Walks from Honister Pass
The walks you can reach from Honister Pass — 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 Honister Pass 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 Honister Pass
- Black Star Brandreth and others 0 km away9.2 km~597 m~2.8 hStraight up from the Honister pass — Honister Crag, Fleetwith Pike, Brandreth and Grey Knotts in 9.2 km with 597 m of climbing. Short but severe for steepness and hard for exposure, with one stage averaging 15%. Under three hours.
- Honister to Keswick: over the Newlands fells 0.1 km away19.6 km~1035 m~5.6 hHard🏞️ EasyA big Newlands horseshoe walked one–way from the top of Honister Pass to Keswick. You climb straight onto Dale Head, trace the broad grassy tops over Hindscarth and Robinson, drop to Newlands Hause and pick up the quieter Knott Rigg–Ard Crags ridge, then walk out down the Newlands valley into town — six summits and a proper day out, with no car to collect.
- Haystacks 0.1 km away11.4 km~738 m~3.5 hFleetwith Pike's front edge first, then the tarns and rocky knolls of Haystacks — the two finest small summits above Buttermere in a single round. There is a scramble to the true top, and a maze of paths up there that needs care in cloud.
- Great Gable from Honister Slate Mine 0.1 km away9.6 km~690 m~3.1 hHardThe kindest way to England’s most-loved mountain. Honister starts you at 350 m, so the Grey Knotts–Brandreth–Green Gable ridge does most of the climbing for you before the final stony pull onto Great Gable. Four Wainwrights, a summit war memorial and the finest view in Lakeland down into Wasdale — but the top is a broad boulder plateau, and in cloud it is one of the great navigation traps.
- Dale Head Hindscarth and Robinson 0.1 km away17.5 km~808 m~4.8 hThree big Newlands tops — Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson — linked by a fast, airy ridge, reached by a lung-bursting pull straight off Honister Pass with no warm-up at all. A linear day rather than a round: 17.5 km and 808 m of climbing, of which the last 11.7 km is the valley walk-out to Keswick after the final summit.
- Allan Crags & Glaramara 1.7 km away10.9 km~806 m~3.5 hGlaramara's knobbly crest and Allen Crags, five summits linked along the ridge above Borrowdale. 806 m of climbing in 10.9 km, rated severe for steepness though navigation and exposure both stay moderate. About 3.5 hours.
- Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route 1.9 km away15.8 km~937 m~4.7 hDifficultA grander, more interesting way up England's highest mountain than the Wasdale tourist path — the Corridor Route threads beneath the crags from Seathwaite in Borrowdale, with Lingmell a worthwhile detour for the finest view of the Scafell face. I haven't walked this exact line myself, and there are plenty of accounts of people struggling on certain sections, so read up or watch a route video first. Whatever you do, never be tempted onto Broad Stand. It's a long, rough and serious day on the highest ground in England.
- Seathwaite, Green Gable, Base Brown 2.6 km away14.8 km~938 m~4.5 hBoth Seathwaite Fell tops with Green Gable and Base Brown — four summits in 14.8 km and 938 m, rated hard for terrain, navigation and exposure and severe for steepness. About 4.5 hours on properly rough ground.
- The Borrowdale Fells (Rosthwaite Fell round) 3.6 km away13.1 km~802 m~4 hHard🏞️ EasyA wild, little-trodden round of the rough Borrowdale fells above Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite — Bessyboot, Dovenest Top and Thornythwaite Fell — a maze of rocky knolls, hidden tarns and peat hags with huge views to the Scafells. Quiet and full of character, but pathless and boggy: a fair-weather fell day, not a wet-day plod.
- Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag 3.6 km away14.1 km~795 m~4.1 hBorrowdale's small rough summits in one round — Castle Crag, King's How, Brund Fell and Great Crag. Nothing higher than 440 m, but with 58 path junctions near the line and four mapped crag features, it is a surprisingly easy day to wander off.
- Ullscarf, Eagle Crag & Sergeant's Crag 3.6 km away14.8 km~720 m~4.2 hA rugged ~15 km round from Stonethwaite over three Wainwrights — the bold rocky nose of Eagle Crag, neighbouring Sergeant's Crag, and the broad whaleback of Ullscarf — returning down the quiet head of Borrowdale.
- The Bowder Stone 4.4 km away0.6 km~11 m~0.1 h🏞️ EasyA very short, level stroll to Borrowdale's famous balanced boulder — the house-sized Bowder Stone, with a wooden ladder to climb to the top. Maximum reward for minimum effort, and a guaranteed hit with children.
