Walks by Bassenthwaite Lake
8 routes and 14 fells within about 5 km of Bassenthwaite Lake, nearest first. Each fell carries today’s conditions and the bus where there is one. Planning the trip? See the full Bassenthwaite Lake guide for parking, buses and where to stay.
Walking routes near Bassenthwaite Lake, by how close they come to the water
Effort is the size of the day, from the distance and the climb; each route’s own page grades the steepness, navigation, exposure and ground underfoot, and names the hardest.
No walk on the shore is mapped yet: none of these 8 routes comes within 50 m of the water.
Walks within about 5 km 8 walks
Each starts within about 5 km of the lake, and its line stays more than 500 m from the water.
- Dodd from Dodd Wood Start 1.7 km away6.26 km~398 m~1¾–2¾ hEasy effort Moderate: steepness and navigationWalked in partPark: Dodd Wood (paid) · Bus: X4 at the startA loop of about 6.3 km from the Dodd Wood car park over Dodd, with about 400 m of climbing: up forest tracks past Long Doors, a path to the top of Dodd, and down by other paths and forest tracks back to the car park.
- Skiddaw via Ullock Pike and Dodd Start 1.7 km away12.41 km~1123 m~4¼–6 hHard effort Hard: steepness and navigationWalked June 2025Park: Dodd Wood (paid) · Bus: X4 at the startA grand horseshoe of the northern Skiddaw group from the forest at Dodd Wood. The walk climbs the clean, shapely ridge over Ullock Pike and along airy Longside Edge to Long Side, then drops to the col by Carl Side before the stiff, loose scree pull onto Skiddaw itself — and one of the great Lakeland summit views, out across the Solway Firth to Scotland. The return crosses back over Carl Side and takes a careful, GPS-checked line down to the wooded little top of Dodd before the drop home through the trees. Five Skiddaw-group Wainwrights — Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side, Skiddaw and Dodd — on a satisfying, varied loop: clean ridge, real summit, forest to finish.Exposure and terrain: graded by Lee on the ground.
- Ling Fell & Sale Fell Start 3.5 km away4.98 km~422 m~1½–2½ hEasy effort Hard: steepnessWalked July 2024Park: unnamed layby north-east of Ling Fell · Bus: X5, 2.7 km walk from Embleton Close Barn (near)Two small grassy tops near Wythop — 5 km and 422 m, and the only route in this group rated easy on every axis but steepness. A stage averages 16%. About 1½–2½ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 27%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Rivings and Lothwaite Start 3.6 km away4.38 km~273 m~1¼–2 hEasy effort Hard: steepnessPlannedPark: unnamed layby north-east of Ling Fell · Bus: X5, 2.7 km walk from Embleton Close Barn (near)A short, steep little round above Wythop — Rivings, Lothwaite and Sale Fell in 4.4 km, but with 273 m of climbing packed into it and a stage averaging 12%. Easy for length; about 1¼–2 hours.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained descent, about 26%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Birketts North of Skiddaw Start 4.4 km away23.02 km~1472 m~7–9½ hSevere effort Severe: distancePlannedPark: Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) (free) · Bus: X4, 2.5 km walk from Bassenthwaite, opposite High Side FarmThe full northern sweep over Skiddaw itself — Bakestall, the Middle and South Tops, Sale How and more, nine tops in 23 km with 1,472 m of climbing. Severe for length; about 7–9½ hours of walking and the biggest day in this group.Measured from the GPX track: the distance. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Cockup at the White Hause and other Birketts Start 4.4 km away23.91 km~1316 m~6¾–9½ hSevere effort Severe: distancePlannedPark: Peter House Farm, Bassenthwaite (roadside) (free) · Bus: X4, 2.5 km walk from Bassenthwaite, opposite High Side FarmA long round on the northern fells over Great Cockup, Great Sca Fell, Knott and Little Calva — 23.9 km and 1,316 m, with a steepest sustained pull of about 27% on the short climb to Cockup. The distance is what makes it a full day: roughly 6¾–9½ hours of walking.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained climb, about 27%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Whinlatter Forest: Tarbarrel Moss, Ullister Hill & Seat How Start 4.6 km away7.32 km~261 m~1¾–2¾ hModerate: navigation🏞️ Easy & familyPlannedPark: Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) · Bus: 77 at the startA sheltered forest loop above Whinlatter, climbing on good tracks through the plantation to a trio of low, easily-missed tops. Tarbarrel Moss, Ullister Hill and rocky little Seat How give sudden, outsized views to Skiddaw, Grisedale Pike and the north-western fells for barely 250 m of climbing. A lower option under the trees when the high tops are in cloud; Forestry England can close the forest in storms and divert paths for felling, so check before you go.Navigation: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet.
