Home › Collections › Walks near Hardknott Pass

Walks near Hardknott Pass

5 routes and 12 fells within about 5 km of Hardknott Pass, 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 Hardknott Pass guide for parking, buses and where to stay.

Walking routes near Hardknott Pass

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.

• Alternative Hardknott Round (Green Crag, Harter Fell & Hard Knott) →Start 2.2 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.
• Slight Side & Sca Fell →Start 3.2 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.
• Stonesty Pike, Great Knott & Wrynose Fell →Start 4.6 km away13.71 km~1075 m~4½–6¼ hHard effort Severe: steepnessPlannedPark: Hell Gill Pike (verge, south) · Bus: 516, 4.8 km walk from Old Dungeon Ghyll HotelFive tops on the rough ground between Wrynose and Cold Pike — 13.7 km and 1,075 m, severe for steepness and hard to navigate. About 4½–6¼ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 44%. 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 by Dunnerdale Fells →Start 4.6 km away19.95 km~1110 m~5¾–8 hHard effort Hard: distance and steepnessPlannedPark: Walna Scar Road, above Seathwaite (layby) (free)A big day on the Coniston side — Walna Scar, White Maiden, White Pike, Pikes and Caw, eight tops in 20 km with 1,110 m of climbing. Hard for steepness and length; about 5¾–8 hours.Measured from the GPX track: the distance; the steepest sustained descent, about 34%. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.
• Black Sails & Great How →Start 4.6 km away10.94 km~822 m~3½–4¾ hModerate effort Hard: steepness and navigationPlannedPark: Hell Gill Pike (verge, south) · Bus: 516, 4.8 km walk from Old Dungeon Ghyll HotelSix tops on the Coniston skyline — Hell Gill Pike, Little Carrs, Great Carrs, Swirl How, Great How and Black Sails — in 10.9 km with 822 m of climbing, one stage averaging 19% and a 37% pull over 250 m off the road at the start. Hard to navigate; about 3½–4¾ hours.Measured from the GPX track: the steepest sustained descent, about 32%. Navigation: estimated from the map, not checked on the ground. Summary checked by Lee McCoy, 26 August 2026.

Fells within about 5 km

• Hard Knott →0.9 km away550 mSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsHard Knott at 550m (1,803ft) stands above the infamous Hardknott Pass, its rocky summit giving superb views down to the Roman fort of Mediobogdum directly below — one of the most evocative historical viewpoints in the Lake District.
• Harter Fell (Eskdale) →2.2 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.
• Grey Friar →3 km away773 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsGrey Friar at 773m (2,536ft) is the most westerly of the main Coniston Fells, a stony, twin-topped summit with wide views westward to the Scafell massif across the Duddon valley, and south-west to the coast and the sea.
• Cold Pike →3.8 km away700 m~4¼–5½ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsCold Pike at 700m (2,297ft) is a rocky little summit on the ridge between Pike of Blisco and Crinkle Crags, its three small tops each providing slightly different views.
• Crinkle Crags - Long Top (Second Crinkle) →3.8 km away859 m~5½–6¾ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsCrinkle Crags at 859m (2,818ft) is exactly what its name suggests — a jagged, entertaining ridge of five distinct tops above the head of Great Langdale.
• Great Carrs →3.9 km away785 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsGreat Carrs at 785m (2,575ft) is a Wainwright summit in the Southern Fells, forming the rocky northern arm of the Swirl How ridge above Wrynose Pass.
• Slight Side →4.2 km away762 m~5½–6¾ hSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsSlight Side at 762m (2,500ft) forms the southern shoulder of Scafell, a long, grassy ridge that extends the fell's bulk towards the Eskdale valley.
• Swirl How →4.2 km away802 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsSwirl How at 802m (2,633ft) is the central hub of the Coniston Fells, from whose summit the ridges radiate like spokes to the Old Man, Wetherlam, Grey Friar and Great Carrs.
• Green Crag →4.5 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.
• Dow Crag →4.8 km away778 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsDow Crag at 778m (2,552ft) is one of the great rock climbing crags of the Lake District, its eastern face dropping in a series of buttresses and gullies to the dark waters of Goat's Water below.
• Pike of Blisco →4.8 km away703 m🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsPike of Blisco at 703m (2,306ft) is a shapely, rocky little summit above the head of Great Langdale, beloved by Wainwright for its excellent views and its distinctive, pointed profile when seen from the valley.
• Brim Fell →4.8 km away796 m~3½–4¼ h🚌 BusSave it · 20 · rated on 27 OctoberToo windy for the topsBrim Fell at 796m (2,611ft) is the intermediate summit between the Old Man of Coniston and Swirl How on the main Coniston ridge, a broad, grassy top that most walkers cross without pausing.

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. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab).

Distances are straight-line from the centre of Hardknott Pass — ‘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.