike

From the summit of Tarn Crag head back towards the fence along a well marked path around the east side of the tarn. Follow the fence for a while longer. You will descend a little and then ascend and as you do so the fence will turn at a right-angle to the left.

Continue to follow the fence around the corner on our way to Harrop Pike. This bit of the walk feels like a short diversion in order to get a tick.

Follow the line of the fence with it on your left, traverse another fence, continue a little while longer until you reach a stile. The true summit is across the stile and is marked by a cairn. Do whatever it is you do to tick off a summit.

Harrop Pike to Grey Crag

Retrace your steps back to the right angle in the fence from Harrop Pike.

Continue straight on and slightly to the left to the summit of Grey Crag. It’s only a short distance from the right-angle in the fence.

Grey Crag to Great Howe

From the summit of Grey Crag continue in the direction you had been going bearing to the right as you descend to a fence.

Traverse the fence via a stile and follow the path on the other side across what is becoming increasingly open moorland. There are several great views along Longsleddale in this section.

You may notice on the map a couple of places where is marked pillar to the left of the path. These are also survey towers for the aqueduct. The one near to the summit of Great Howe is easier to get to than the one further down near Brock Crag.

The summit of Great Howe isn’t particularly distinct.

Great Howe to Sadgill Bridge

The descent from Great Howe is a delightful meander down the steep sides of the valley. From the summit of Great Howe continue in the direction you had been going veering to the left and then to the right until you reach a stile in a fence.

This is one of the very few places on this walk where it’s important that you make the right navigational choice. Over the stile, head right. This may feel counter-intuitive.

The path will take you along the side of a wall, the wall being on your right. The path will take you to a glorious valley view before switching back left and down the valley side to a stile in a wall.

Beyond the wall, on most days, you will be able to see the bridge and your transportation beyond.

Cross the field to a gate in the wall near to the bridge. The gate is covered in more signs that most office kitchens.

Alternatives and Extensions

Honestly, there aren’t really any interesting alternatives on this walk. There’s nowhere that you can walk a little further and claim another summit or paddle in a tarn.

Perhaps the only thing you might choose to do is to continue up onto Gatesgarth Pass. You’d do that by missing out the ford over to Brownhowe Bottom. Near to the top of the path you’d take a path to the right and head to the summit of Branstree. From the summit of Branstree you’d then head south-east along a fence to the summit of Tarn Crag. It adds another summit, but Branstree is a much nicer walk with glorious views from the Haweswater side taking in Brown Howes, Selside Pike and High Howes.

You could do this walk in reverse, there are positives and negatives to either direction.

• Distance: 8.4 miles/13 km
• Elevation: 2417 ft/736 m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Start: Red Bank Car Park
• Graham’s Cafes: This walk starts in Grasmere where you will find Mathilde’s Cafe and Lucia’s (awaiting a guide)
• Classification: Birkett, Wainwright

The Map

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

This walk includes two fells that show the impact of Alfred Wainwright and his guides on people’s understanding of the area. Tarn Crag used to refer to the rocky outcrop overlooking the Easedale Tarn until AW decided to apply that label to the whole summit. Sergeant Man is a must have tick for anyone working their way through the 214 summits, but it’s not really a summit worthy of the status. AW’s logic was that it was a better summit than the taller High Raise behind it and to be fair to AW High Raise is a flat grassy prominence. Sergeant Man is definitely worth visiting, it’s an interesting rocky crag and the views are spectacular, despite its diminutive stature. Tarn Crag is also worth visiting, but the best views are a little way from the summit overlooking the tarn. You can’t actually see the tarn from the summit.

The name Sergeant Man is a bit of a mystery. Sergeant could be a corruption of another term or even a person’s name. There’s also a possibility it relates to the Anglo-French servient, meaning ‘to serve’, and highlighting its subservience to High Raise. Man is used in Cumbria dialect to refer to a man-made pile of stones or a prominent rocky pinnacle of which there are several examples across the Lake District including Old Man of Coniston, Skiddaw Little Man, and Helvelyn Lower Man.

