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586 m · Wainwright — Eastern Fells · Birketts to bag nearby, parking, buses, my hikes and live summit weather.

Hartsop above How - a small cairn on a rocky ridge, green fells rolling away beneath a grey cloudy sky
Wainwright — Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Hartsop above How at 586m (1,923ft) is a long, grassy ridge above the Hartsop valley, its summit giving good views down Brothers Water and across to Place Fell.

586 m
Height
~2.5–3 h
Typical time
+3
Bonus Birketts
See routes & download GPX →

Home › Fells › Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy · Last reviewed

586 mWainwright — Eastern Fells✓ summit is also a Birkett+3 bonus Birketts within 3 km Straightforward in cloud

Is it worth going? — Today’s conditions & 7-day summit forecast

Modelled guidance for the 586 m summit. Always check the Met Office mountain forecast and MWIS before you set off.

On the summit today (Tue 28 Jul): 15° to 14°C, gusts to 43 mph, 10.4 mm of rain forecast.

Tue 28 Jul
🌧️
15° / 14°
💨 43 mph
🌧 10.4 mm (100%)
Wed 29 Jul
🌧️
16° / 12°
💨 35 mph
🌧 3.7 mm (100%)
Thu 30 Jul
🌦️
14° / 4°
💨 27 mph
🌧 0.9 mm (78%)
Fri 31 Jul
🌤️
15° / 2°
💨 24 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (78%)
Sat 1 Aug
🌦️
15° / 3°
💨 15 mph
🌧 3.0 mm (54%)
Sun 2 Aug
☁️
16° / 4°
💨 18 mph
🌧 0.0 mm (24%)
Mon 3 Aug
🌦️
16° / 5°
💨 12 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (23%)

Forecast snapshot from 28 Jul 2026, 04:58 UTC — refreshed nightly and updated live in your browser. Temperatures and gusts adjusted to the 586 m summit altitude via Open-Meteo. Summit conditions are always harsher than the valley — check the professional mountain forecasts before you go.

Pro mountain forecasts: MWIS · Met Office mountain forecast

About the walk

Key information

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Hartsop above How - a small cairn on a rocky ridge, green fells rolling away beneath a grey cloudy sky
© Lee McCoy

Hartsop above How at 586m (1,923ft) is a long, grassy ridge above the Hartsop valley, its summit giving good views down Brothers Water and across to Place Fell. Wainwright included it as part of the ridge system above the Kirkstone Pass area. The summit is pleasant open moorland, easily reached from Hartsop village. A quiet, undemanding walk with fine valley views.

Routes up Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Hand-mapped, with GPX to download — full maps further down.

Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag
11.9 km · ~3.6 hr
Classifications & hill data
Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
586 m
Height
1,923 ft
In feet
NY 3831 1200
Grid ref

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Cow Bridge, Hartsop (free), about 2.6 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) (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.

1.0 km ENEGale Crag512 m · Eastern
1.7 km NWGavel Pike784 m · Eastern
2.4 km WCofa Pike823 m · Eastern

Routes over Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Hartsop Fells and Hart CragRevised
11.87 km · ~765 m ascent · loop · ~3.5–5 h
Summits: Gale CragHartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)Hart CragDove CragLittle Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top)High Hartsop Dodd

⬇️ Download GPX

Full route guide ↗

A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.

The View from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

A computed 360° skyline — every visible named top labelled by distance and bearing, from the terrain model in perfect clarity, not photographed. Drag to pan; reveal the far four-nations horizon.

