Black Star Brandreth and others
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Key facts
Difficulty profile
Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.
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 at 18:33. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 12:45. Be off Grey Knotts by 17:23. Runs daily, including public holidays. From the summer 2026 timetable, read on 21 Aug 2026. 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.
Why this matters: 78% of Mountain Rescue call-outs come after midday — the day runs out on the way home, not on the way up. See also walking in bad weather and today’s conditions.
1 Honister Crag (Black Star)2 Fleetwith Pike3 Brandreth4 Grey Knotts
Easy 62%Moderate 25%Hard 8%Severe 6%
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 9.18 km with around 597 m of ascent, taking in 4 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Access & barriers
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
- Dog: A stile of unmapped type — a dog may need lifting over.
- Buggy: Stiles or rough going on the route.
- Knees: A long, steep ~41% drop around the 8.6 km mark — hard on the knees.
On the line: 1 step-over stile · 2 stiles (type unmapped)
These are mapped barriers, from OpenStreetMap — coverage in the Lakes is good but not guaranteed complete. Spotted a stile or gate we’ve missed? Tell us (opens in new tab) and we’ll fix it. Barrier data as of 2026-08-08. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Pacing
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Honister Crag (Black Star) | 1.7 km | 262 m | 0:47–1:02 |
| 2Fleetwith Pike | 2.4 km | 284 m | 0:57–1:16 |
| 3Brandreth | 6.9 km | 596 m | 2:22–3:09 |
| 4Grey Knotts | 7.6 km | 597 m | 2:31–3:21 |
| Finish | 9.2 km | 597 m | 2:50–3:46 |
Naismith-based estimate — a fast/steady range. Your pace will vary. These use Naismith’s textbook constants (5 km/h, 600 m of ascent an hour). Measured against a pace fitted to 41 recorded Lakeland walks they run about 8% slow, and we have left them that way deliberately: a slow estimate strands nobody.
The walk, stage by stage
- 1
Start → Honister Crag (Black Star) (1.7 km, 262 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 an unmistakable, 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 (0.7 km, 22 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 infallible 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 offRetrace your steps east back to the Drum House ruins and descend the quarry tracks to Honister Pass. Do not attempt to bail north down the notoriously steep and scrambly Fleetwith Edge unless fully prepared for a serious grade 1 descent
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 3
Fleetwith Pike → Brandreth (4.5 km, 312 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 offThe Dubs Quarry depression offers a perfect, safe bail route. From Dubs Hut, simply follow the wide, level quarry track directly east to the Drum House ruins, then descend back to Honister Pass, skipping the Brandreth climb entirely
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 4
Brandreth → Grey Knotts (0.7 km, 2 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. Take extreme care on the steep grass; if the direct descent looks too intimidating or slippery, you can contour slightly south-east to pick up the more established paths near the Drum House, though this adds distance
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.
Getting there & parking
Positions are approximate.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Every option near this start, on the parking map →
Water, shelter & getting away
On-route facilities © OpenStreetMap contributors — an absent marker does not mean the facility isn’t there.
Buses
The 77 stops at Honister Youth Hostel (near), 190 m from this start. Seasonal: the 77 does not run all year. 1 November 2026 is its last day, and it is not daily before then — a bus on 31 of the 56 days from 7 September. We don’t know when it returns. Confirmed with the operator, 29 August 2026. The last bus is 18:33 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 77 passes this route at 9.1 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.
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 if one is full the others usually are too. Worth starting early, or having a different walk in mind before you set off.
- Honister Pass (paid, slate mine)
- Honister (NT, paid)
Worked out from the parking we hold within walking reach of this route and the other walks each place serves — two places that serve the same walks fill for the same reasons. We are not saying whether anywhere has spaces today, and we never will: this is what exists, not what is free.
Toilets and refreshments
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.
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. 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.
- 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.
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.
Safety & conditions
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.
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 4.2 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
