⛰️ Dale Head

754 m · Wainwright — North Western Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

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754 mWainwright — North Western Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+4 bonus Birketts within 3 km

📖 Key Information

Dale 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. Wainwright described the view back along the horseshoe ridge from Dale Head's summit as among the most satisfying in the North Western Fells. The ascent from Honister via the ridge is excellent, as is the longer approach from Newlands via the direct ridge. Combined with High Spy and Maiden Moor for the upper section of the horseshoe.

Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right). Parking positions are approximate.

🎯 Bonus Birketts within 3 km

These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits — detour to them on this walk and they are pure profit. Distances are straight-line; allow extra for terrain.

1.6 km SWHonister Crag (Black Star)634 m · Western
2.2 km NNWHigh Crags (Newlands)529 m · Western
2.6 km NRed Knott452 m · Western
3.0 km NScope End412 m · Western

⚠️ Hazard & Incident Information

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🦶 My hikes over Dale Head (Strava)

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🅿️ Potential parking

Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — 1.7 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the top of the pass — Dale Head, Fleetwith Pike, Grey Knotts with minimal ascent.
Directions ↗
Seatoller (NT, paid) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Pay & display at the foot of Honister. Bus terminus for Borrowdale.
Directions ↗

Positions are approximate — zoom the map to confirm. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.

🚌 Buses from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.
Stagecoach 78 “Borrowdale Rambler”
Keswick – Lodore – Grange – Rosthwaite – Seatoller
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 or X4/X5)
Year-round, frequent in season. Serves all the Borrowdale starts — Glaramara, the Scafells and Great Gable via Seathwaite (alight Seatoller, 20 min walk up the lane).

Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before relying on a last bus.

🌦️ 7-day summit forecast

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Other fells in this region

Open Dale Head in the interactive explorer ↗