Planned
Key facts
- Distance 19.74 km
- Ascent ~687 m
- Descent ~688 m
- Time ~5.1 h
- Type Linear
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
Elevation profile
Summits bagged (3)
- Ard Crags 581 m · North Western
- Ill Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top) 546 m · North Western
- Knott Rigg 556 m · North Western
🅿️ Getting there & parking
Braithwaite village (roadside/small areas) — 0.2 km from the start (straight line)
Start of the Coledale Horseshoe: Grisedale Pike, Causey Pike round.
Directions ↗Whinlatter Visitor Centre (paid) — 2.5 km from the start (straight line)
Forest centre — Lord's Seat, Barf, Whinlatter fells, Grisedale Pike's back route.
Directions ↗Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
🚌 Buses
Stagecoach 77 / 77A “Honister Rambler”
Keswick – Portinscale – Hawse End (Catbells) – Grange – Seatoller – Honister Pass – Buttermere – Lorton – Whinlatter – Keswick (circular)
Catch it from: Keswick (connect via 555 from Windermere/Ambleside or X4/X5 from Penrith)
Seasonal (roughly Easter–October). Brilliant for the North Western fells: Catbells, Dale Head from Honister, the Buttermere fells and Whinlatter.
Stagecoach X4 / X5
Penrith – Rheged – Threlkeld – Keswick – Braithwaite – Cockermouth – Workington
Catch it from: Penrith
Year-round, frequent. From Penrith this is your way into Keswick and the Northern fells — Threlkeld/Scales stops serve Blencathra directly, Braithwaite serves the Coledale fells.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com or Traveline before travelling.
⚠️ Safety & conditions
Hazard & incident notes: Ard Crags · Ill Crag (Newlands) (Knott Rigg North Top) · Knott Rigg
Check live conditions in the “From the fells” panel, on MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast before you set off.
✎️ Planned route — drawn but not personally walked or checked yet.
A planned line is a suggestion, not a guarantee — conditions change. Navigate independently and carry a map & compass.