Birketts West of Haweswater
Start Mardale Head (Haweswater)
Getting here Parking: Mardale Head, Haweswater (free), 0.1 km from the start (straight line). Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Severe distance: 23.83 km — a long day out. Hands for a few steps: Rough Crag and Long Stile (km 0.0–3.4).
Before you choose
- Beyond Red Crag the round is largely pathless — Gowk Hill, Low Kop and the Bampton Common crossing are trackless grass moor. A clear-weather round; bearings needed in mist.
- High Street: Broad, flat and almost featureless, with few landmarks to fix on. In cloud it is very easy to walk off on the wrong bearing and end up above crags or descending into the wrong valley. Take a compass bearing before you leave the summit and trust it — don't navigate by the vague feel of the slope.
- Rampsgill Head: Ridges to The Knott/Rest Dodd, High Raise, High Street and the Straits of Riggindale all meet here over pathless, boggy ground. In mist it is easy to take the wrong arm. Take and trust a compass bearing before leaving the summit.
- High Street: The eastern rim drops in steep crags to Blea Water, the deepest tarn in the Lakes. The Long Stile ridge is the narrow, craggy crest along this edge. Keep well back from the lip in wind or mist; the ground that looks like a continuation of the plateau ends abruptly in cliffs.
- High Street: In winter the plateau holds snow and offers no shelter or reference points, and cornices and ice form along the crag edges above Blea Water. Whiteout navigation here is genuinely serious — full winter skills, ice axe and crampons needed, and extra margin kept from the corniced edge.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 3 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 High Street2 Rampsgill Head3 High Raise (High Street)4 Low Raise5 Red Crag6 Gowk Hill7 Low Kop8 Castle Crag (Mardale)
Easy 71%Moderate 25%Hard 4%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 → High Street (3.4 km, 589 m)
Starting from the Mardale Head car park, the route immediately crosses Mardale Beck and launches into a brutally steep, direct assault up the Rough Crag ridge. The 17% average gradient is unrelenting. The terrain transitions from steep grassy trods on the lower slopes to the rocky ridge path of Long Stile, with drops on either side. It is a phenomenal, heart-pumping climb that deposits you directly onto the massive, flat summit plateau of High Street.
WaypointsStart Point: Mardale Head Car Park (approx. NY 469 107). Rough Crag (628 m): The first major rocky vantage point on the ridge. Caspel Gate / Caspel Gate Tarn: The small depression and often-dry tarn before the final push. Long Stile: The steep, rocky scramble leading onto the High Street plateau. High Street Summit (829 m): Marked by a white OS trig pillar and the line of the old Roman Road.
Decision pointVisual Boundaries: Blea Water sits in the massive glacial corrie to your left (south); Riggindale drops away to your right (north). The ridge is a perfect, clear handrail.
Easy to get wrongScrambling: Long Stile is a rocky ridge path with drops on either side, and a few steps need your hands. The rocks are treacherous when coated in winter ice or slick with rain. Gradient: There is zero warm-up. You are climbing violently from the moment you leave the car. Do NOT attempt to bail left (south) into the Blea Water corrie or right (north) into Riggindale from Caspel Gate or Long Stile. The terrain is perilously steep, craggy, and heavily bluffed out.
If you need to get offRetreat: Before Caspel Gate, you can carefully descend the way you came.
- 2
High Street → Rampsgill Head (2.0 km, 85 m)
A high-level, incredibly exposed traverse along the broad spine of the Far Eastern fells. Leaving the High Street trig, you head north along the remnants of the Roman Road. The terrain is flat, grassy, and stony, dropping slightly into the Straits of Riggindale before a gentle 4% pull up to the summit of Rampsgill Head.
WaypointsThe Roman Road: The wide, heavily-trodden thoroughfare. Straits of Riggindale: The narrowest point of the ridge, linking High Street to the northern fells. Rampsgill Head Summit (792 m): A fine viewpoint looking directly down the sheer drop of the Rampsgill valley.
Decision pointWall Remnants: The dilapidated remains of an old drystone wall guide you much of the way across the Straits.
Easy to get wrongWind / Exposure: The Straits of Riggindale act as a massive wind funnel for westerlies. Expect severe buffeting here. Winter Cornices: Massive snow cornices form on the eastern (right) edge of this ridge above Riggindale in winter. Stay well back from the edge.
If you need to get offRetreat: Reversing back over High Street is usually slower. Another option, not checked for this guide, is to drop west into the Hayeswater valley, though this commits you to a very long, expensive taxi ride back from Hartsop to Mardale.
- 3
Rampsgill Head → High Raise (High Street) (0.8 km, 30 m)
A very brief, virtually flat hop across the high plateau. The ground is stony and often damp, but the walking is fast and easy.
WaypointsHigh Raise Summit (804 m): Adorned with an exceptionally large, well-built summit cairn (and a smaller secondary cairn).
Decision pointVisual Target: The massive cairn on High Raise is visible from Rampsgill Head in clear weather.
