Walks from Eskdale
The walks you can reach from Eskdale — 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 Eskdale guide for parking, buses and where to stay.
3 of the fells here are rated good to climb on 11 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.
Walking routes near Eskdale
- Boat How, Great Bank & Wainwrights 0.2 km away20.7 km~1170 m~6.1 hBoat How, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg above Wasdale — only three tops but 20.7 km and 1,170 m to reach them, severe for both length and steepness. Hard for exposure too — Illgill Head and Whin Rigg are the Screes tops above Wastwater. Around 6.1 hours.
- Slight Side & Sca Fell 2.5 km away14.9 km~933 m~4.5 hThe long southern approach to Scafell over Slight Side — two tops, 14.9 km and 933 m, hard for terrain, navigation and exposure and severe for steepness. About 4.5 hours, and the quieter way onto the mountain.
- Birketts Around Devoke Water 3.1 km away8.6 km~363 m~2.3 hFive small tops circling Devoke Water — White Pike, Woodend Height, Yoadcastle, Water Crag and Rough Crag — in 8.6 km with 363 m of climbing and nothing steeper than about 7%. Short, but rated hard to navigate. Around 2.3 hours.
- Green Crag & Great Whinscale — the wild Birker Fell round 3.1 km away11.9 km~478 m~3.2 hModerateA wild, trackless round over the knobbly tops of Birker Fell, in the empty south-western corner of the Lakes that most walkers never reach. From the Birker Fell road it crosses open, boggy moor past Devoke Water — the Lake District's largest tarn — to a cluster of five rocky little summits: Great Whinscale, Crook Crag, then Green Crag, the Wainwright and high point of the day, before Broad Crag and Great Crag on Birker Fell. Under 12 km but genuinely rough underfoot, with proper solitude and a big view over the Duddon, Eskdale and out to the sea.
- Alternative Hardknott Round (Green Crag, Harter Fell & Hard Knott) 3.5 km away14.7 km~957 m~4.5 hHard🏞️ EasyA rugged Eskdale round over three characterful, quiet tops — Green Crag, Harter Fell and Hard Knott — through some of the wildest, least-walked country in the Lakes, with the Scafells filling the skyline. Rocky, boggy and lightly pathed: a proper fell day for those who like their hills empty.
Fells within about 5 km
- Boat How 2.6 km away337 mBoat How at 337m (1,106ft) is a small, rocky summit above Eskdale, its craggy top giving views across lower Eskdale and towards the sea.
- Rough Crag (Birker Moor) 3.3 km away319 mRough Crag (319 m / 1,047 ft) is a low, rocky knoll on Birker Moor, taken in on Wainwright's Devoke Water round close to its neighbour Seat How.
- Green Crag 3.5 km away489 m~2.5 hDecent · 66Dry, firm underfootGreen Crag at 489m (1,604ft) is a delightful rocky summit above the Ulpha Fells in Dunnerdale, its small crags and bilberry-covered knolls quite different in character from the high fells to the north.
- Whin Rigg (Wasdale) 3.6 km away537 m~4 hDecent · 70DryWhin Rigg at 535m (1,755ft) is the southern end of the Wastwater Screes ridge, its summit giving outstanding views of Wastwater and south to the Cumbrian coast.
- Seat How (Birker Moor) 3.8 km away311 mSeat How (311 m / 1,020 ft) is a rocky little rise on Birker Moor beside Devoke Water, one of the string of low tops on Wainwright's Devoke Water circuit above Eskdale.
- Water Crag 3.9 km away305 mWater Crag at 305m (1,001ft) is a Birkett fell in the West Cumbria group above the Duddon estuary, its modest summit giving views across the coastal lowlands.
- Illgill Head 4.2 km away609 m~4 hMarginal · 53DryIllgill Head at 609m (1,998ft) is the highest point of the famous Wastwater Screes — one of the most dramatic and photographed features in the Lake District.
- Great Worm Crag 4.4 km away427 mGreat Worm Crag at 427m (1,401ft) is a Birkett top in the West Cumbria fells above the Kinniside area, its rocky summit giving views across the coastal plain and inland to the Western Fells.
- Harter Fell (Eskdale) 4.5 km away653 m~3 hDecent · 63Dry, firm underfootHarter Fell at 654m (2,146ft) in Eskdale is a shapely, rocky summit above Boot, quite distinct in character from the Mardale fell of the same name.
Distances are straight-line from the centre of Eskdale — ‘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.