There are a couple of places on this walk that are popular with wild swimmers and dippers. At the base of the main waterfall of Sourmilk Gill there’s a good sized dipping pool. Easedale Tarn is also a good spot, but mountain tarns require extra caution, they are always a few degrees colder than any other water.

The walk up to Easedale Tarn was very popular with the Victorians and even had a shop next to it. I’ve written more about this in the Easedale Tarn Circular from Grasmere route. This popularity continues today and rightly so, it’s beautiful. This route isn’t busy all the way though; once you branch away from the main path onto the Tarn Crag path you will find yourself alone.

The Walk

In Complete Lakeland Fells, Bill Birkett recommends parking at a car park on Easedale Road at grid reference NY 334080. There is no longer a car park at this location, or on Easedale Road at all, so I’ve shown this walk starting from Red Bank Car Park.

Grasmere to Sourmilk Gill

This part of the walk will be the busiest of the day.

From the car park head down Langdale Road, which is almost opposite the entrance. This will take you past Tweedie and onto Broadgate. Continue past the Heaton Cooper Studio and turn left onto Easedale Road.

Just before Easedale Road you will see two of Graham’s Cafes; as part of the Heaton Cooper Studio is Mathilde’s Cafe, on the other side of the road is Lucia’s Coffee and Bakehouse. Both are great places to start and finish a walk, Lucia’s is particularly good for a packed lunch, Mathilde’s is more of a place you go to as a reward at the end of the walk.

Returning to our walk, follow Easedale Road until you reach Glenthorne Quaker Centre and Guest House where you’ll notice a gate on the right which will take you off the road onto a path running parallel to Easedale Road up to Goody Bridge.

A short way beyond Goody Bridge the road takes a right-hand turn and there’s a path going straight on over a footbridge.

The footbridge will take you onto a cobbled bridleway which will be your guide all the way to the waterfall of Sourmilk Gill.

At the main falls there’s a short path off to the right which takes you to the clear pool at the base and for much of the year you can use the large rocks in the beck to explore. A word of caution though, these rocks can be slippy.

Continue on the path beyond the main waterfall until the ground levels out a bit. You should be able to see the ascending path of Tarn Crag on the other side of the beck; your task is to get across. When the river is low there are several stepping-stone options for a dry crossing. On the map I’ve shown where I crossed it recently but there’s no guarantee that this is still a good place. The only reasonably guaranteed option for a dry crossing is to walk to the tarn and cross there.

The Ascent of Tarn Crag

On the other side of the beck the path from the tarn to Far Easedale is very well marked; the path to the top of Tarn Crag is off from this. There are a couple of ascending paths in this area, the one that we are going to follow is nearer to Far Easedale and follows the line of the ridge.

The path is a ridge walk to the top of Tarn Crag, it’s quite visible on the ground and there aren’t any other routes crossing before the summit.

There are plenty of views on either side of the ridge, but the ones down into Easedale are particularly dramatic.

Once you reach the summit make sure you have a good look around to take in the views either side of the ridge.

Tarn Crag to Codale Head

The route from Tarn Crag summit to Codale Head isn’t very clear, there are several paths crossing the area and some of them aren’t particularly distinctive. Birkett recommends following the line of an old iron fence, but that’s no longer very visible though it can be seen in places.

If visibility is reasonably good you should be able to see the recognisable summit of Sergeant Man from near the summit of Tarn Crag; the summit of Codale Head is to the right from this perspective. As long as you stay near to the top of what is now a quite wide ridge you should be able to find the summit.

On a poor visibility day it’s time to exercise your map reading skills.

Codale Head to Sergeant Man

From the summit of Codale Head the top of Sergeant Man is a short wander around the edge of a basin with an unnamed tarn. There are routes around both sides.

On most days you should be able to see Sergeant Man from Codale Head, it’s the triangular shaped peak which is likely to have someone stood on top of it.

If you wanted to stop for refreshments at any point, the summit of Sergeant Man is a great place to do it; there are great views.

Sergeant Man to Easedale Tarn

The route down from Sergeant Man is to head towards Blea Rigg and take a left hand path down towards Easedale Tarn.

The path you want is at a bit of a crossroads and it would be quite easy to carry on to Blea Rigg, or even to head off the other side to Stickle Tarn, so a bit of care is required.

The lower parts of this path have needed some restoration and it is stepped which can make for harder walking particularly when it’s wet.

The walk down into Easedale gives glorious views of the surrounding crags, Codale Tarn and Easedale Tarn. You’ll pass Belles Knott which Birkett refers to as “The Matterhorn of Easedale”, a name christened by Alfred Wainwright. The name derives from its shape but you’ll need to look behind you to see the similarity.

Easedale Tarn to Grasmere

Easedale Tarn is another great place to stop for refreshments; even when busy there’s something quite tranquil about it.

Heading down from Easedale Tarn follow the route along the righthand side of Easedale Beck, this is the path to Sourmilk Gill and will take you to Easedale Road past the Quaker House, through Grasmere village and on to your vehicle, if you have one, at Red Bank Car Park.

Alternatives and Extensions

This walk takes you most of the way up High Raise which makes this a reasonable extension. While adding another tick, it’s not really adding much interest and we traverse High Raise on other routes, but don’t let me put you off.

This walk uses the same path into and out of Easedale. Alternatively, use Far Easedale via the footbridge at Stythwaite Steps on your way in. This route would be preferable during times when river levels are high and finding a stepping-stone route across Easedale Beck is unlikely. You can also use this route down by traversing Easedale Beck at the tarn stepping-stones, turning the walk into a figure-of-eight.

Another alternative when river levels are high, is to walk all the way up to Easedale Tarn and traverse the river there. It’s still stepping-stones, but they are good sized ones.

If you are going to traverse Easedale Beck as high as the tarn you might also like to try the alternative route to the summit of Tarn Crag that goes up from the north side of the tarn. This path is less well defined than the one along the East Ridge and steeper, but sometimes that’s where the fun is.

There’s an option to extend the latter stages in this walk by visiting Blea Rigg; continuing on the ridge for a while longer on your way down from Sergeant Man. Blea Rigg is part of another Birkett route – Silver How along the Langdale Edge | LAN 3.

• Coffee: 4*
• Food: 4*
• Conversation: 5*
• People Watching: 3*

The Experience

We recently went to Coniston for the Bluebird K7 festival including a visit to the beautiful Brantwood. We wanted to make a full day of it because it wasn’t clear when, and if, the restored antique K7 and K3 would be running. The blustery weather didn’t make us overly optimistic that either would run at all, but we would have been disappointed if we’d decided to travel later and they’d run early on.

Our planned adventure gave us the opportunity to call into a small little business estate just off the Greenodd Roundabout on the A591 which is made up of small, grey pebbledash and slate, single story units. They have a utilitarian aesthetic.

In one corner of the small estate is a dark grey door alongside which is a circular sign stating that this is the home of Bakehouse Born & Bread. Once through the door the building opens out into a wonderful warm welcoming emporium of local fresh food and drink.

I have, on several occasions, called into Bakehouse Born & Bread to pick up something tasty to go in my backpack for a day of walking of which there are many options. There’s something deliciously rewarding about a good cake or sticky pastry at the top of a mountain.

On this occasion we were stopping for brunch having made good time on our journey.

There are several breakfast options on the menu, including the Bakehouse Brekky which is a full English including homemade beans, there’s also the now infamous Smashed Avo on Toast.

The three of us each settled upon a hot sarnie, two of bacon, one of sausage and egg (mine). The hot sandwiches come with local fresh fillings surrounded by thick cut homemade sourdough bread, baked on site. There’s nothing particularly fancy about the hot sarnies, they are what they say they are good quality meat and good quality sourdough bread with amble of each.