Fells within about 5 km
- Grey Knotts 1.2 km away697 m~4.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inGrey Knotts at 697m (2,287ft) is the first summit above Honister Pass, a pleasant rocky summit giving fine views of the Gable group and across Borrowdale.
- Dale Head 1.8 km away754 m~3.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inDale Head at 753m (2,470ft) is the highest summit of the Newlands Horseshoe, a broad, rocky top above the head of the Newlands valley giving outstanding views of the full horseshoe circuit and south to the Borrowdale fells.
- Fleetwith Pike 1.9 km away649 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inFleetwith Pike at 648m (2,126ft) stands above Honister Pass, its northern face falling in the famous Honister Crags that Wainwright described as giving one of the most dramatic fell profiles in the Western Fells.
- Brandreth 1.9 km away715 m~4.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inBrandreth at 715m (2,346ft) is a broad, grassy summit on the Gable ridge above Honister, giving excellent views of Great Gable and the Scafells from the north.
- Base Brown 2.1 km away646 m~4.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inBase Brown at 646m (2,119ft) is a craggy summit above Seathwaite in Borrowdale, its north face dropping in crags to the Borrowdale valley.
- High Spy 2.8 km away653 m~3 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inHigh Spy at 653m (2,142ft) is the high point of the Newlands Horseshoe ridge above Maiden Moor, its summit giving excellent views of Derwent Water to the north and the Dale Head group to the south.
- Green Gable 3 km away800 m~4.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inGreen Gable at 801m (2,628ft) is the satellite summit of Great Gable to the north, connected by the dramatic Windy Gap.
- Hindscarth 3.1 km away727 m~3 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inHindscarth at 727m (2,385ft) is an elegant summit on the Newlands Horseshoe between Dale Head and Robinson, its pointed profile visible from the Newlands valley below.
- Haystacks (Buttermere) 3.1 km away597 m~4 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inHaystacks at 597m (1,959ft) is the fell Wainwright loved above all others — not for its height, but for its character.
- Seathwaite Fell (Wainwright summit) 3.4 km away601 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inThe AA cairn of Seathwaite Fell at 550m (1,804ft) is the highest point on the western edge of the Seathwaite Fell plateau above Borrowdale, marked by the Automobile Association triangulation pillar.
- Castle Crag 3.5 km away290 m~2 h🚌 BusCracking · 75Dry, light winds, firm underfootCastle Crag at 290m (951ft) is the lowest of all the Wainwright fells, yet one of the most dramatic — a rocky prow standing sentinel in the narrowest part of the Borrowdale gorge between Grange and Rosthwaite.
- Great Gable 3.5 km away899 m~5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inGreat Gable at 899m (2,949ft) is perhaps the most beloved mountain in Lakeland — its profile appears on the badge of the Lake District National Park, and its summit is the site of an annual Remembrance Sunday service by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club.
- Rosthwaite Fell - Bessyboot 3.6 km away551 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inBessyboot at 551m (1,808ft) is the distinctive rocky summit of Rosthwaite Fell in the Central Fells above Stonethwaite and Borrowdale.
- Glaramara 3.8 km away783 m~5 hMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inGlaramara at 783m (2,569ft) is the great ridge fell of upper Borrowdale, a long, complex summit with multiple rocky tops and a character quite unlike its smoother neighbours.
- Robinson 4 km away738 m~3 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inRobinson at 737m (2,418ft) is the north-western bastion of the Newlands Horseshoe — the great classic ridge walk that circuits the Newlands valley.
- Kirk Fell 4.2 km away802 m~5 hMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inKirk Fell at 802m (2,631ft) is the often overlooked giant between Great Gable and Pillar, its steep, grassy northern face rising directly from Black Sail Pass in a great dome.
- High Crag (Buttermere) 4.3 km away745 m~5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inHigh Crag at 744m (2,441ft) is the south-eastern anchor of the Buttermere ridge, its dramatic Gamlin End providing the steepest descent in the three-peak circuit.
- Great Crag (Stonethwaite) 4.7 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.
- Maiden Moor 4.8 km away575 m~2.5 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inMaiden Moor at 576m (1,890ft) is the broad ridge south of Catbells on the Newlands Horseshoe, giving outstanding views of Derwent Water from its open summit plateau.
- Grange Fell (Brund Fell) 4.9 km away417 m~2 h🚌 BusMarginal · 40Summit likely clagged inGrange Fell at 415m (1,362ft) is a rough, rocky summit above the village of Grange in Borrowdale, its craggy knolls and heathery terraces giving a charming, varied walk.
Distances are straight-line from the centre of Honister 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.