Black Star Brandreth and others
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Honister Slate Mine
Getting here Parking: Honister Pass (paid, slate mine), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 190 m walk from this start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 33% around the 8.7 km mark. Hard navigation: Care needed in cloud — ~28% featureless high ground. Hard – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground
Before you choose
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
By bus: the Honister Rambler (77/77A) (opens in new tab) reaches Honister Slate Mine at 08:59 and the last one back leaves from Honister Youth Hostel (near) at 18:33. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 12:45. Be off Grey Knotts by 15:05, to be down at least an hour before dusk on 1 November; that is earlier than the last bus needs. Seasonal: the 77’s last day is in Buses. The last bus is from the operator’s timetable, checked 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Check the timetable before you rely on it.
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 Honister Crag (Black Star)2 Fleetwith Pike3 Brandreth4 Grey Knotts
Easy 65%Moderate 23%Hard 13%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 line to the summit of Honister Crag (Black Star) is drawn, not recorded.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → Honister Crag (Black Star) (1.8 km, 278 m)
Starting from the Honister Slate Mine car park at the summit of Honister Pass, cross the road and begin the steep, immediate ascent up the western fellside. Follow the line of the old quarry incline alongside the dismantled tramway, hauling up through the industrial ruins to reach the summit of Honister Crag (its highest point being Black Star).
WaypointsHonister Slate Mine (Start), Yewcrag Quarries tramway, Drum House (ruins), Honister Crag (Black Star - 633 m).
Decision pointThe old inclined tramway provides a distinctive, engineered line of ascent directly up the fellside. The ruined Drum House near the top of the incline is a major milestone.
Easy to get wrongA relentless 15% average climb from the car door. The terrain is an active and historical industrial landscape heavily covered in loose slate, scree, and ruined tracks. It is incredibly slippery when wet and demands solid footwear.
If you need to get offTurn around and carefully descend the quarry track directly back to the Honister Pass car park.
- 2
Honister Crag (Black Star) → Fleetwith Pike (0.8 km, 32 m)
Leave Black Star and walk west-north-west along the spectacular top edge of the crags. The path undulates gently over easy ground to arrive at the prominent summit cairn of Fleetwith Pike.
WaypointsHonister Crag (Black Star), Fleetwith Pike summit (648 m).
Decision pointThe precipitous cliff edge to your right (north) serves as a dramatic and handrail, though you must maintain a safe distance from the drop.
Easy to get wrongMechanically, this is a very simple and highly enjoyable transition. However, the exposure is immense; the northern edge of the plateau drops vertically down the sheer face of Honister Crag toward the valley floor. High winds here can be genuinely dangerous.
If you need to get offGo back the way you came, to Honister Pass. Do not use Fleetwith Edge as a way down: it is a steep, rocky, exposed ridge with some easy scrambling, and this route does not go on it.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 3
Fleetwith Pike → Brandreth (4.5 km, 318 m)
Descend south-east off Fleetwith Pike, dropping into the deep, rocky depression containing the Dubs Quarry ruins. Cross the upper reaches of Warnscale Beck, then pick up the winding paths (often utilizing sections of the ancient Moses Trod) to begin the long, sweeping, grassy haul up the north-western shoulder to the summit of Brandreth.
WaypointsFleetwith Pike, Dubs Hut (bothy), Warnscale Beck crossing, Moses Trod, Brandreth summit (715 m).
Decision pointDubs Hut (a stone bothy) is an excellent visual target in the valley. On the ascent to Brandreth, use the faint line of Moses Trod if visible, and aim for the dilapidated fence line that crosses the upper plateau near the summit.
Easy to get wrongA long, complex transition. The descent to Dubs Quarry is rough, blocky, and heavily scarred by mining. The crossing near Warnscale Beck is notoriously boggy and requires careful weaving to keep boots dry. The subsequent 7% climb up Brandreth is a long slog over trackless or faintly trodden grass and rock.
If you need to get offFrom the Dubs Quarry depression there is a way out that skips the Brandreth climb: from Dubs Hut the wide quarry track runs east to the Drum House ruins, and from there you can descend back to Honister Pass.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 4
Brandreth → Grey Knotts (0.7 km, 1 m)
Turn broadly north and walk along the broad, lumpy ridge line. The terrain is practically flat as you weave between small rocky knolls and shallow tarns to reach the summit of Grey Knotts.
