Birketts Around Devoke Water
Start Birker Fell Road (Devoke Water)
Getting here Parking: Devoke Water turning, Birker Fell road (verge), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard navigation: Care needed in cloud — ~17% featureless high ground, 11 path junctions near the line. Hard – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground
Before you choose
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 White Pike (Birkby Fell)2 Woodend Height3 Yoadcastle4 Water Crag5 Rough Crag (Birker Moor)
Easy 86%Moderate 15%HardSevere
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 lines to the summits of Woodend Height and Yoadcastle are drawn, not recorded.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → White Pike (Birkby Fell) (3.2 km, 220 m)
From the parking area on the Birker Fell road, pick up the rough moorland track heading south-west across the wide expanse of Birker Moor. Leaving the main track, head out onto the open, pathless fell, weaving through heathery hummocks and boggy depressions as you make a persistent, gentle climb up to the prominent rocky cairn on White Pike.
WaypointsBirker Fell road (start), Birker Moor, Birkby Fell, White Pike summit (442m).
Decision pointDevoke Water to the north-west acts as a massive visual reference during the approach. Aiming for the distinct, dark rocky profile of White Pike on the horizon will keep you on course across the open moor.
Easy to get wrongThe ground across Birkby Fell is notoriously wet and tussocky, making for slow going even on a gentle gradient. Hidden peat hags and waterlogged sphagnum beds lie in wait between the heather-clad bumps, while the faint sheep trods frequently dissolve into nothingness.
If you need to get offTurn 180 degrees and retrace your line north-east across the moor to intersect the main gravel track leading straight back to the Birker Fell road.
- 2
White Pike (Birkby Fell) → Woodend Height (0.7 km, 50 m)
Drop off the rocky crown of White Pike and head east along the lumpy, undulating crest of the ridge. Pick a line through small rocky outcrops and heathery saddles, making a brief pull up to the modest, stony knoll of Woodend Height.
WaypointsWhite Pike descent, ridge saddle, Woodend Height summit (489m).
Decision pointThe line of rocky tors along the ridge provides a continuous visual handrail. Keep the drop towards the southern moorland on your right and the basin of Devoke Water away to your left.
Easy to get wrongThis is a classic "Birkett-bagging" traverse across short, rough terrain where footpaths are practically non-existent. The ground between the outcrops is boggy, and the blocky volcanic rock can be slick underfoot when wet or coated in lichen.
If you need to get offDrop down the gentle northern grassy slopes towards the shores of Devoke Water to meet the main bridleway that traces the lake.
- 3
Woodend Height → Yoadcastle (0.2 km, 22 m)
From Woodend Height, step down into a tiny, grassy depression before immediately tackling the short, sharp rise onto the imposing, blocky summit tor of Yoadcastle—the highest point on this southern rim.
WaypointsWoodend Height, Yoadcastle summit (494m).
Decision pointYoadcastle is the most prominent, craggy summit feature in the immediate area and is clearly visible right in front of you from Woodend Height.
Easy to get wrongThough extremely short, reaching the summit cairn of Yoadcastle requires a few moves over blocky, exposed rock. The stone is grippy when dry but demands care when damp, especially in strong winds whipping across the open fell.
If you need to get offSimply step back down off the rocky crown to the grassy saddle and descend northwards towards the Devoke Water track.
- 4
Yoadcastle → Water Crag (2.9 km, 76 m)
Descend north-west from Yoadcastle, stepping down over broken ground into the wide, elevated moorland pass. From here, swing north around the western end of Devoke Water, picking your way across a sprawling, trackless expanse of bog and heather before making a gradual, gentle climb up to the summit cairn of Water Crag.
WaypointsYoadcastle north-west slopes, Devoke Water (western end), Water Crag summit (305m).
Decision pointThe shoreline of Devoke Water serves as a continuous, clear handrail to your left (west). In low visibility, maintain a strict compass bearing north-east from the end of the lake until Water Crag's rocky profile looms out of the mist.
