Walks by Thirlmere
10 routes and 17 fells within about 5 km of Thirlmere, nearest first. Each fell carries today’s conditions and the bus where there is one. Planning the trip? See the full Thirlmere guide for parking, buses and where to stay.
I've been up all 17 fells on this page: the Helvellyn side in July 2023, in wind I could barely stand up in near the top, and the west side over Armboth and High Tove in August 2025.
Walking routes near Thirlmere, 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.
On the shore 4 walks
Each route’s line comes within 50 m of the water’s edge somewhere along it, measured against OpenStreetMap’s outline of the lake.
- Birketts West of Thirlmere Start 2.3 km away23.11 km~1241 m~6½–9 hSevere effort Severe: distancePlannedPark: Dob Gill, Thirlmere (closed); nearest: Steel End, Thirlmere (paid), about 1.3 km on foot · Bus: 555, 1.8 km walk from Thirlmere, at Armboth turnTen tops on the rough ground west of Thirlmere — Wythburn Fell, Standing Crag and the Coldbarrow Fell saddles among them — in 23.1 km with 1,241 m of climbing averaging about 10% but with a 36% pull over 250 m in the first kilometre. Severe for length, hard for steepness and underfoot; roughly 6½–9 hours.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained climb, about 29%. Terrain: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Standing Crag, High Tove, Armboth Start 2.3 km away14.26 km~601 m~3¾–5¼ hModerate effort Hard: distance and navigationPlannedPark: Dob Gill, Thirlmere (closed); nearest: Steel End, Thirlmere (paid), about 1.3 km on foot · Bus: 555, 1.7 km walk from Thirlmere, at Armboth turnSix tops on the wet watershed between Thirlmere and Borrowdale — Standing Crag, Shivery Knott, Middle Crag, High Tove and Armboth Fell. 14.3 km and 601 m, rated hard for length and navigation, moderate for steepness. About 3¾–5¼ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained descent, about 24%. Terrain and navigation: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Brown Rigg & Blea Tarn Start 2.3 km away13.49 km~509 m~3½–4¾ hModerate effort Hard: terrain and navigationPlannedPark: Dob Gill, Thirlmere (closed); nearest: Steel End, Thirlmere (paid), about 1.3 km on foot · Bus: 555, 1.8 km walk from Thirlmere, at Armboth turnFour tops on the boggy watershed above Thirlmere — Brown Rigg, Shivery Knott, Middle Crag and High Tove — in 13.5 km with 509 m of climbing. Rated hard to navigate, which is the whole character of this ground. About 3½–4¾ hours.Terrain: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Navigation: estimated from the map, not checked on the ground. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Birketts North of Thirlmere Start 3.2 km away13.91 km~972 m~4¼–6 hHard effort Hard: steepnessPlannedPark: Legburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (paid) · Bus: 555, 400 m walk from Stanah Dam road end (near)Castle Rock, Wren Crag and the High Rigg tops above Thirlmere — six summits in 13.9 km with 972 m of climbing, and one stage averaging 28%, the steepest in this group. About 4¼–6 hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 35%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
Within 500 m of the water 3 walks
Each route’s line comes within 500 m of the water’s edge, but not within 50 m.
- Helvellyn from Swirls: the walkers’ way up Start 0.6 km away9.37 km~856 m~3¼–4½ hModerate effort Severe: steepnessWalked in partPark: Swirls, Thirlmere (paid) · Bus: 555 at the startThe straightforward way up England’s third-highest fell — no scrambling, no knife edges, just a long, honest and steep climb from Thirlmere up Browncove Crags (about 42% over its steepest 250 m) to the summit plateau, returning over Lower Man and White Side. This is the route to take if Striding Edge frightens you, and there is no shame whatever in taking it: the view from the top is exactly the same.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained climb, about 38%. Exposure: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; that stretch not walked.
- Helvellyn & Nethermost Pike via Seat Sandal Start 0.6 km away15.66 km~1182 m~5–7 hHard effort Severe: steepnessWalked in partPark: Swirls, Thirlmere (paid) · Bus: 555 at the startHelvellyn the steep way — 729 m of climbing inside the first 3.5 km at 21% average, before the ridge eases over Nethermost Pike and Dollywaggon Pike and comes back over Seat Sandal.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 47%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Raven Crag from Thirlmere Start 2.7 km away5.79 km~314 m~1½–2¼ hEasy effort Hard: steepnessWalked in partPark: Dam Triangle, Thirlmere (paid) · Bus: 555, 1.2 km walk from Stanah, at Dam road endThe short climb to the crag above Thirlmere: 5.8 km and 314 m, with a first stage averaging 20% and a steepest pull of about 25%. The path, the route-finding and the length are all easy; the gradient is the hard part. The top is a crag, so stay on the path at the viewpoint. About 1½–2¼ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained climb, about 25%. Navigation: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; that stretch not walked. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 24 September 2026.
More walks within about 5 km 3 walks
Each starts within about 5 km of the lake, and its line stays more than 500 m from the water.
