Threlkeld
Getting there, parking, where to stay and the fells you can walk straight from Threlkeld.
Blencathra - Hallsfell Top today: Save it · Too windy for the tops
12°C at the summit, gusts 40 mph
Scored for 12 September by the site’s own scorer · all 214 todayThe sun reaches the Threlkeld start about 06:56 in September · sunrise 06:45
From the terrain around the start (Copernicus GLO-30), mid-month · how we work it outFrom Threlkeld, by Village Hall: 22:02 towards Keswick (X5) and 16:29 towards Keswick Bus Station (K) (509) Monday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday differ
Signed off per direction against the operator’s timetable, 7 September · the bus mapThrelkeld at a glance
Threlkeld is the village at the foot of Blencathra, four miles east of Keswick on the old road under the A66. It is the closest a Lakeland village gets to sitting on a mountain: the Blease Fell path leaves the top of the village and the summit ridge is two hours above the pub. That is why most people come, and why the village car park is full by nine on a fine Saturday.
The draw is Blencathra; the bonus is that Threlkeld is also the quiet start for Clough Head and the Dodds across the valley, and that it sits on the Penrith to Keswick bus corridor, so a car-free day here works.
Quick facts
| Where | On the A66 between Penrith and Keswick, under Blencathra's southern face; the village is on the loop road off the trunk road |
| Getting there | The X4 and X5 (Penrith – Keswick – Workington) stop in the village; the 509 in season. No railway: Penrith is the station |
| Parking | The village car park (donation) at the top of the village, the lay-by on the loop road, the old station car park (paid) for the railway path |
| The walking | Blencathra by Blease Fell or Hall's Fell straight from the village; Clough Head and the Dodds across the valley; High Rigg and the railway path for a flat day |
| Weather | Blencathra's summit is 868 m and catches the wind; check the live fell conditions before a ridge day |
Where is Threlkeld?
The district’s layer · every place page carries this
Threlkeld near Keswick, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore.
Getting there and parking
Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Penrith (North Lakes) (20 km away) and Aspatria (24 km away); the X5 and the 509 stop at by Village Hall, 0.1 km from here. The bus map has every stop we hold.
The X4 and X5 between Penrith and Keswick call at the village hall and the Horse and Farrier, and the timetable's last buses each way are on the fell pages that use the stop, checked against the operator. From Keswick it is a ten-minute ride; from Penrith about twenty-five. The 509 adds a summer service. The old Keswick to Penrith railway is now the railway path for walkers and cyclists, which is the pleasant way to arrive from Keswick without a car.
If you drive, the car parks nearest the village are listed below with what we know about each. The village car park at the top of the village asks for a donation and is the Blencathra start; the lay-by on the loop road takes the overflow; the old station car park below the A66 is paid and serves the railway path more than the fell.
Fells & walks near Threlkeld
- Blencathra - Hallsfell Top
- Clough Head
- High Rigg (Naddle Fell)
- Lonscale Fell
- Mungrisdale Common
- Bannerdale Crags
Straight-line distances from the centre of Threlkeld — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.
All walks from Threlkeld → — every route and fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.
Parking near Threlkeld
All the car parks around Threlkeld on the parking map →
Straight-line distances from the centre of Threlkeld. We publish whether a car park charges, and who runs it, but never the price — tariffs change and a stale one is worse than none, so check the sign or the operator’s own site on the day.
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.
Can you stay overnight?
- Threlkeld Old Station (paid) — not permitted. LDNPA’s own wording: “Overnight occupation of vehicles is not permitted.”
These are the land managers’ own published positions, quoted. Where a car park is not listed here we have found no published rule for it, which is not the same as permission.
How long from Threlkeld?
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blencathra via Blease Fell | 11.9 km | 750 m | 3.6 hrs |
Routes starting within about 2 km of Threlkeld, or on its doorstep at one of the car parks above. Estimates are moving time for a steady walker and take no account of stops, conditions or daylight — they are a guide, not a schedule.
What to see
- Blencathra's southern face from the village: the five ridges (Blease, Gategill, Hall's, Doddick, Scales) are laid out above the rooftops, and the village is the place to read them before you choose one.
- The railway path to Keswick, with its bridges over the Greta, flat and sheltered.
- The Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum, a mile east at the old granite quarry, with a narrow-gauge railway on running days.
- St Mary's church and the old village centre between the two pubs.
Pubs and food
The Horse and Farrier and the Salutation Inn are both in the village, a hundred yards apart; both serve food and both are the finish for a Blencathra day. Keswick, four miles west, has everything else.
The walks
Every route and fell within reach of the village is ranked nearest first, with live conditions, on this page's walks list once it is published. The ones that start at the door:
- Blencathra via Blease Fell — the straightforward way up, from the village car park, 2.5 hours to the summit and the whole southern face beside you.
- Blencathra by Sharp Edge — from Scales, two miles east; a scramble with real exposure, not a path.
- Threlkeld Knotts and Clough Head — across the valley, quiet, and the best view of Blencathra there is.
- High Rigg — the small fell south of the village for a short day.
Frequently asked questions about Threlkeld
Where do I park for Blencathra?
Can I get to Threlkeld by bus?
Is there a shop in Threlkeld?
How long is Blencathra from Threlkeld?
Events across the Lake District
The district’s layer · every place page carries this
Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Threlkeld — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.