Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round
Key facts
✎️ This is the antidote to Helvellyn on an August Saturday. The Nab is one of the least-visited Wainwrights precisely because of the deer forest, and the reward for the boggy trudge out to it is a summit almost nobody stands on. Angletarn Pikes and its tarn are the prettiest thing in the Far Eastern fells.
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score — all field-checked on the ground here, with nothing left as a desk estimate.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 6 of them. The worst summit governs the verdict — a route is only as kind as its roughest top.
Modelled guidance — not a substitute for the mountain forecast or your own judgement. See how every fell ranks today →
☀️ Daylight & turnaround
Daylight is short from October to February — check today’s sunrise and sunset before you set off, and carry a head-torch and spare batteries. On short days, decide your turn-back time before you start.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
1 Rest Dodd2 The Nab3 Brock Crags (Wainwright)4 Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)5 Beda Fell (Beda Head)6 Place Fell
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 22.23 km with around 1349 m of ascent, taking in 6 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
- Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
- Knees: A sustained ~30% descent around the 3.3 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
On the line: 4 gates · 1 kissing gate · 3 stiles (type unmapped)
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-07-12. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest Dodd | 3.2 km | 508 m | 1:29–1:58 |
| The Nab | 4.8 km | 553 m | 1:53–2:30 |
| Brock Crags (Wainwright) | 8.0 km | 755 m | 2:52–3:48 |
| Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) | 10.1 km | 850 m | 3:27–4:35 |
| Beda Fell (Beda Head) | 13.1 km | 922 m | 4:10–5:32 |
| Place Fell | 17.7 km | 1252 m | 5:37–7:28 |
| Finish | 22.2 km | 1349 m | 6:42–8:54 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary.
The walk, stage by stage
Start → Rest Dodd (3.2 km, 508 m)
Climb of about 508 m over 3.2 km (around 16% average).
Rest Dodd → The Nab (1.6 km, 46 m)
About 1.6 km with 46 m of ascent.
Decision point: From Rest Dodd drop north along the fence to the ridge out to The Nab.
Easy to get wrong: The boggiest ground of the day and the access-sensitive ground too. Stay on the permissive line; this is a working deer forest, not open access.
The Nab → Brock Crags (Wainwright) (3.2 km, 202 m)
Climb of about 202 m over 3.2 km (around 6% average).
Brock Crags (Wainwright) → Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) (2.1 km, 95 m)
Climb of about 95 m over 2.1 km (around 5% average).
Decision point: Back over Rest Dodd, then south-west over Brock Crags to Angle Tarn and its two rocky tops.
Easy to get wrong: Broad, pathy, easy to drift in mist — the tarn itself is the handrail.
Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) → Beda Fell (Beda Head) (3.0 km, 72 m)
Climb of about 72 m over 3.0 km (around 2% average).
Beda Fell (Beda Head) → Place Fell (4.5 km, 330 m)
Climb of about 330 m over 4.5 km (around 7% average).
Decision point: North over Beda Fell, then the pull onto Place Fell.
Easy to get wrong: A sting in the tail after 18 km. Do not underestimate the last climb.
Place Fell → Finish (4.6 km, 97 m)
Climb of about 97 m over 4.6 km (around 2% average).
Decision point: Descend west off Place Fell to Patterdale.
Easy to get wrong: Steep, stony and long. Tired legs, worn rock — take it slowly.
Summits bagged (6)
- Rest Dodd 696 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, HuMP
- The Nab 576 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Synge
- Brock Crags (Wainwright) 561 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
- Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) 566 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
- Beda Fell (Beda Head) 509 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge
- Place Fell 657 m · Far Eastern · Wainwright, Birkett, Fellranger, Synge, Nuttall, Marilyn
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
💧 Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
🚌 Buses
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
- The Nab sits in the Martindale deer forest — England’s oldest deer herd. Access is by a permissive route only; keep to it, keep dogs on a lead, and do not wander. During the autumn rut the estate asks walkers to stay away entirely. Check before you go.
- The ground either side of The Nab is genuinely boggy — peat hags and wet channels that swallow the path. Expect wet feet and slow going, and do not judge your timings by the distance alone.
- A big day: over 22 km and 1,350 m of ascent, with navigation graded hard. The high ground is broad, rolling and short of landmarks — in cloud this is a compass-and-pacing exercise.
- Long, remote and thinly walked. You will not meet many people, which is the joy of it and also the point — carry what you need to get yourself out.
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS (opens in new tab) and the Met Office mountain forecast (opens in new tab) before you set off.
Make it easier or harder
Why this direction: Anticlockwise, taking the wet ground out to The Nab early while legs are fresh, and finishing with the fine ridge over Beda Fell and Place Fell.
Short version: turn back at about 12.1 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
📚 Maps & guidebooks for Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round
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