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Walks from Eskdale

5 routes and 9 fells within about 5 km of Eskdale, nearest first. Route mapping from here is still thin, so the fell list is doing most of the work. 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.

Walking routes near Eskdale

Few routes mapped near this start so far (5); the fells within about 5 km are below.

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.

• Boat How, Illgill Head & Whin Rigg →Start 0.2 km away20.67 km~1170 m~6–8¼ hHard effort Severe: distance and steepnessPlannedPark: Dalegarth Station, Eskdale (paid)Boat 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. Illgill Head and Whin Rigg are the Screes tops above Wastwater. Around 6–8¼ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained descent, about 42%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
• Slight Side & Sca Fell →Start 2.5 km away15.03 km~948 m~4½–6¼ hHard effort Severe: steepnessPlannedPark: Wha House, Eskdale (NT, free)The long southern approach to Scafell over Slight Side — two tops, 15 km and 948 m, hard for terrain, navigation and exposure and severe for steepness. About 4½–6¼ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 35%. Exposure, terrain and navigation: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
• Birketts Around Devoke Water →Start 3.1 km away8.89 km~415 m~2¼–3½ hModerate effort Hard: navigationPlannedPark: Devoke Water turning, Birker Fell road (verge) (free)Five small tops circling Devoke Water — White Pike, Woodend Height, Yoadcastle, Water Crag and Rough Crag — in 8.9 km with 415 m of climbing averaging about 7% with one 19% descent over 250 m. Short, but rated hard to navigate. Around 2¼–3½ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest descent, about 19% over 250 m. Navigation: estimated from the map, not checked on the ground. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
• Green Crag & Great Whinscale — the wild Birker Fell round →Start 3.1 km away12.03 km~544 m~3¼–4½ hModerate effort Hard: terrainPlannedPark: Devoke Water turning, Birker Fell road (verge) (free)A 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, at the turning for Devoke Water, it heads north-north-east across open, boggy moor 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. About 12 km but genuinely rough underfoot, with a big view over the Duddon, Eskdale and out to the sea.Terrain: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet. Navigation: estimated from the map, not checked on the ground.
• Alternative Hardknott Round (Green Crag, Harter Fell & Hard Knott) →Start 3.5 km away14.68 km~961 m~4½–6¼ hHard effort Severe: steepnessPlannedPark: Goat Crag (layby) (free)A rugged Eskdale round over three characterful tops — Green Crag, Harter Fell and Hard Knott — through some of the wildest 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.Terrain: our judgement from the map and the route’s record; not walked yet.

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~2½–3 hSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsGreen Crag at 489m (1,603ft) 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~4–5 hSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsWhin Rigg at 537m (1,762ft) is the southern end of the Wastwater Screes ridge, its summit giving outstanding views of Wast Water 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 just north of the western end of Devoke Water, its modest summit giving views across the coastal lowlands.
• Illgill Head →4.2 km away609 m~4–5 hSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsIllgill Head at 609m (1,997ft) 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 on the Birker Fell moors, 3.7 km north of Ulpha.
• Harter Fell (Eskdale) →4.5 km away653 m~4½–6¼ hSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsHarter Fell at 653m (2,143ft) is a shapely, rocky summit between upper Eskdale and the Duddon valley, quite distinct in character from the Mardale fell of the same name.

None of the fells here are rated good to climb on 27 October — see fells to save for a bad day →
A prediction from our daily fell score, not a guarantee — always check the mountain forecast before you go. Our daily score covers the Wainwrights only, so the 5 Outlying fells here have no rating. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab).

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.