WaypointsBrandreth summit, connecting plateau, Grey Knotts summit (697 m).
Decision pointAn old, rusty fence line runs directly between Brandreth and Grey Knotts. This is a highly dependable handrail that will guide you precisely through the confusing terrain in poor visibility.
Easy to get wrongPhysical effort is negligible (only 2 m of ascent), but this plateau is a navigational minefield in thick clag. It is a confusing maze of similar-looking rocky bumps and water-filled hollows where it is exceptionally easy to lose your sense of direction.
If you need to get offRetreat south to Brandreth. Attempting to drop blindly off the sides of this plateau in the mist is highly discouraged due to the craggy flanks on all sides.
© Lee McCoy Grey Knotts → Finish (1.5 km, 0 m)
From the summit of Grey Knotts, plunge east/north-east directly off the fellside, picking your way down the incredibly steep, grassy and rocky slopes to return to the Honister Slate Mine car park.
WaypointsGrey Knotts summit, north-eastern descent, Honister Pass Finish.
Decision pointThe massive buildings and car parks of the Honister Slate Mine are clearly visible directly below you as a major visual catch feature. Pick the line of least resistance down the slope toward the road.
Easy to get wrongA brutal, knee-jarring descent to finish the route. Dropping 344 m in just 1.5 km means the gradient is fiercely steep. The ground is largely pathless grass interspersed with rocky steps, which becomes a treacherous, slippery slide after heavy Lake District rain.
If you need to get offYou are on the final descent, and it is the steepest ground of the day: about 41% near 8.8 km. Take care on the steep grass, above all when it is wet. We have not checked a line from Grey Knotts to the Drum House, so none is offered here.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked in part · km 1.1–2.2, km 5.9–6.9 from the map
Summits bagged (4)
- 1Honister Crag (Black Star)634 m
- 2Fleetwith Pike649 m
- 3Brandreth715 m
- 4Grey Knotts697 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.
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.
- Fleetwith Pike — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:30, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in midsummer — about half an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 08:45.
- Brandreth — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Grey Knotts — 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.
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.
- Honister Pass (paid, slate mine) — at the start
- Honister (NT, paid) — at the start
- By bus: buses stop at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 190 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 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), a 190 m walk from this start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day. It returns on 22 March 2027. Confirmed with the operator: its last day on 29 August 2026, its return on 16 October 2026. The last bus is 18:33 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 77 passes this route at 9.2 km (Honister Youth Hostel (near), 100 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 Honister Pass: the slate mine’s car park beside the start (£5 a day for visitors on its own page), and the National Trust car park about 140 m east (£7 up to 2 hours, £8 up to 4 hours, £9.50 all day; free for members). 35 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Honister, Your visit; National Trust, car parks in the Buttermere valley, checked 28 September 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 35 m from the start. 34 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments The Sky Hi Café at the slate mine is mapped about 30 m from the start. Opening hours are not recorded here. 32 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Short but steep, with one stage averaging about 15%. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
At Honister Pass (paid, slate mine), the closest parking we hold to where this route starts:
Distances are straight lines from the car park, not walking routes. Opening hours change; none of this is checked daily.
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap too, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of the start and not already listed above:
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
Hard overall — hardest: Steepness and 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Honister Crag (Black Star) | 1.8 km | 278 m | 0:49–1:05 |
| 2Fleetwith Pike | 2.5 km | 310 m | 1:01–1:21 |
| 3Brandreth | 7.0 km | 628 m | 2:27–3:15 |
| 4Grey Knotts | 7.7 km | 629 m | 2:36–3:27 |
| Finish | 9.3 km | 629 m | 2:54–3:52 |
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 long, steep ~41% drop over 250 m around the 8.7 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground (estimated from the map). The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 33% around the 8.7 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. Graded from slope only (~41% max); treat exposure as unverified.
- Stiles and gates: A stile of unmapped type at 9.1 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 8 August 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: 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: 1 step-over stile · 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 8 August 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Honister Pass — 0.0 km from this start
- Walks from Seatoller — 2.1 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.
