14.03 km · ~732 m ascent · ~4–5.5 h · loop · 5 summits
Five independent axes, not one score. “Desk” ratings come from maps and guidebooks, not yet walked — treat them as a guide, not a survey.
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 4 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 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 Burnbank Fell2 Blake Fell3 Gavel Fell4 Hen Comb5 Little Dodd (Loweswater)
Easy 74%Moderate 18%Hard 8%Severe
Free mapping: OpenTopoMap / OpenStreetMap (switch layers top-right).
This walk covers about 14.03 km with around 732 m of ascent, taking in 5 summits. The map above shows the line; the elevation profile and stage notes are below.
Can a dog, a buggy or dodgy knees manage this route? A quick read from the gates and stiles mapped along the way.
On the line: 17 gates · 1 kissing gate · 7 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 2026-07-26. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
| Summit | Cumulative | Ascent | Time (fast–steady) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burnbank Fell | 3.8 km | 389 m | 1:25–1:53 |
| 2Blake Fell | 5.1 km | 496 m | 1:51–2:28 |
| 3Gavel Fell | 6.6 km | 568 m | 2:16–3:00 |
| 4Hen Comb | 9.8 km | 706 m | 3:08–4:10 |
| 5Little Dodd (Loweswater) | 10.9 km | 706 m | 3:22–4:29 |
| Finish | 14.0 km | 732 m | 4:02–5:21 |
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.
From the starting point near Loweswater, take the established woodland tracks or the old corpse road to gain the base of the fells. Break out of the tree line and begin a long, sustained, grassy pull up the broad north-eastern spur, climbing persistently over trackless, rolling pasture to reach the modest, unmarked summit of Burnbank Fell
Loweswater (Maggie's Bridge vicinity), Holme Wood (fringes), Burnbank Fell summit (475m)
The boundary of Holme Wood serves as a clear starting handrail. Once on the open fell, a distinct wire fence line runs directly up the spine of the spur; keep it in sight and follow it all the way to the high ground of the summit plateau
The lower slopes are frequently churned into deep mud and choked with thick bracken during the summer, which completely obscures the faint sheep trods and harbors ticks. The gradient is a relentless, calf-burning drag over thick tussock grass that immediately tests your fitness right out of the car park
Turn 180 degrees and simply follow the grassy spur back downhill. The vast expanse of Loweswater and the dark block of Holme Wood provide an infallible visual target to guide you safely back to the valley tracks
Leave Burnbank Fell and head south-west along the broad, sweeping ridge. The route dips very slightly into a shallow saddle before transitioning from grass to stonier ground, culminating in a steady, rocky climb up to the commanding, prominent summit and wind shelter of Blake Fell
Burnbank Fell, connecting saddle, Blake Fell summit (573m)
A boundary fence line continues to cross this ridge, acting as a superb navigational lifeline in thick hill fog. It leads almost directly to the summit, where a substantial stone wind shelter provides an unmistakable waypoint
This high ridge is entirely exposed to the prevailing westerly weather fronts blasting in from the Irish Sea, offering absolutely zero shelter until you reach the summit cairn. The final pull is heavily eroded, featuring loose, blocky stones that require careful foot placement
Reversing your route back to Burnbank Fell and descending the ascent path is the safest option. Dropping east into the upper reaches of Holme Beck is steep, trackless, and heavily forested lower down, making it a very poor emergency exit
Descend south/south-east from the rocky crown of Blake Fell, dropping back onto thick grass to cross the notoriously boggy saddle of Fothergill Head. From the depression, it is a very gentle, rolling ascent over saturated, trackless moorland to reach the incredibly subtle, uninspiring grassy mound of Gavel Fell
Blake Fell southern descent, Fothergill Head, Gavel Fell summit (526m)
Keep the steep drops plunging into the Mosedale valley clearly to your left (east) as a broad directional boundary. The dilapidated fence line once again crosses the saddle and traverses near the high point, serving as a critical handrail through the bogs
The saddle at Fothergill Head is a massive sponge; you will be forced to detour widely around deep peat groughs and hidden pools of black water. Gavel Fell is one of the most featureless summits in the western Lakes, making disorientation practically guaranteed if the cloud base drops