Easy to get wrongWhiteout Navigation: While physically easy, this broad, featureless plateau is highly disorienting in mist.
If you need to get offRetreat: Keep moving. Bailing directly off this plateau involves dangerous crags to the north-west (Martindale).
- 4
High Raise (High Street) → Low Raise (0.9 km, 7 m)
Continuing north-east, the route descends almost imperceptibly across a broad expanse of fell grass. The path begins to fade here as you leave the main Wainwright-bagging routes and head into the quieter Birkett territory.
WaypointsLow Raise Summit (754 m): A very subtle, grassy bump on the ridge line.
Decision pointLine of Sight: Keep Wether Hill in your sights dead ahead to maintain your bearing.
Easy to get wrongSubtle Summit: The top of Low Raise is so flat and non-distinct that it is easy to walk straight past it if you aren't paying attention to your altimeter or GPS. Do not drift left (north/west). This takes you into the deep, remote valleys feeding Ullswater (Fuesdale/Measand), trapping you miles from Mardale.
If you need to get offRetreat: The map shows no usable way off between High Raise and Low Raise: the nearest mapped ways down from this part of the ridge are each more than 4 km long and pass mapped crag. So the way off is back over High Raise and High Street and down the way you came, about 6 to 7 km; not walked for this guide.
- 5
Low Raise → Red Crag (2.3 km, 39 m)
You now abandon the main ridge and head into the notorious expanse of Bampton Common, where OSM maps a bridleway, a track and paths along the line. Heading west-south-west and then north, as the track does, the terrain rapidly deteriorates from firm fell grass to energy-sapping tussocks, deep heather, and labyrinthine peat hags.
WaypointsBampton Common: The sprawling, boggy plateau. Red Crag Summit (711 m): A rocky Birkett outcropping providing a rare dry spot on this section of the moorland.
Decision pointCompass Bearings: Absolute discipline is required here. Shoot a bearing from Low Raise and stick to it, breaking the walk into paced intervals.
Easy to get wrongPeat Hags & Bogs: This is a grueling 2.3 km. You will constantly detour around black peat trenches and sodden, boot-swallowing moss. Clag Navigation: This area is a navigational nightmare in thick cloud. It is completely featureless, and the twisting detours around bogs make it incredibly easy to lose your bearing.
If you need to get offRetreat: If the bogs are impassable after heavy rain, retrace your steps to High Raise and descend the main ridge.
- 6
Red Crag → Gowk Hill (2.2 km, 49 m)
A steep, sustained descent off the high moorland. Turning north-north-west, you drop rapidly toward the Haweswater valley. OSM maps a bridleway and then a footway down most of this descent (not the last 0.4 km to Gowk Hill); the ground is steep, often slippery fell grass that gives way to bracken on the lower slopes.
WaypointsGowk Hill Summit (471 m): A rounded, grassy Birkett on the spur above the lake.
Decision pointVisual Targeting: The massive expanse of Haweswater is a constant, unmissable landmark.
Easy to get wrongKnee Strain: The 281m descent is sharp and unremitting; trekking poles are highly advised. Bracken: In summer, the lower approaches to Gowk Hill are choked with deep bracken, hiding rocks and holes.
If you need to get offRetreat: No way down from Gowk Hill to the shore has been checked for this guide.
- 7
Gowk Hill → Low Kop (4.1 km, 271 m)
A deeply tiring, long stage that climbs back onto the main ridge before dropping gently to Low Kop. From Gowk Hill, head north-north-east and then east, down to a public footpath, and follow it east to Fusedale Beck, which you cross at a ford beside a ruined building. The line recrosses the beck at a second ford a short way on; from there a path climbs south and then south-east up the fellside, crossing the head of Mere Beck, to meet the public bridleway on the ridge. Follow the bridleway north for about 70 m, then fork right (east) onto a footpath where the bridleway carries on north towards Wether Hill. The footpath runs east past boggy patches, crosses a second bridleway, and passes close to High Kop, then heads east-north-east and gently downhill to Low Kop.
WaypointsFusedale Beck: Crossed twice, at two fords, early in the stage. Ridge bridleway junction: Where the climb from Fusedale Beck meets the ridge; the route forks east off the bridleway here. High Kop: Passed about 60 m from the line. Low Kop Summit (572 m): A remote Birkett sitting quietly on the eastern slopes of Wether Hill.
Decision pointThe ridge fork: The one junction to get right is on the ridge. The bridleway continues north towards Wether Hill; this route leaves it heading east on the footpath for High Kop and Low Kop.
Easy to get wrongFatigue: On tired legs, this 4.1 km stage feels endless. Most of its 270 m of ascent comes in the steep climb of about 1.3 km from the second ford to the ridge bridleway. Wet Crossings: After rain, the two fords over Fusedale Beck can be tricky to cross without getting wet feet, and the ground either side of the footpath on the ridge is boggy in places.
If you need to get offRetreat: No way down to the shore from this stage has been checked for this guide.
- 8
Low Kop → Castle Crag (Mardale) (5.2 km, 180 m)
An immense, rolling traverse along the mid-slopes above Haweswater. This stage crosses the deep, rugged ravines of Randale Beck and Whelter Beck. You are effectively walking across the grain of the mountain. The terrain involves faint sheep trods, old ruin walls, and steep descents into (and climbs out of) rocky gills, eventually depositing you at the ancient hillfort of Castle Crag.
WaypointsRandale Beck: The first major ravine crossing. Whelter Beck / Whelter Crags: The second, more dramatic craggy ravine. Castle Crag (Mardale) (395 m): A distinct, rocky knoll jutting out into the valley, the site of an ancient fort.
Decision pointRuin Walls: The remnants of old intake walls and sheepfolds dot this mid-level traverse, serving as good visual handrails.
Easy to get wrongRavine Crossings: Whelter Beck in particular sits below imposing crags. You must pick your line carefully to cross the gill safely without being forced onto dangerous, steep ground. Summer Growth: This entire contour line is heavily overgrown with bracken from July to September. When crossing Whelter Beck, do not drift too high (west). You will become dangerously bluffed out below Whelter Crags.
If you need to get offRetreat: No way down to the shore from this traverse has been checked for this guide.
Castle Crag (Mardale) → Finish (3.0 km, 86 m)
The final leg. From the rocky perch of Castle Crag, you drop down to the head of Haweswater. The route then picks up the undulating, rocky shoreline path (or the minor access roads if the water level is high) for a final, rolling 3 km back to the car park.
WaypointsHaweswater Head: The westernmost tip of the reservoir. The Shore Path: The rugged path wrapping around the lake. Finish Point: Mardale Head Car Park.
Decision pointThe Lake: Keep the water on your left.
Easy to get wrongShoreline Rocks: The path along the edge of Haweswater is not a flat stroll; it is highly undulating, paved with awkward rocks and tree roots that demand focus when you are exhausted.
If you need to get offRetreat: You are off the open fell. Simply follow the shoreline path directly back to your vehicle.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Planned route · not yet walked
Summits bagged (8)
- 1High Street829 m
- 2Rampsgill Head792 m
- 3High Raise (High Street)804 m
- 4Low Raise754 m
- 5Red Crag711 m
- 6Gowk Hill471 m
- 7Low Kop572 m
- 8Castle Crag (Mardale)395 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
Nearest fuel to this start: Bridge End Garage, Bampton, 9.9 km by road. Nearest shop: Bampton Valley Stores, 10.0 km. Both measured along the road from the parking we publish at Mardale Head, Haweswater, checked 8 August 2026. Coming in from a particular direction you may pass a closer one — the last petrol before each valley →
Parking
1 more place 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.
- Mardale Head, Haweswater (free) — at the start
- Branstree, north (layby) — joins the loop at about km 22.9 of 23.8: a 370 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- Branstree (layby) — a 210 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 508 and 509 stop at Hartsop, adjacent to road end, 8.6 km away on foot: a walk of its own, not a way to the start.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Mardale Head car park at the end of the Haweswater road, where the walk starts. Free, with a donation cairn (a suggested £2, cash only: there is no mobile signal). No overnight stays in a vehicle or tent: a council order since 18 March 2026. It is small and, in Lee's experience, fills very early. (wildhaweswater.co.uk and United Utilities; the overnight ban, Westmorland and Furness Council Public Spaces Protection Order 2026 No. 008; 'fills very early' is Lee's, checked 30 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 Eight tops in 23.8 km, and beyond Red Crag the round is largely pathless grass moor: save it for a clear day, and take bearings in mist. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), 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
Severe overall — hardest: Length; 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1High Street | 3.4 km | 589 m | 1:40–2:13 |
| 2Rampsgill Head | 5.4 km | 674 m | 2:12–2:55 |
| 3High Raise (High Street) | 6.1 km | 704 m | 2:24–3:12 |
| 4Low Raise | 7.0 km | 711 m | 2:35–3:27 |
| 5Red Crag | 9.3 km | 750 m | 3:07–4:09 |
| 6Gowk Hill | 11.5 km | 799 m | 3:38–4:50 |
| 7Low Kop | 15.6 km | 1070 m | 4:54–6:31 |
| 8Castle Crag (Mardale) | 20.8 km | 1249 m | 6:15–8:19 |
| Finish | 23.8 km | 1336 m | 7:00–9:18 |
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: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A sustained ~28% descent over 250 m around the 16.0 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground (estimated from the map). The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 34% around the 3.0 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~43% max); treat exposure as unverified.
- Stiles and gates: A stile of unmapped type at 7.9 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 26 July 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: Rough Crag and Long Stile (km 0.0–3.4). Ground underfoot: Not assessed.
- 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: 6 gates · 1 stile (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 26 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Haweswater Hotel (opens in new tab) hotelabout 3.4 km
Also nearby, but not independent
- Mosedale Cottage (opens in new tab) hutabout 2.8 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).
