Angletarn Pikes and the Martindale round
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Hartsop village (donation)
Getting here Parking: Hartsop village (donation), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, a 560 m walk and 28 m of ascent from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe distance: 22.23 km — a long day out.
Before you choose
- The Nab is in the Martindale deer forest, owned by the Dalemain Estate. The estate says the area may be closed between September and February for deer management, and at other times as needed, and asks walkers to check before they visit. It asks everyone to keep away from the deer, especially at calving time. This route reaches The Nab along the ridge from Rest Dodd and comes back the same way. It does not go down into Rampsgill or Bannerdale. The top of The Nab is open access land. On open access land, dogs must be on a lead of no more than 2 m from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time (GOV.UK: use your right to roam).
- 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 and remote: carry what you need to get yourself out.
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.
See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
Route map
1 Rest Dodd2 The Nab3 Brock Crags (Wainwright)4 Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)5 Beda Fell (Beda Head)6 Place Fell
Easy 76%Moderate 17%Hard 7%Severe
Heights on this chart and its high point are read from the track itself (a terrain model sampled along the line, or a GPS recording), so a top can differ from its listed height, usually reading lower.
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap, with SRTM elevation data (switch layers top-right).
The elevation profile is under the map; the stage notes follow.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → Rest Dodd (3.2 km, 526 m)
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 2
Rest Dodd → The Nab (1.6 km, 70 m)
Decision pointFrom Rest Dodd drop north along the fence to the ridge out to The Nab.
Easy to get wrongThe boggiest ground of the day. It is also the part of the round inside the Martindale deer forest; read the access note at the top of the page before you go.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 3
The Nab → Brock Crags (Wainwright) (3.2 km, 203 m)
Decision pointHead back south from The Nab, then round the north-west side of Rest Dodd, below its top, to Brock Crags.
Easy to get wrongRest Dodd's ridge toward The Nab is cut by deep peat hags and bog, tiring and disorientating to cross and a trap in mist.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 4
Brock Crags (Wainwright) → Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) (2.1 km, 104 m)
Decision pointFrom Brock Crags, back east for about 400 m, then north to Angle Tarn and its two rocky tops.
Easy to get wrongBroad, pathy, easy to drift in mist — the tarn itself is the handrail.
© Lee McCoy - 5
Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) → Beda Fell (Beda Head) (3.0 km, 70 m)
© Lee McCoy - 6
Beda Fell (Beda Head) → Place Fell (4.5 km, 332 m)
Decision pointBack south-west along Beda Fell to Boredale Hause, then north up Place Fell.
Easy to get wrongA sting in the tail after 16 km. Do not underestimate the last climb. The climb from Boredale Hause is steep, rocky and broken; the path weaves through rakes and gullies.
© Lee McCoy Place Fell → Finish (4.6 km, 97 m)
Decision pointDescend south off Place Fell, back down the valley to the start.
Easy to get wrongSteep, stony and long. Tired legs, worn rock — take it slowly.
© Lee McCoy
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked in part · km 0.3–1.7, km 19.4–22.1 from the map
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.
Summits bagged (6)
- 1Rest Dodd696 m
- 2The Nab576 m
- 3Brock Crags (Wainwright)561 m
- 4Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top)566 m
- 5Beda Fell (Beda Head)509 m
- 6Place Fell657 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
More about this walk
This is the antidote to Helvellyn on an August Saturday. The Nab is one of the least-visited Wainwrights, 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.
Conditions and timing
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.
When the sun reaches the tops
Not sunrise — the moment the sun clears the skyline from that summit, which on a fell with high ground to its east can be a good deal later.
- Rest Dodd — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- The Nab — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about an hour after sunrise.
- Brock Crags (Wainwright) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Beda Fell (Beda Head) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, about a quarter of an hour later. In late September, about 07:15. It waits longest in late December — about half an hour after sunrise.
- Place Fell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
How to read these times
The two equinoxes are shown because they fall in the walking season, and late December too wherever a top keeps you waiting then; the clock gap between the equinoxes is British Summer Time, not the hill. Rounded to the nearest quarter hour and meant as a general idea, not a schedule.