- Birketts around Grisedale Pike Start 4.7 km away11.7 km~750 m~3½–5 hModerate effort Hard: steepnessPlannedPark: Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) · Bus: 77 at the startSeven tops on and around Grisedale Pike, taking in Hobcarton End, Hobcarton Crag and Sand Hill — 11.7 km and 750 m over eight stages, rated hard for steepness. About 3½–5 hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained climb, about 27%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
Fells within about 5 km
- Barf 2.3 km away469 m~2½–3 h🚌 BusDecent · 60 · rated on 27 OctoberDryBarf at 469m (1,539ft) is one of the most distinctive fells in the North Western group, rising steeply above Bassenthwaite Lake.Hazard notes checked by Lee McCoy: Barf (14 June 2026); they draw on Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.
- Ullock Pike 2.4 km away690 m~3–3¾ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsUllock Pike at 690m (2,265ft) is the sharp, pointed north-western extremity of the Skiddaw ridge, its needle-like profile visible from the Bassenthwaite valley below.
- Sale Fell 2.7 km away359 m~1½–2 h🚌 BusDecent · 61 · rated on 27 OctoberDrySale Fell at 359m (1,178ft) is a pleasant little summit above Bassenthwaite Lake, its low summit giving fine views of the lake and across to Skiddaw above.
- Long Side 2.9 km away734 m~4–5 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsLong Side at 734m (2,408ft) is an intermediate summit on the Ullock Pike to Skiddaw ridge, its long, narrow crest giving outstanding views across Bassenthwaite Lake below and north to the Solway coast.
- Lord's Seat 2.9 km away552 m~3¾–4¾ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsLord's Seat at 552m (1,811ft) is the highest point of the Whinlatter Forest fells, a broad, grassy summit giving outstanding views of Bassenthwaite Lake and the Skiddaw massif.
- Dodd (Skiddaw) 2.9 km away502 m~2–2½ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsDodd at 502m (1,647ft) is the prominent wooded cone above Bassenthwaite Lake, its open summit — above the Dodd Wood forest — giving a fine view down onto Bassenthwaite Lake.
- Broom Fell 3.1 km away510 m~2½–3 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsBroom Fell at 510m (1,674ft) is a grassy summit above Lorton Vale in the north-western corner of the Lake District, giving wide views across Bassenthwaite Lake and north towards the Solway.
- Carl Side 3.6 km away747 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsCarl Side at 747m (2,450ft) is the prominent shoulder of Skiddaw above Millbeck, its summit giving excellent views across Bassenthwaite Lake and north to Scotland on clear days.
- Skiddaw 4 km away930 m~4½–5½ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsSkiddaw at 930m (3,052ft) is the fourth highest fell in England and one of Wainwright's great favourites for its distinctive character — a mountain of broad, smooth ridges and sweeping, slate-grey slopes quite unlike the rocky Central and Western Fells.
- Ling Fell 4 km away374 m~1½–2 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsLing Fell at 374m (1,227ft) is a small, heathery summit above Wythop Mill near Bassenthwaite Lake, its modest top giving pleasant views across the lake and north to the Solway.
- Skiddaw Little Man 4.8 km away865 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsSkiddaw Little Man at 865m (2,838ft) is the subsidiary summit on the Skiddaw ridge south of the main top, often climbed with Skiddaw but a separate fell in its own right.
- Whinlatter (Brown How) 4.8 km away517 m~3¾–4¾ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsWhinlatter, whose Wainwright summit Brown How stands at 517m (1,696ft), is the fell above Whinlatter Pass — the broad, wooded ridge between Braithwaite and Lorton — its open summit giving views west to the coast and north to Bassenthwaite Lake.
- Bakestall 4.9 km away674 m~5½–7¾ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsBakestall at 674m (2,210ft) is the north-eastern satellite of Skiddaw, a broad grassy summit with the best views of the Back o' Skiddaw plateau and north towards the Solway.
- Graystones (Graystones North Top) 5 km away450 m~2–2½ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsGraystones North Top at 450m (1,478ft) is the Wainwright summit of Graystones, above Lorton Vale in the North Western Fells.
2 of the fells here are rated good to climb on 27 October — see live conditions →
A prediction from our daily fell score, not a guarantee — always check the mountain forecast before you go. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab).
Map
● routes · ● fells within ~5 km
An interactive map of the walks and fells in this collection. Each marker links to its page; the same walks and fells are listed on this page.
Distances are straight-line from the centre of Bassenthwaite Lake — ‘within ~5 km’ means as the crow flies, not that the walk necessarily starts there. Always plan your own route and check the bus before you travel.