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

Hartsop above How - the cairn on the lichen-covered summit rocks, with the Fairfield ridge and the head of the Dovedale valley beyond under heavy cloud
Wainwright — Eastern FellsAlso a Birkett

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

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 → Parking & buses →

Home › Fells › Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

Written and walked by Lee McCoy

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 (Fri 11 Sep): 12° to 9°C, gusts to 29 mph, 1.9 mm of rain forecast.

Fri 11 Sep
🌦️
12° / 9°
💨 29 mph
🌧 1.9 mm (100%)
Sat 12 Sep
🌧️
14° / 9°
💨 51 mph
🌧 28.7 mm (100%)
Sun 13 Sep
🌦️
12° / 8°
💨 20 mph
🌧 0.2 mm (62%)
Mon 14 Sep
🌧️
14° / 8°
💨 32 mph
🌧 11.3 mm (100%)
Tue 15 Sep
🌦️
14° / 8°
💨 35 mph
🌧 4.3 mm (89%)
Wed 16 Sep
🌦️
10° / 8°
💨 31 mph
🌧 2.0 mm (78%)
Thu 17 Sep
🌦️
11° / 8°
💨 36 mph
🌧 3.2 mm (92%)

Forecast snapshot from 11 Sep 2026, 08:30 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

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) at a glance

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

Hartsop above How - the cairn on the lichen-covered summit rocks, with the Fairfield ridge and the head of the Dovedale valley beyond under heavy cloud
© 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)

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

Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag
11.9 km · ~3.6 hr
Six tops from Gale Crag over Hartsop Above How to Hart Crag — 11.9 km and 765 m, with one stage averaging 20%. Severe for steepness, moderate everywhere else; about 3.6 hours.

Classifications & hill data

Wainwright
Eastern
Birkett
Fellranger
Synge
586 m
Height
1,923 ft
In feet
NY 3831 1200
Grid ref

The short answers

Is Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) a Wainwright?

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) is a Wainwright. It is also on the Birkett list, the Synge list and the Fellranger list.

Where do you park for Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)?

The nearest car park we hold is Hartsop Dodd (layby), about 2.0 km from the summit in a straight line. The next is High Hartsop Dodd (layby), 2.0 km out. We only look within 2.5 km, measured straight-line: over longer distances a road may cross a pass and the drive bears no relation to the line.

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

1 logged hike pass over this summit:

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

Parking & buses for Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

Best parking to hike Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

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

Hartsop Dodd (layby) — 2.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Hartsop Dodd (0.9 km), High Hartsop Dodd (1.2 km), Gale Crag (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
High Hartsop Dodd (layby) — 2.0 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: High Hartsop Dodd (1.0 km), Hartsop Dodd (1.1 km), Gale Crag (1.5 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Hartsop Dodd car park (free) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: Hartsop Dodd (0.9 km), Gale Crag (1.2 km), Brock Crags (Wainwright) (1.6 km). Free (OSM-tagged). Compacted surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
High Hartsop Dodd car park (free) — 2.2 km from summit (straight line)
Nearest fells: High Hartsop Dodd (0.8 km), Middle Dodd (1.3 km), Caudale Moor - John Bell's Banner (1.3 km). Free (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?
Gale Crag (layby) — 2.4 km from summit (straight line)
Walking base for Middle Dodd, Little Hart Crag (Little Hart Crag - West Top), High Hartsop Dodd and Gale Crag — the 'Middle Dodd Little Hart Crag and High Hartsop Dodd' route starts 56 m away. Also serves 'Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag'. Free (OSM-tagged). Unpaved surface (OSM-tagged).
Directions Something changed here?

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.

Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.

Getting to Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) by bus

The 508 stops at Hartsop, opposite Cow Bridge, 30 m from the start of Hartsop Fells and Hart Crag. The last bus is 19:51 towards Windermere (508) and 15:14 towards Hartsop (509), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.

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.

Hazards on Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

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

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

Map & nearby Birketts

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

Nearest parking: Hartsop Dodd (layby), about 2.0 km from the summit (straight line). Full parking, toilets and bus details are below.