drag to pan · arrow keys
Computed 360-degree skyline from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)29 labelled tops shown (4 distant behind the far-horizon toggle). Theoretical visibility in perfect clarity; computed from terrain, not photographed.eye levelNNEESESSWWNWHigh Crag · 4 kmFairfield · 2 kmHigh Street · 6 kmHart Crag · 2 kmHigh Raise · 7 kmDove Crag · 2 kmThornthwaite Crag · 5 kmStony Cove Pike · 4 kmBirkett Fell · 8 kmRed Crag · 7 kmRest Dodd · 5 kmLoadpot Hill · 10 kmWether Hill · 9 kmPlace Fell · 5 kmMiddle Dodd · 3 kmBirks · 2 kmDollywaggon Pike · 4 kmSt Sunday Crag · 2 kmCofa Pike · 2 kmGreat Mell Fell · 13 kmGavel Pike · 2 kmRed Screes · 4 kmLittle Mell Fell · 13 kmThe Knott · 5 kmLittle Hart Crag · 2 kmHartsop Dodd · 3 kmSwarth Fell · 10 kmHigh Hartsop Dodd · 2 kmHallin Fell · 9 kmCaudale Moor · 4 kmCross Fell · 38 km · clear daysAngletarn Pikes · 4 kmGowbarrow Fell · 10 kmBoulsworth Hill · 94 km · a rare clear daySighty Crag · 72 km · a rare clear dayCauldcleuch Head · 89 km · a rare clear dayBlackwood Hill · 86 km · a rare clear day
What you can see from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How), by direction
  • North: Birks (2 km), Sheffield Pike (6 km), Birk Fell (7 km), Birkett Fell (8 km), Little Mell Fell (13 km), Great Mell Fell (13 km)
  • North-east: Brock Crags (4 km), Angletarn Pikes (4 km), Angletarn Pikes South Top (4 km), Place Fell (5 km), The Nab (6 km), Red Crag (7 km), Wether Hill (9 km), Loadpot Hill (10 km), Swarth Fell (10 km), Bonscale Pike (11 km), Arthur's Pike (12 km), Cross Fell (38 km)
  • East: Hartsop Dodd (3 km), Gray Crag (4 km), Thornthwaite Crag (5 km), Rest Dodd (5 km), The Knott (5 km), High Street (6 km), Rampsgill Head (6 km), High Raise (7 km)
  • South-east: High Hartsop Dodd (2 km), Middle Dodd (3 km), Caudale Moor (4 km), Stony Cove Pike (4 km)
  • South: Little Hart Crag (2 km), Red Screes (4 km)
  • South-west: Hart Crag (2 km), Dove Crag (2 km)
  • West: Fairfield (2 km), Cofa Pike (2 km), Dollywaggon Pike (4 km)
  • North-west: Gavel Pike (2 km), St Sunday Crag (2 km), High Crag (4 km)

On the clearest days the far horizon adds: Boulsworth Hill (94 km, England), Sighty Crag (72 km, England), Cauldcleuch Head (89 km, Scotland), Roan Fell (81 km, Scotland), Peel Fell (91 km, England), Blackwood Hill (86 km, Scotland), Greatmoor Hill (89 km, Scotland), Larriston Fells (82 km, Scotland).

Computed from terrain in perfect clarity, not photographed · distances are straight-line.

Computed from Copernicus GLO-30 terrain; distant tops from the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0). See how we compute the view · and the summit intervisibility report below.

What you can see from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

On a clear day — computed sightlines, curvature- and refraction-corrected.
30Wainwrights in view+4 marginal
37 kmFurthest sightlineCross Fell
—Sea in viewnone from here
Far horizons
  • Cross Fell North PenninesNE · 37 km clear
All 30 Wainwrights in clear view (nearest first)

High Hartsop Dodd, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, St Sunday Crag, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), Birks, Fairfield, Middle Dodd, Hartsop Dodd, Arnison Crag, Red Screes, Brock Crags (Wainwright), Dollywaggon Pike, Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor), Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top), Gray Crag, Thornthwaite Crag, Rest Dodd, The Knott (High Street), Place Fell, High Street, The Nab, Rampsgill Head, High Raise (High Street), Wether Hill, Hallin Fell, Loadpot Hill, Gowbarrow Fell (Wainwright summit), Little Mell Fell, Great Mell Fell

How Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)’s view compares with all 214 — the View Report: every Wainwright ranked by what you can see from the top.

Sightlines from a bare-earth terrain model (forests and buildings not included), corrected for the Earth’s curvature and average atmospheric refraction. “Distant” sightlines and any over 100 km depend on exceptionally clear air. Modelled from Copernicus GLO-30 open elevation data — a guide to the view, not a guarantee of any single one.