Do not attempt to drop blindly east into the Mosedale valley from this high ridge, as the slopes are aggressively steep and craggy in places. The best retreat is to fall back to Blake Fell or push forward to the Mosedale crossing
This stage completely breaks the high horseshoe. Drop steeply east off Gavel Fell, plunging directly into the deep, marshy trench of Whiteoak Moss on the Mosedale valley floor. After wading across Mosedale Beck, immediately tackle the fiercely steep, trackless, and heathery western flank of Hen Comb to finally gain its narrow summit ridge
Gavel Fell eastern descent, Whiteoak Moss, Mosedale Beck crossing, Hen Comb summit (509m)
The Mosedale valley floor and the distinct ribbon of the beck act as massive, inescapable catching features at the bottom of the descent. Once across the water, simply force a line straight up the steep flank using the skyline ridge of Hen Comb as your aiming point
This is a brutal, awkward transition. Whiteoak Moss is an atrocious, boot-swallowing swamp that never dries out, and crossing the beck can be hazardous after heavy rain. The subsequent 138m climb up Hen Comb is a completely off-piste bushwhack through deep heather and bracken on a punishing gradient, sapping whatever energy you have left
The Mosedale valley floor offers a perfect, highly reliable bailout. Instead of crossing the beck to climb Hen Comb, simply turn left (north) and follow the established Mosedale valley track all the way back to Loweswater
Turn north and follow the delightfully narrow, grassy spine of Hen Comb's descending ridge. The path rolls gently downhill over short turf, offering a fast and easy traverse to reach the minor, insignificant grassy bump known as Little Dodd
Hen Comb northern ridge, Little Dodd (Loweswater) summit
The ridge line is sharply defined compared to the surrounding fells. Keep the deep trench of Mosedale to your left (west) and the Squat Beck valley to your right (east), letting the topography naturally funnel you northwards
After the horrors of the Mosedale bogs, this ridge is a welcome, dry relief. However, the short grass turns incredibly slick after a rain shower, and the ridge is exposed to crosswinds. The summit of Little Dodd is barely perceptible and easily missed without careful pacing
You are fully committed to the descent ridge and already heading safely off the mountain. Maintain your northerly bearing to naturally drop towards the farm tracks at the base of the fell
Plunge off the final, steep grassy nose of Little Dodd, picking up faint, zig-zagging trods through the bracken to intersect the boundary walls at the base of the fell. Join the main Mosedale valley track, crossing the bridge over the beck, and enjoy a flat, easy stroll through the farm fields back to the starting point near Maggie's Bridge
Little Dodd descent, valley intake walls, Mosedale valley track, Maggie's Bridge (finish)
The farm walls and the valley floor are massive visual targets that cannot be missed. Once you hit the wide, stony Mosedale track, navigation is entirely finished; it acts as a foolproof handrail leading straight to the car park
The initial descent is steep and punishing on the knees, with summer bracken frequently hiding the best line down to the gates. The final 3 km walk-out is dead flat but feels remarkably long on hard-packed, stony tracks after a full day of fighting through soft peat and heather
You are on the final, definitive escape route. Stick strictly to the established farm tracks, avoiding the temptation to cut corners through private, enclosed pastures near the river
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
Positions are approximate. Lakeland car parks fill before 9am on fine weekends.
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 →
💧 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.)
The 77 stops at Lanthwaite Green Farm (opp). From there it is 3.2 km and 121 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. 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 18:03 towards Keswick (77), every day. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Short version: turn back at about 6.0 km (drop to Start) — roughly half the distance.
about 0.9 km from the start, in a straight line
Foulsyke was a 16th-century manor house; the three cottages are its former barn and stables, and you reach the courtyard through an arched carriage entrance dated 1797.
What each place says about itself, quoted from their own site. We have not stayed at any of them, and there are no prices, no booking and no affiliate links. Distances are straight lines from the route start, never walking times. Properties found via OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab).