Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Great Howe at 494m (1,621ft) is a Birkett top in the fell country above Longsleddale in the Far Eastern Fells, its grassy summit giving views down the valley and across to the High Street ridge. Part of the remote moorland east of Kentmere Reservoir.
Summit conditions on Great Howe (Longsleddale)
On the summit on Tuesday 27 October: 12° to 6°C, gusts to 60 mph, 11.1 mm of rain forecast over the whole day, midnight to midnight.
The forecast figures are Open-Meteo’s, worked out for the summit’s height. How we check →
Routes up Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Choose the way up before the car park: these two routes start from two places, and the last two rows give the parking and bus at each route’s own start. Full maps further down.
| Compared | Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) | Harrop Pike & Ancrow Brow - Birketts |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Hollow Moor (layby) | Sadgill (Longsleddale) |
| Distance and climb | 17.86 km, 1,114 m of climb | 20.03 km, 660 m of climb |
| Time, fast to steady | ~5¼–7¼ h | ~5–7 h |
| Scrambling | Not mentioned in the route’s notes | Not mentioned in the route’s notes |
| Exposure | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Navigation | Hard | Hard |
| Steepest stretch | Descent of about 37% at 14.6 km (Severe) | Climb of about 38% at 0.4 km (Severe) |
| After the summit | No further tops | Over Grey Crag (Sleddale Fell), Harrop Pike, Ancrow Brow North Top, Swinklebank Crag (Ancrow Brow), Capplebarrow, Todd Fell and Whiteside Pike |
| Walked or planned | Walked in part; km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map | Planned: drawn, not yet walked |
| Car park at the start | Hollow Moor (layby) (free) | Sadgill, Longsleddale (free, limited) |
| Bus to the start | Nearest stop 6.5 km on foot | Nearest stop 8.5 km on foot |
Times run from fast to steady pace (Naismith’s rule). Scrambling quotes each route’s own notes; “not mentioned” means they do not say, not that the ground has none. Each route’s page has its map, stages and GPX.
Distance, climb and the steepest stretch are measured from each route’s GPX track; the other grades are set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap, and each route page says which. How we check →
How hard is Great Howe (Longsleddale)?
The shortest way up we hold is Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) — 17.86 km, 1114 m of ascent, ~5¼–7¼ h. On our scale its hardest axis is steepness — Severe.
All axes: steepness: Severe · length: Hard · navigation: Hard · terrain: Not assessed · exposure: Not assessed.
These are the route page’s grades, set by the rules on how we grade: length and steepness measured from its GPX track, the others set on the ground, judged from the map or estimated from OpenStreetMap. The route page says which. How we check →
Conditions and 7-day summit forecast
Modelled for the 494 m summit (Open-Meteo). Check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.
Full 7-day forecast
Taken 27 October 2026, 08:13 UTC; the live forecast replaces it when it loads. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (opens in new tab)
Parking & buses for Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Parking
Route starts first, then the car parks nearest the summit, which are not always a way up.
2 more places to park near Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Positions are approximate.
Vehicles are left at their owner’s risk: we list places people park and cannot vouch for any of them. Take valuables with you and leave nothing on show.
Buses
The nearest bus stop we hold is the 508 at Troutbeck, opposite Limefitt Park, 6.5 km of walking from the start — no bus route we hold serves it.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Hazards on Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Notes from the Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) route
- Boggy ground: the Sleddale moors (Tarn Crag, Grey Crag and the Mosedale–Longsleddale pass) are peat-hagged and frequently very wet — expect bog and use the wall/fence lines as handrails.
- Faint paths + serious navigation: trods are indistinct across Cocklaw Fell and the Sleddale plateau. Best saved for good visibility — avoid the Tarn Crag/Grey Crag moors in thick hill fog.
- A long day: roughly 10–12 miles and over 3,000 ft of ascent — be self-reliant.
Quoted from the route page: its warnings.
We have not written a hazard card for this fell yet, and that is not a sign that it is low-hazard. Read the warnings on the route pages that climb it, check the forecast, carry a map and compass, and turn back in cloud if the ground is not what you expected. The National Park Authority’s What to pack page, AdventureSmart’s hill walking kit list and Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s safety page are linked from our what to carry guide.
If you need Mountain Rescue
Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
Before you call, have ready: where you are (a grid reference if you can – the OS Locate app shows yours on your phone), what has happened, how many of you there are, and your mobile number.
Then stay where you are until the rescue team contacts you.
If you cannot make a voice call because of a hearing or speech impairment, emergency SMS works only if you have registered first: text “register” to 999.
From Mountain Rescue England and Wales’s guidance on calling them out (opens in new tab) (read 26 October 2026).
Map, GPX and nearby Birketts
Skip mapFree mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking & buses ↑.
Birketts within 3 km of Great Howe (Longsleddale)
These Birkett tops are not Wainwright summits. Distances are straight lines: check the ground and access on a map before adding one.
Routes over Great Howe (Longsleddale)
Download GPX Planned route · not yet walked
Download GPX Walked in part, May 2026 · km 0.0–1.3, km 16.6–17.9 from the map
Route guide: Longsleddale Round (Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag, Grey Crag & Shipman Knotts) →
Every line here is a guide, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate for yourself and carry a map and compass. How to use this guide.
About Great Howe (Longsleddale)
My Strava hikes over Great Howe (Longsleddale)
1 logged hike pass over this summit:
- Grey Crag, Tarn Crag, Kentmere Pike & Shipman Knotts (Needed that!) (opens in new tab) — 17.7 km · 1031 m ascent · 4h 33m moving · 5 May 2026
Data from Strava.
Classifications & hill data
Is Great Howe (Longsleddale) a Wainwright?
Great Howe (Longsleddale) is not a Wainwright. It is on the Birkett list.
Selected lists
This is the summit’s grid reference. If you call from anywhere else, give your own position, not this one.
Lists, height and summit position from the Database of British and Irish Hills; the feet are converted from its metres and the grid reference from that position. How we check →
Places to stay near this fell
- Lakes Boutique Hostel (opens in new tab) hostelabout 8.2 km
- Haweswater Hotel (opens in new tab) hotelabout 9.1 km
- Shap Fell Bothy (opens in new tab) self-cateringabout 9.0 km
Also nearby, but not independent
- Mosedale Cottage (opens in new tab) hutabout 4.0 km
- Windermere Youth Hostel (YHA Windermere) (opens in new tab) hostelabout 7.0 km
- Windermere Camping and Caravanning Club Site (Ashes Lane, Staveley) (opens in new tab) campsiteabout 8.8 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).