Walks from Aira Force
The walks you can reach from Aira Force — the routes that start within about 5 km, and the Wainwright and Outlying fells within the same radius, ranked nearest first. Each fell carries today’s conditions and the bus where there is one. Planning the trip? See the full Aira Force guide for parking, buses and where to stay.
Walking routes near Aira Force
- Gowbarrow Fell and Little Mell Fell 0.2 km away15.1 km~705 m~4.2 hA linear crossing above Ullswater from Gowbarrow Fell to Little Mell Fell — two quite different tops, the first a rocky shoulder over the lake, the second a bare grassy dome. Not a loop, and about a fifth of it is pathless.
- Birketts by Gowbarrow 0.3 km away12 km~550 m~3.3 hFive tops around Gowbarrow Park above Ullswater, including the Wainwright summit of Gowbarrow Fell — 12 km and 550 m, with one stage averaging 16%. Rated hard to navigate despite the modest scale. Around 3.3 hours.
- Aira Force & Gowbarrow Fell 0.3 km away6.9 km~341 m~1.9 h🏞️ Easy & familyAira Force's dramatic 65-foot waterfall, climbed on to the open top of Gowbarrow Fell for one of the finest aerial views over Ullswater. Easy-moderate — a steady pull on good National Trust paths above the falls.
- Swineside Knott & Gowbarrow 0.4 km away13.3 km~649 m~3.7 hModerateA satisfying loop over the heather tops of Gowbarrow above Ullswater, starting from the busy Aira Force car park — but climbing quickly away from the waterfall crowds onto quiet, rolling moorland that most of them never reach. The round takes in Brown Hills, Swineside Knott and Common Fell before the open summit of Gowbarrow Fell, a Wainwright with one of the finest views over Ullswater, which stays with you for much of the way. Moderate, with one steep early pull — save it for a clear day and let the lake do the rest.
- Birketts above Ullswater 0.8 km away16.5 km~694 m~4.4 hTen Birkett tops strung along the Dodds above Ullswater, from Low How and Randerside over Great Dodd and Stybarrow Dodd — 16.4 km and 694 m across eleven stages. Rated hard to navigate and easy for exposure; about 4.4 hours.
- Hart Side, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Watson's Dodd and more 2.5 km away24.4 km~816 m~6.2 hA long day on the eastern Dodds — 24.4 km of rounded, grassy tops where the navigation, not the climbing, is the difficulty. Stybarrow Dodd and Great Dodd are vast featureless domes that need strict compass work in cloud, and the round finishes with a 6.4 km walk back along the Old Coach Road.
- Glenridding Dodd, Sheffield Pike, Catstye Cam, Birkhouse Moor 3.6 km away15.6 km~1209 m~5.1 hA hard round above Glenridding by every measure the site records — 1,209 m of ascent in 15.6 km. A steep pull straight out of the valley leads over Glenridding Dodd and Sheffield Pike, then the notoriously wet ground at Nick Head, the fine cone of Catstye Cam, and a long 554 m descent that tells on tired knees.
- Helvellyn via Striding Edge & Swirral Edge 3.7 km away12.7 km~924 m~4.1 hDifficultThe most famous — and most serious — way up England's third-highest mountain, over the knife-edge arêtes of Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, taking in shapely Catstye Cam. I haven't personally walked this exact line, and it's a genuinely dangerous route that demands a head for heights, sure footing and settled conditions; it sees accidents every year. If the edges aren't for you, the far safer walkers' option is to climb via White Side from Thirlmere. In winter the edges become full mountaineering terrain needing an ice axe, crampons and the experience to use them.
- Fusedale Circuit 3.8 km away14.7 km~856 m~4.4 hA quiet ~15 km circuit of the Far Eastern fells from Howtown on Ullswater — Hallin Fell, Steel Knotts, Wether Hill, Loadpot Hill, Arthur's Pike and Bonscale Pike — broad grassy tops with grandstand views over the lake. A fine Steamer-and-walk outing.
- Birketts to the South of Ullswater 3.8 km away11.5 km~663 m~3.4 hSleet Fell, Low Birk Fell and the Birk Fell tops on the quiet southern shore — five summits in 11.5 km with 663 m of climbing. Severe for steepness and hard for both navigation and exposure; about 3.4 hours.
