Dove Crag

An Eastern Fells Wainwright of 792 m (2,598 ft) on the Fairfield Horseshoe ridge, between Hart Crag and High Pike. The fell takes its name from the great crag on its eastern face above Dovedale — the walkers' summit is easy ground well back from it.

Yes — the Dovedale approach from Sykeside (Brotherswater) is the connoisseur's way up: quieter and more dramatic than the Ambleside ridge, climbing beneath the crag itself before gaining the ridge. Our walked Hartsop round (July 2026) crosses Dove Crag from this side; the classic alternative is taking it on the Fairfield Horseshoe.

Yes — the Priest's Hole is a small natural cave high on the face of the crag itself, famous from books and film as a wild overnight spot. Be clear-eyed about what it is: a ledge on a mountain crag, reached by a steep, loose and exposed scrambly path that is hard to find in mist and hazardous in the wet or dark — people have needed rescuing here. It is not a visitor attraction and not part of any walking route on this site.

If you want the fell, take the ridge or the Dovedale path. If you're set on the cave, treat it as a mountaineering objective: dry conditions, daylight in hand, and the judgement to turn back.

From Sykeside via Dovedale, about 4–5 hours for a round — our walked Hartsop circuit is 11.9 km over six summits. On the full Fairfield Horseshoe it's one summit among eight in a 6–7 hour day.