Birketts near Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) (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 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. How to use this guide.

On the hill: terrain and water on Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

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.

The view from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

The 360° skyline from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

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.

Sunrise and sunset on Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) waits for the sun. Its longest wait of the modelled year falls on 1 February, when the sun is up for 24 minutes before it clears this skyline — first light 08:25 against an almanac sunrise of 08:01. You are standing in shadow while the valley below is already lit. The sun comes up to the south-east from here (124.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 2.62°.

0°30°40°50°60°04:36
Midsummer. The filled shape is the skyline as seen from the summit; the line is the sun’s path. Where they meet is first light — everything left of that point is the wait.
Times for 2026, in Lakeland clock time (GMT in winter, BST in summer) — and model outputs rather than observations.
First lightAlmanac sunriseDifference
Midsummer04:36 BST ±5.0 min04:36—
Equinox06:26 GMT ±5.0 min06:15+11 min
Midwinter08:44 GMT ±5.0 min08:32+12 min

The northern horizon stands at about 1.47° from here.

Last light — when the sun leaves Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag) loses the sun early. Its earliest evening of the modelled year falls at midwinter, when last light is 79 minutes before almanac sunset — 14:30 against 15:49. The sun goes down to the south-south-west from here (212.0°), and the skyline on that bearing stands at 6.93°.

The evening of the same three days. A negative difference means a ridge takes the sun before the valley loses it.
Last lightAlmanac sunsetDifference
Midsummer20:57 BST ±5.0 min21:52-55 min
Equinox17:32 GMT ±5.0 min18:26-54 min
Midwinter14:30 GMT ±5.0 min15:49-79 min

Computed, not photographed. First light is the first minute the sun’s upper limb clears this summit’s own skyline and last light the last minute it is still clear of it, both solved against the 360° horizon profile behind The View from Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag). Almanac sunrise and sunset are the flat-horizon convention. Every time carries a ± band from the 30 m elevation model — it smooths arêtes and cornices, so nothing here claims better than five minutes. These are daylight figures, not a descent plan: the light goes on fading for a good while after the sun leaves, and going down in it is a decision about your own ground and party, not about this table.

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

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)’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.

Places to stay near this fell

Greenbank Farm Bed and Breakfast guest house

about 1.8 km from the start, in a straight line

Ranked first despite being the eighth-nearest candidate because it answers more of the 6pm questions than anything else in the radius, and it answers them in its own sentences with prices attached: drying facilities, evening meals from £14.00, packed lunches at £6.00, and the only stated room composition on an independent B&B here. Its family room is a room for three, not four — which is exactly the fact a family of four needs before booking, and the reason a bare family_rooms=yes would have been a worse row than this one.

The farmhouse sits below Arnison Crag and looks across at Place Fell and Angletarn Pikes — the two fells this start's routes climb.

  • Drying room “We also have drying facilities and a large patio and garden to enjoy the view.”
  • Family rooms “Family: Room for three with a double and one single bed.”
  • Evening meal “We offer hearty home-cooked breakfasts and evening meals as well as packed lunches if required.”
  • Packed lunch “Packed Lunches £6.00”

Worth knowing before you book

These places state on their own site that they do not take children.

What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from each route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions about Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)

Is Hartsop above How a hard walk?

It is a long, narrowing ridge between Deepdale and Dovedale — grassy for the most part, but with considerable rock and steep flanks along its three kilometres, and it climbs steadily the whole way toward Hart Crag. There is no scrambling, but there is no let-up either.

Our round over it with the Hartsop fells and Hart Crag is 11.9 km with 765 m of ascent, graded severe for steepness. It is one of the finest quiet ridges in the eastern fells and much less walked than the Fairfield Horseshoe beside it.

Questions drawn from real Google “People also ask” searches; answers written and fact-checked by us. · Reviewed 2026-08-30 · Suggest a question or correction

Other fells near Hartsop Above How (Gill Crag)