Modelled from a 30 m elevation model against each summit’s own skyline — the same figures the fell pages carry, never observed. Cloud is not in it.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
Of the pay-and-display machine tickets sold at Cow Bridge from 17 August 2024 to 31 March 2026, 34% were bought before 10am (our count of FOI/2026.500 ticket data). Contains public sector information provided by the Lake District National Park Authority and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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.
If the parking is full
There is no real plan B by car here. Every place we know beside this route serves the same walks and sits close together, so expect them to fill on the same mornings. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Cow Bridge, Hartsop (paid) — a 810 m walk to the start, climbing about 30 m
- Hartsop village (donation) — at the start
- Cow Bridge (layby) — a 860 m walk to the start, climbing about 30 m
- By bus: buses stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, a 560 m walk from the start. A bus is not affected by a full car park. Its return times are under Buses.
We never say whether anywhere has spaces today. Walks to the line are measured along mapped paths (OpenStreetMap), not in a straight line. How we choose these places.
No signal when you get there? RoutePark keeps this list on your phone: choose this walk’s GPX at home, keep it, and it opens offline.
Buses
The 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, a 560 m walk and 28 m of ascent from this start. The last bus is 19:51 towards Windermere (508), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 508 passes this route at 21.7 km (Hartsop, adjacent to road end, 350 m off the line).
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Hartsop village car park, beside the start: it asks an optional donation, not a charge. 3 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Lee, who walked past it on 14 August 2026, checked 14 August 2026)
- Toilets No toilets are mapped within 250 m of the start. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments No café or pub is mapped within 250 m of the start: bring what you need. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation The Nab is in the Martindale deer forest: the Dalemain Estate says the area may be closed between September and February for deer management, and asks walkers to check before they visit. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Also mapped within reach: a bench.
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
Planning detail
How each grade on this page is set, and the timings stage by stage.
Difficulty profile
Severe overall — hardest: Length
Five independent axes, not one score. Three of the five were set on the ground; the rest are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground. This line was walked in part, so a grade set on the ground covers the stretches Lee walked; km 0.3–1.7, km 19.4–22.1 are from the map.
How we grade: each axis is Easy, Moderate, Hard or Severe, and a route between two bands takes the higher one. Length: under 8 km, 8–14 km, 14–20 km, over 20 km. Steepness, the steepest 500 m of the track: under 15%, 15–25%, 25–35%, over 35%. Terrain, navigation and exposure are judged rather than measured, and each note says why. How we grade.
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rest Dodd | 3.2 km | 526 m | 1:31–2:00 |
| 2The Nab | 4.8 km | 596 m | 1:57–2:36 |
| 3Brock Crags (Wainwright) | 8.0 km | 799 m | 2:56–3:54 |
| 4Angletarn Pikes (Angletarn Pikes North Top) | 10.1 km | 903 m | 3:32–4:42 |
| 5Beda Fell (Beda Head) | 13.1 km | 974 m | 4:15–5:39 |
| 6Place Fell | 17.7 km | 1305 m | 5:42–7:35 |
| Finish | 22.2 km | 1402 m | 6:47–9:01 |
A fast–steady range from Naismith’s rule, deliberately on the slow side. Breaks, weather, rough ground and the slowest person in your party all add to it. How we time walks.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: Not a pushchair route.
- Knees: A sustained ~30% descent over 250 m around the 3.3 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 30% around the 1.2 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: Stiles of unmapped type at 0.8, 1.9 and 3.6 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 12 July 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Hard – graded by Lee on the ground, on the stretches he walked. Deep peat and boggy channels either side of The Nab; slow, wet going.
- Drops and exposed ground: Easy – graded by Lee on the ground, on the stretches he walked. Rolling fell country. No meaningful exposure anywhere on the round.
- Ways off early: None recorded for this route.
- Livestock, shade and water: Not recorded for this route yet. We never call a stream safe for a dog to drink, so carry enough for both of you. The lead rules, and what to do around cattle, are on dogs on the fells.
On the line: 4 gates · 1 kissing gate · 3 stiles (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 12 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Greenbank Farm Bed and Breakfast (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.8 km
We have not stayed at any of them. We take no bookings or affiliate fees. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Angle Tarn (Patterdale) — 1.5 km from this start
- Walks from Patterdale — 3.4 km from this start
Straight-line distance from this walk’s start. Those lists hold the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km of the town, ranked nearest first.