Best parking to hike Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Where we have the data, each parking spot also shows the nearest public toilets and facilities (cafés, pubs, shops).

Cow Bridge, Hartsop (free) — 2.6 km from summit (straight line)
Free car park by Brothers Water — Hartsop above How, Dovedale, Caudale Moor.
Directions
Hartsop village (free, donation) — 2.8 km from summit (straight line)
For Hartsop Dodd, Gray Crag, High Street via Hayeswater, Brock Crags.
Directions

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

Tip: pan and zoom the interactive map at the top of this page to spot other potential parking near your route.

Water & shelter on the way up

On the Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag route:

🚌 Cow Bridge (29 m)🚌 Cow Bridge car park (33 m)🚌 Road End (306 m)

On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors, per route — an absent marker doesn’t mean none.

Buses to Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) from Penrith / Ambleside / Windermere

Stagecoach 508 “Ullswater Bus”
Penrith – Pooley Bridge – Aira Force – Glenridding – Patterdale (summer services continue over Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck and Windermere)
Catch it from: Penrith · Windermere (summer only)
The key route from Penrith for the Eastern and Far Eastern fells: Helvellyn from Glenridding, Place Fell, the Hartsop fells. The summer Kirkstone extension drops you at the pass for Red Screes and Caudale Moor.

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

My hikes over Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) (Strava)

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

Interactive route maps and photos load here for visitors with JavaScript. Data from Strava.

Hazard & Incident Information for Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Hazard: Moderate

A long, narrowing ridge running out between Deepdale and Dovedale toward Hart Crag, grassy but with considerable rock and steep flanks for most of its three-mile length. Near the summit (Gill Crag) it becomes an airy promenade, and rocky faces — Gill Crag, Black Crag, Gale Crag — fall to Dovedale and Deepdale. Wet rock and the narrow section are the things to watch. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team covers this ground.

  • The narrow, airy summit ridge: Near the top the ridge narrows to an airy crest with steep drops, especially rough above Dovedale. Take it steadily, keep to the crest, and treat it with care in strong wind or when the rock is wet.
  • Steep flanks & rocky faces: Both flanks are steep for most of the ridge, with rocky faces (Gill Crag, Black Crag, Erne Nest Crag) above Deepdale and Dovedale. Don't drop off the ridge onto these — keep to the crest line.
  • Wet rock & navigation: The rock sections are unpleasant and slippery in the wet, and the long ridge needs a bearing in cloud to stay on line toward Hart Crag or back to the valley. Mind your footing and navigate carefully.
Who should attempt this fell: Hartsop above How is a fine ridge walk, but it narrows to an airy crest with steep, rocky flanks — keep to the ridge, take the narrow and wet-rock sections steadily, and navigate by compass in cloud over its long length. Save the rockier parts for drier days and treat it as full winter terrain when iced.

Most common causes: Slips on the narrow airy crest or the wet rock sections · Walkers straying onto the steep rocky flanks above Dovedale/Deepdale · Navigation errors on the long ridge in cloud · Winter ice on the rocky crest and steep flanks

Local Mountain Rescue: Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team · Reviewed 14 Jun 2026

Safety: Hazard guidance compiled from published Mountain Rescue reports and well-documented accident history - editorial background, not a live feed of callouts. Always check current conditions, carry proper navigation equipment, and seek qualified instruction before heading onto the fells. In an emergency, call 999, ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue.

Report incorrect information

Navigating Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) in cloud

Straightforward

A rough, rocky summit ringed by crags, with no single obvious way off in poor visibility. Navigation here is relatively straightforward even in cloud — but carry map and compass and know how to use them; a low score never means “safe”.

In winter — snow, whiteout, cornices, buried features — every top demands full winter navigation skills whatever its band, and a broad, gentle summit can be the worst place of all. See walking in bad weather and the navigation guide.

How Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How) compares with all 214 — the Clag Index: navigating in cloud. A relative, deliberately cautious guide; the site can’t navigate for you.

Other fells near Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

Maps & guidebooks for Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag - Hartsop Above How)

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