Walks from Harrop Tarn
The walks you can reach from Harrop Tarn — 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 Harrop Tarn guide for parking, buses and where to stay.
2 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 Harrop Tarn
- Brown Rigg & Blea Tarn 0.6 km away13.5 km~481 m~3.5 hFour tops on the boggy watershed above Thirlmere — Brown Rigg, Shivery Knott, Middle Crag and High Tove — in 13.5 km with 481 m of climbing. Rated hard to navigate, which is the whole character of this ground. About 3.5 hours.
- Standing Crag, High Tove, Armboth 0.6 km away14.3 km~545 m~3.8 hSix tops on the wet watershed between Thirlmere and Borrowdale — Standing Crag, Shivery Knott, Middle Crag, High Tove and Armboth Fell. 14.3 km and 545 m, rated hard for length, steepness and navigation. About 3.8 hours.
- Birketts West of Thirlmere 0.7 km away23.1 km~1047 m~6.4 hTen tops on the rough ground west of Thirlmere — Wythburn Fell, Standing Crag and the Coldbarrow Fell saddles among them — in 23.1 km with 1,047 m of climbing and nothing steeper than about 10%. Severe for length; roughly 6.4 hours.
- Cofa Pike Via Seat Sandal and Dollywaggon 2.5 km away9.2 km~1142 m~3.7 hThree tops but 1,142 m of ascent in only 9.2 km — the steepest ascent-per-kilometre of any route on the site, with a stage averaging 26%. Severe for steepness and hard for exposure; about 3.7 hours and a genuinely hard short day.
- Helvellyn from Swirls: the walkers’ way up 3.3 km away9.4 km~831 m~3.3 hHard🏞️ EasyThe straightforward way up England’s third-highest fell — no scrambling, no knife edges, just a long, honest climb from Thirlmere up Browncove Crags 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.
- Helvellyn & Nethermost Pike via Seat Sandal 3.3 km away15.7 km~1121 m~5 hHelvellyn the steep way — 728 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. At 1,121 m of ascent it is the biggest day of this group.
Fells within about 5 km
- Ullscarf 2.4 km away723 m~3 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inUllscarf at 726m (2,382ft) is the quietest and most remote of the Central Fells, a broad, heathery plateau above the headwaters of Wyth Burn that Wainwright described as giving an unfrequented and peaceful summit with outstanding views in all directions.
- Steel Fell (Dead Pike) 2.6 km away553 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inSteel Fell at 553m (1,814ft) is the ridge south of Dunmail Raise above Thirlmere, its long summit crest giving outstanding views of Grasmere below and the full Southern Fells beyond.
- Armboth Fell (Armboth Fell South Top) 2.6 km away475 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inArmboth Fell at 479m (1,572ft) is a broad, peaty summit on the central plateau between Thirlmere and Watendlath, giving adequate views across to the Helvellyn range.
- Nethermost Pike 3.3 km away891 m~4 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inNethermost Pike at 891m (2,923ft) is the first of the great eastern summits south of Helvellyn, standing above the head of the Nethermost Cove corrie.
- Calf Crag 3.3 km away537 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inCalf Crag at 537m (1,762ft) is the northernmost summit of the Central Fells above Greenburn, a rocky top giving fine views down into Wythburn and north to the Helvellyn range.
- Helvellyn 3.5 km away950 m~5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inHelvellyn at 950m (3,117ft) is the most climbed of all the major Lakeland summits, and Wainwright devoted more pages to it than almost any other fell.
- Dollywaggon Pike 3.5 km away858 m~3.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inDollywaggon Pike at 858m (2,815ft) is the first summit south of Helvellyn along the main ridge, standing above the deep corrie of Ruthwaite Cove and overlooking the head of Grisedale.
- Gibson Knott 3.6 km away420 m~2 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inGibson Knott at 420m (1,378ft) is a craggy, pleasant little summit on the ridge above Greenburn above Grasmere, giving good views of the valley and Helm Crag to the south.
- High Tove 3.6 km away515 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inHigh 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.
- Eagle Crag 3.9 km away523 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inEagle Crag at 520m (1,706ft) is a magnificent rocky buttress above Langstrath, its eastern face dropping in great crags to the valley below.
- Seat Sandal 3.9 km away737 m~3 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inSeat Sandal at 736m (2,415ft) is an isolated summit above Dunmail Raise, its pointed profile clearly visible from the A591 and from Grasmere below.
- White Side 4 km away863 m~3.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inWhite Side at 863m (2,831ft) 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.
- Great Crag (Stonethwaite) 4.2 km away449 m~2.5 h🚌 BusDecent · 70Dry, light windsGreat 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.
- Catstye Cam 4.3 km away890 m~3.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inCatstycam at 890m (2,920ft) 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.
- Sergeant's Crag 4.3 km away571 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inSergeant's Crag at 571m (1,873ft) is a craggy, rocky summit above Langstrath in Borrowdale, its small crags giving a surprisingly dramatic profile for a modest summit.
- Tarn Crag (Easedale) 4.4 km away549 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inTarn Crag at 583m (1,913ft) above Easedale is a craggy little summit above the head of the Sour Milk Gill path from Grasmere.
- Helm Crag 4.5 km away405 m~2 h🚌 BusDecent · 70Dry, firm underfootHelm Crag at 405m (1,329ft) is one of the most famous and distinctive summits in Lakeland — the jagged, rocky outline known as 'The Lion and the Lamb' visible from Grasmere below.
- Raise 4.9 km away883 m~3.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inRaise at 883m (2,897ft) is the northernmost of the high Helvellyn range summits, a broad, rounded top that Wainwright described as giving outstanding views north to Great Dodd and Clough Head and west to Thirlmere.
Distances are straight-line from the centre of Harrop Tarn — ‘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.