- Swarth Fell and Loadpot Hill 3.8 km away9.7 km~568 m~2.9 hFour far-eastern tops above Ullswater — Swarth Fell, Loadpot Hill, Brownthwaite Crag and Steel Knotts — in 9.7 km with 568 m of climbing. Severe for steepness, hard for navigation and exposure; under three hours.
- Hallin Fell 3.8 km away2 km~156 m~0.7 h🏞️ Easy & familyA short, steep little climb from the Howtown steamer pier to a superb all-round viewpoint over Ullswater — maximum reward for minimum effort, and a fine car-free outing using the lake steamer.
- St Sunday Crag 4.4 km away10 km~782 m~3.3 hThree tops and an outlier on the long Patterdale ridge — Arnison Crag, Birks and St Sunday Crag, with Gavel Pike a short detour off the summit. Steep in places, but the walking line stays well clear of the crags throughout.
- Place Fell and The Knight 4.4 km away7.1 km~514 m~2.3 hStraight up from Ullswater to Place Fell and The Knight — 7.1 km and 514 m, with a stage averaging 16%. Easy for length but severe for steepness and hard for exposure. About 2.3 hours.
- Great Mell Fell 4.4 km away3.5 km~269 m~1.1 hThe gentler of the two Mell Fells and an easy hour from the road — a single steady pull of 268 m to a domed summit with no mapped crags anywhere near the line.
Fells within about 5 km
- Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit) 1.7 km away481 m~2 h🚌 BusMarginal · 36Summit likely clagged inGowbarrow Fell at 481m (1,578ft) rises above the wooded western shores of Ullswater, its open summit giving excellent views of the lake — particularly the middle reach from Howtown to Pooley Bridge.
- Glenridding Dodd 3.3 km away442 m~2 h🚌 BusSave it · 24Summit likely clagged inGlenridding Dodd at 442m (1,450ft) is a small grassy summit above the Glenridding valley, its top giving good views of Ullswater and across to Sheffield Pike.
- Hallin Fell 3.4 km away388 m~1.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 37Summit likely clagged inHallin Fell at 388m (1,273ft) is one of Lakeland's most perfectly formed little summits — a grassy cone projecting into Ullswater above Howtown, its summit giving the finest aerial view of the lake's two bends in all of Lakeland.
- Place Fell 3.4 km away657 m~3 h🚌 BusSave it · 20Too windy for the topsPlace Fell at 657m (2,156ft) is the great ridge fell on the eastern shore of Ullswater, its long summit ridge giving one of the finest views of the lake in all Lakeland.
- Sheffield Pike 3.7 km away676 m~3 h🚌 BusSave it · 20Too windy for the topsSheffield Pike at 675m (2,215ft) is a craggy, satisfying summit above Glenridding with outstanding views of Ullswater — Wainwright considered it one of the best Ullswater viewpoints in the Eastern Fells.
- Hart Side 4 km away756 m~3.5 h🚌 BusSave it · 19Too windy for the topsHart Side at 756m (2,480ft) is a broad, grassy summit between Stybarrow Dodd and the Ullswater shoreline, giving commanding views over the eastern shores of the lake and across to the High Street range.
- Beda Fell (Beda Head) 4.3 km away509 m~2.5 h🚌 BusSave it · 20Too windy for the topsBeda Fell at 509m (1,670ft) is a long, smooth ridge above Martindale, its summit giving outstanding views of Ullswater and the northern Eastern Fells.
- Little Mell Fell 4.4 km away505 m~1.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 37Summit likely clagged inLittle Mell Fell at 505m (1,657ft) is the smaller companion of Great Mell Fell, standing above the Matterdale valley with views across to Ullswater and the Eastern Fells.
- Steel Knotts (Pikeawassa) 4.7 km away432 m~2 h🚌 BusSave it · 20Too windy for the topsSteel Knotts at 432m (1,417ft) is a small, rocky summit above Martindale with excellent views of Ullswater from its craggy top.
0 of the fells here are rated good to climb on 12 September — see live conditions →
A prediction from our daily fell score, not a guarantee — always check the mountain forecast before you go.
Map
● routes · ● fells within ~5 km
An interactive map of the route start points and the fells within about 5 km. Each marker links to its page; the same routes and fells are listed below.
Distances are straight-line from the centre of Aira Force — ‘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.