We each had coffee to accompany our food, brewed from beans supplied by Red Bank Coffee Roasters which is in nearby Kendal. The coffee was excellent.

Today wasn’t a great day for people watching though. There were only a few other people in and most of those looked like they were doing what we were doing – calling for food on their way to Coniston. To the side of us were two middle-aged men who approach their time in the cafe with such glee that they reminded me of children let out on their own for the first time. I wondered if this was kind of freedom was a bit of a novelty for them. there’s something glorious about a childlike expression on an older face.

As expected, it wasn’t a particularly successful day to see antique speedboats, the wind was just too blustery. There were a few grumpy people around, but we did have a wonderful time at Brantwood where the gardens were blooming with brightly colourful and fragrant azaleas.

Some words from John Ruskin, thinker and owner of Brantwood to finish with:

“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.”

Nearby Graham’s Walks

• Top o’ Selside from High Nibthwaite

Information

Bakehouse Born & Bread
Unit 3,
Crakeside Business Park,
Greenodd,
Ulverston
LA12 7RT

Google Maps | Facebook | Instagram

• Distance: 6.4 miles/10.3 km
• Elevation: 3195 ft/972 m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Start: Lay-by on A591
• Graham’s Cafe: This walk starts just outside Grasmere where you will find Mathilde’s Cafe and Lucia’s (awaiting a guide)
• Classification: Birkett, Wainwright

The Map

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX:

The Area

This area is steeped in local folklore. Part way around the route it passes close to Grisedale Tarn which plays a significant part in the story of a battle supposed to have occured around 945 AD. A little further out of Grasmere towards Thirlmere the A591 splits into two with a large pile of stones between. This is supposed to mark the falling place of Dunmail, the last king of Rheged in a battle with the Anglo-Saxon King Edmund, grandson to Alfred the Great.

This story is set in that time of British history which is post the Roman Empire and there’s no clear overall ruler of the islands that we now call Britain. Rheged was occupied by the Britons at the time as was most of the west of England, Wales and south western Scotland. The Anglo-Saxon’s were the incomers to this part of the country.

According to the folklore, Dunmail is killed and his sons have their eyes gouged out to stop them being a problem in the future, but the king’s crown is not captured. A group of elite men take the crown and flee up what is now known as Raise Beck to the Grisedale Tarn and deposit the crown there. Here, in echoes of the King Arthur legends, the crown is waiting for the next king to come and claim it. There’s a lot more to this story, which is already eloquently covered here.

While we are talking King Arthur, let’s move on to Stone Arthur near the end of the route. The rocky outcrop at the peak of Stone Arthur is known as Arthur’s Seat. There may be a connection to the legendary king, but just as likely is that “Arthur” sounds similar to a word meaning “leader” in old English. It’s not the only place in the Lake District where Arthur pops up.

Stone Arthur doesn’t really belong on either the Wainwright or Birkett lists as it’s not really a summit it’s more of a rocky outcrop from Great Rigg; its prominence from Grasmere is what gets it listed.

Stone Arthur is sometimes included in the Fairfield Horseshoe route, this is a significant extension as it’s a 656 ft/200 m descent and re-climb.

This route includes four Birketts and Wainwrights: Seat Sandal, Fairfield, Great Rigg and Stone Arthur.

The Walk

In my guides to Birkett walks I’ve tried to stay close to the walk as described in Complete Lakeland Fells. It’s not always possible, but I try. On this route I’ve made a couple of changes, at the beginning and at the end.

At the beginning Birkett suggests parking on the verge near to the entrance of Mill Bridge Lane on the A591. There are a couple of places you could still conceivably park here, but most of it I no longer available due to “police notice” signs. To avoid encouraging you to break the law I’ve shifted the start a bit further along the A591, nearer to Grasmere, where there is a lay-by and much more verge parking on a straight piece of road. A word of caution though, park on a grassy verge with care they are muddy (as the van that parked behind me found out).