- Brown Crag and Raise Start 3.2 km away10.76 km~779 m~3¼–4¾ hModerate effort Severe: steepnessPlannedPark: Legburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (paid) · Bus: 555 at the startThree tops on the western flank of the Helvellyn range, Brown Crag through White Side to Raise. 779 m of ascent in 10.8 km with one stage averaging 15% and a 46% pull over 250 m early on. Navigation is only moderate here, the paths being clear enough. Roughly 3¼–4¾ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 40%. Navigation: estimated from the map, not checked on the ground. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Three Dodds and Calfhow Pike Start 3.3 km away11.12 km~833 m~3½–5 hModerate effort Severe: steepnessPlannedPark: Legburthwaite (United Utilities, small) (paid) · Bus: 555 at the startGrassy, rounded and quick underfoot on the tops: Stybarrow Dodd, Watson's Dodd and Great Dodd, with Calfhow Pike tucked between them. 11.1 km and 833 m; the climb averages 16%, and the way down into St John's in the Vale reaches about 54% over 250 m. About 3½–5 hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 47%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
- Cofa Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon Start 4.8 km away9.3 km~1195 m~3¾–5¼ hModerate effort Severe: steepnessPlannedPark: Roadside parking for Steel Fell (free) · Bus: 555, 1.7 km walk from Thirlmere, at Armboth turnThree tops but 1,195 m of ascent in only 9.3 km — the steepest ascent-per-kilometre of any route on the site, with a stage averaging 26%. Severe for steepness; about 3¾–5¼ hours and a genuinely hard short day.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained climb, about 46%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
Fells within about 5 km
- Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top) 1.9 km away475 m~2½–3 h🚌 BusMarginal · 50 · rated on 27 OctoberDryArmboth Fell's Wainwright summit, the south top at 475m (1,558ft), is a broad, peaty top on the central plateau between Thirlmere and Watendlath, giving adequate views across to the Helvellyn range.
- High Tove 2.4 km away515 m~2½–3 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsHigh Tove at 515m (1,690ft) is a modest, boggy summit on the Armboth plateau between Thirlmere and Borrowdale, its open top giving views across to the Helvellyn range and north to Skiddaw.
- White Side 2.4 km away863 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsWhite Side at 863m (2,832ft) is the broad ridge summit between Raise and Lower Man on the northern Helvellyn ridge, its grassy, open top offering good views west across Thirlmere to the Borrowdale fells.
- Raven Crag 2.6 km away461 m~1¾–2¼ h🚌 BusDecent · 57 · rated on 27 OctoberDryRaven Crag at 461m (1,512ft) is the dramatic cliff above Thirlmere, its great crag face one of the most impressive roadside crags in Lakeland.
- Raise 3.1 km away883 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsRaise at 883m (2,896ft) sits on the northern Helvellyn ridge just south of Sticks Pass, a broad, rounded top that Wainwright described as giving outstanding views north to Great Dodd and Clough Head and west to Thirlmere.
- Helvellyn 3.1 km away950 m~5–6 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsHelvellyn at 950m (3,116ft) is the most climbed of all the major Lakeland summits, and Wainwright devoted more pages to it than almost any other fell.
- High Seat 3.1 km away609 m~4½–5¾ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsHigh Seat at 609m (1,998ft) is the highest summit of the Bleaberry Fell–Armboth plateau above Thirlmere and Derwent Water — a broad, boggy moorland that Wainwright regarded as something of an endurance test, given the extensive wet ground.Hazard notes checked by Lee McCoy: High Seat (14 June 2026); they draw on Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.
- Catstye Cam 3.5 km away890 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsCatstycam at 890m (2,919ft) is the perfect mountain in miniature — a shapely, symmetrical cone above Red Tarn that Wainwright described as one of the finest summit shapes in Lakeland.
- Nethermost Pike 3.7 km away891 m~4–5 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsNethermost Pike at 891m (2,924ft) is the first of the great eastern summits south of Helvellyn, standing above the head of the Nethermost Cove corrie.
- Stybarrow Dodd 3.9 km away844 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsStybarrow Dodd at 844m (2,768ft) is the middlemost of the Helvellyn Dodds, a broad plateau summit above Sticks Pass giving good views in all directions but most notably east across Ullswater to the distant Pennines.
- Watson's Dodd 3.9 km away789 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsWatson's Dodd at 789m (2,589ft) is a smooth, grassy summit on the northern Helvellyn ridge between Stybarrow Dodd and Great Dodd, its open top giving views north towards Skiddaw and east to the Pennines.
- Bleaberry Fell 4.3 km away590 m~2½–3 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsBleaberry Fell at 590m (1,936ft) is a broad, heathery summit above the east side of Derwent Water, giving one of the finest aerial views of the lake in the whole district.
- Dollywaggon Pike 4.6 km away859 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsDollywaggon Pike at 859m (2,817ft) stands at the southern end of the Helvellyn ridge, above the deep corrie of Ruthwaite Cove and overlooking the head of Grisedale.
- Great Crag (Stonethwaite) 4.6 km away449 m~2½–3 h🚌 BusDecent · 55 · rated on 27 OctoberDryGreat Crag at 449m (1,473ft) is a small, craggy summit above Watendlath, its rocky top giving fine views of the charming hamlet and tarn below and across to Glaramara and the Borrowdale fells.
- Ullscarf 4.7 km away723 m~4–5 h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsUllscarf at 723m (2,372ft) is a broad, heathery plateau in the Central Fells above the headwaters of Wyth Burn, with views in all directions.
- Grange Fell (Brund Fell) 4.9 km away417 m~2–2½ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsGrange Fell's highest point, Brund Fell, is 417m (1,369ft); the rock tor Wainwright took as the summit is about 70 m to the south-west and a metre or two lower.
- Birkhouse Moor 5 km away718 m~4–5½ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsBirkhouse Moor at 718m (2,354ft) is the long, grassy shoulder west-south-west of Glenridding that forms the approach ridge to Striding Edge and Helvellyn from Patterdale.
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 Thirlmere — ‘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.