Easy to get wrongThis long traverse crosses some of the marshiest ground on Birker Moor. Crossing the feeder streams at the head of the lake requires care after heavy rain, and navigating the maze of peat hags demands frequent detours that can easily throw you off your bearing in thick clag.
If you need to get offNo way down to the Devoke Water track from here has been checked for this guide; the streams at the head of the lake may not be crossable after rain.
- 5
Water Crag → Rough Crag (Birker Moor) (0.8 km, 44 m)
Leave Water Crag and head east across the undulating, heathery high ground of Birker Moor. Navigate through a series of minor rocky hummocks and grassy depressions to reach the small, craggy outcrop of Rough Crag.
WaypointsWater Crag, Birker Moor plateau, Rough Crag summit.
Decision pointKeep the main Devoke Water track in mind as a catching feature to the north-west. You can use the line of sight back to Water Crag and forward to the road boundary to judge your progress across the moor.
Easy to get wrongThe terrain remains completely pathless and lumpy, filled with ankle-twisting concealed rocks hidden beneath heather and bracken. Navigation in hill fog requires close attention, as the numerous small crags look remarkably similar.
If you need to get offDrop north off the ridge down the short, grassy bank directly onto the main Devoke Water access track.
Rough Crag (Birker Moor) → Finish (1.0 km, 2 m)
Descend the gentle, grassy slopes east from Rough Crag, stepping down off the open moor to meet the main gravel track. Follow this clear, easy track as it leads straight back to the parking area on the Birker Fell road to complete the loop.
WaypointsRough Crag descent, Devoke Water estate track, Birker Fell road (finish).
Decision pointThe broad gravel track and the distant line of the Birker Fell road are clearly visible ahead, leading back to the start.
Easy to get wrongThe descent is gentle and straightforward, though the grassy lower slopes can be slick after prolonged rainfall. Once on the gravel track, the going is easier.
If you need to get offYou are already on the final, easy walk-out track leading directly to the road and transport options.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked
Summits bagged (5)
- 1White Pike (Birkby Fell)442 m
- 2Woodend Height489 m
- 3Yoadcastle494 m
- 4Water Crag305 m
- 5Rough Crag (Birker Moor)319 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
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.
Getting there and back
Parking
2 more places to park near the start
Positions are approximate.
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 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.
- Devoke Water turning, Birker Fell road (verge) — at the start
- Rough Crag Birker Moor (verge, south) — a 270 m walk to the start
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
No bus we hold serves this start. The nearest stop we hold is the 505 at Coniston, outside The Ruskin Centre, 17.3 km away on foot: a walk of its own, not a way to the start.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Rough free verge parking at the Devoke Water turning on the Birker Fell road, beside the start. 20 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking map, from OpenStreetMap, checked 2 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 Short, at 8.9 km, but five small tops that are rated hard to navigate: allow 2¼ to 3½ hours. (our route notes (this route's own summary), checked 2 October 2026)
No mapped drinking water or shelter on this route — that doesn’t mean there is none, and never drink untreated from a beck. (Facilities data © OpenStreetMap contributors.)
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
Hard overall — hardest: Navigation (estimated from the map, not checked on the ground); terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: they are computed from the recorded track and the map, which measures the line rather than surveying the ground.
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1White Pike (Birkby Fell) | 3.2 km | 220 m | 1:00–1:20 |
| 2Woodend Height | 3.9 km | 271 m | 1:14–1:38 |
| 3Yoadcastle | 4.1 km | 293 m | 1:19–1:45 |
| 4Water Crag | 7.1 km | 369 m | 2:02–2:42 |
| 5Rough Crag (Birker Moor) | 7.9 km | 414 m | 2:16–3:01 |
| Finish | 8.9 km | 415 m | 2:28–3:17 |
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 buggy or dodgy knees manage this route?
- Buggy: No mapped stiles, but the ground underfoot has not been assessed; not a buggy line on what we know.
- Knees: A sustained ~19% descent over 250 m around the 5.7 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
On the line: No barriers mapped on this line.
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 8 August 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Stanley Ghyll Force — 1.9 km from this start
- Walks from Eskdale — 3.1 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.