Because I’ve moved the start I’ve also moved the route down from Stone Arthur at the end of the walk. I did try to follow Birkett’s description of the route down, but it’s not on any of the maps I could see, nor could I see it on the ground. The alternative route down is straightforward to follow, but is also significantly more popular.

There is another change at the start of the walk. Birkett describes the obvious route up Seat Sandal, but also says that it’s blocked by a gate marked “private.” The gate to the obvious route up is no longer marked “private” and hence that’s the route I’ve taken.

The Ascent of Seat Sandal

From the verge on the A591 head towards the Travellers Rest on the roadside, beyond which you’ll cross over Mill Bridge. Just a short way beyond is a lane to the right. There are coast-to-coast route signs at the start.

Follow the lane up the hill until you can see the path up the ridge of Seat Sandal which you access through a gate to the left.

The path to the top is quite well defined, passing through a couple of gates on the way.

The top of Seat Sandal is defined by a cairn with a nearby stone shelter.

Seat Sandal to Fairfield

Continue in the same direction beyond the summit and the path ahead will become clear. The path follows the route of a now dilapidated wall. On a good visibility day you will see Grisdale Tarn slightly to the left and the impending ascent of Fairfield ahead.

Before you can ascend Fairfield you first need to descend to Grisedale Hause a steep drop of about 500 ft/150 m.

The ascent of Fairfield is similarly steep and mostly on gravel. It’s not technically difficult, it’s just steep. The route starts by following the same wall, but veers off to the right as you ascend.

There are several stone shelters at the top of Fairfield which makes it a great place for a refreshment stop. From the summit you can see a huge amount of the Lake District peaks with particularly good views across to the Helvellyn massif.

Fairfield to Great Rigg

The route to Great Rigg is south of the Fairfield summit on a wide well trodden path.

Great Rigg to Stone Arthur

Beyond the Great Rigg summit is a path off to the right to Stone Arthur.

Stone Arthur is defined by a prominent set of rocks with glorious views across Grasmere.

The Descent from Stone Arthur

Continue the path down until it becomes a lane which comes out onto a road. This road is a loop off the A591, pick the direction that will take you back to your transport.

Alternatives and Extensions

One huge alternative to this route is the Fairfield Horseshoe which is a completely different walk and will be covered at some other point under the Birkett label of FAR 3. The Fairfield Horseshoe route shares a couple of peaks (Fairfield, Great Rigg) with this one, but is a very different walk.

You can miss Seat Sandal out if you want to by heading up to Grisedale Hause via the coast-to-coast route. This will make the walk shorter but you’ll still need to make the steep ascent of Fairfield.

This route can be started from Grasmere village. This adds to the length of the route without adding any particular interest.

• Distance: 7.1 miles/11 km
• Elevation: 2122 ft/646 m
• Difficulty: Moderate – boggy in places.
• Start: Low Fold Car Park
• Graham’s Cafe: None, but there are plenty of options for a cafe in Ambleside at the start or end of the route. There’s also The Old Post Office Tea Room in Troutbeck part way around.
• Classification: Birkett, Wainwright

The Map

• OS Maps Route:
• GPX Download:

The Area

Bill Birkett muses: “A much loved hill, Wansfell is to Ambleside what St. Paul’s is to London.” I’m not really sure I know what he means by that because I’m not really sure I know what “St. Paul’s is to London”. I suspect it’s something to do with the way St. Paul’s stands above the London skyline.

Wansfell must have impressed the Norse invaders if the common understanding of the origin of its name is correct – “Wans” pointing to “Woden” or, in English, Odin the leader of the Norse gods.

There are two peaks in this route. Birkett’s 541 counts Wansfell Pike and Wansfell. Wainwright’s 214 only counts Wansfell. Interestingly the OS map shows Wansfell Pike and Baystones, the word Wansfell is shown alongside the ridge between the two. The summit of this peak is the one marked as Baystones, and thus the summit of Wansfell. Clear? This confusion does mean that many people get to the top of Wansfell Pike and call it done but Wainwright has these words for hikers: “A grassy hummock, a little higher than many around, is the true summit of the fell: a few small stones confirm it. It is an unattractive place, rarely visited; better is the rocky top of Wansfell Pike, which at least is mildly interesting and unique in possessing an iron gate.” A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells: The Far Eastern Fells.

On this route you descend into Troutbeck where you’ll pass several roadside wells with different names above them. These are cattle troughs erected in the 1800s and the names above them most likely point to locals at the time despite them being marked as St. John, St. James, and Margaret. It’s also worth noting that what we know as Troutbeck today is really a set of hamlets within the Troutbeck valley with wonderful names like Town End, Town Head, High Green, High Fold and Low Fold which are still visible on the map.

An interesting name on this route is “The Hundreds” this refers to an ancient practice of splitting the land into areas that could sustain 100 cattle. The commoners in an area were then given a “hundred” to farm.

The Walk

This walk starts at the Low Fold Car Park between the A591 Lake Road and Old Lake Road.

Ascent of Wansfell Pike

Turn left out of the back of the car park on Old Lake Road. Turn right up Fisherbeck Lane and go with it as it turns left. At the t-junction turn right along Blue Hill Road. Continue along Blue Hill Road as it becomes a bridleway traversing the Wansfell hills.

The end of Blue Hill Road is marked by a gate with a path up to the right heading straight up the hillside. This path takes you all the way to the first peak – Wansfell Pike. This path is well defined and there aren’t any navigational decisions to make but it is advisable to take in the view (and let your lungs recover) as you ascend. At times it can feel a bit like you are climbing a staircase.

Wansfell Pike to Wansfell

From Wansfell Pike follow the path along the ridge wall, with the wall on your left, to the summit of Wansfell marked Baystones on the OS Map. There’s a stile in a wall about half way along, the true summit is a short distance beyond a second wall.

Wansfell to Troutbeck

It’s necessary to retrace your steps a little bit, back through the wall, to pick up the path heading down to Nanny Lane. The path you want heads to the left down hill. If visibility is reasonably good you should be able to see a wall which will take you to the lane as you descend.

Nanny Lane takes you all the way down into Troutbeck. At the end of the lane is a t-junction onto a road. Turn right along the road and proceed until you reach the Old Post Office Tea Room.

Troutbeck to Ambleside

Just beyond the tea room is a lane off to the right marked as Robin Lane on maps which will start the traverse back to your starting point.

Robin Lane becomes Hundreds Road. Part way along Hundreds Road a footpath branches off to the left through a gate. This path takes us all the way back to Ambleside via High Skelghyll and Skelghyll Wood. The views on this section are spectacular. There are several benches to stop and take in the scenery.

The path becomes a lane and drops down onto Old Lake Road not far from the car park. Turn right towards the car park.

Alternatives and Extensions

If you are a lover of waterfalls you can adjust the start of this walk and head towards Stockghyll which is fabulous when water levels are high. This extension will also add in the option of a stop at Force Cafe and Terrace, personally, I prefer my refreshments at the end of a walk.

If you are looking for a slightly shorter route and the thought of descending into Troutbeck doesn’t excite you it’s possible to chop a corner off by aiming for the end of Hundreds Road. Part way along Nanny Lane there’s a kissing gate on the right from where a path heads back towards Wansfell. A short distance along this path there’s a route off to the left which goes across the moorland to the end of Hundred Road. You’ll need to keep a look out for the path to Skelghyll wood on the right.

Another alternative is to miss the Wansfell/Baystones summit out and head straight down to Nanny Lane from the summit of Wansfell Pike.

There are a few places where it’s possible to make your way down to the shore of Windermere from the traverse. While it might look like a nice thing to do, you’ll then be walking into Ambleside alongside the A591 which can be extremely busy. One of the routes down, though, takes you to Stagshaw Gardens which is a woodland garden where, in the spring and early summer, there is a wonderful display of azalea and rhododendron.