Blencathra to Mungrisdale Common and over the back
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Mungrisdale village hall (paid)
Getting here Parking: Mungrisdale village hall (paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 509, X4 and X5 stop at Mungrisdale, adjacent to Road End; from there it is 3.2 km and 76 m of ascent to this start. And the same back: about 23.9 km in all, with the walk. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard distance: 17.59 km — a long day out. Hard steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 30% around the 16.9 km mark.
Before you choose
- Mungrisdale Common: The flat, near-featureless top has an indistinct path over rocky, boggy ground; in cloud you really must concentrate on navigation. The Cloven Stone is a useful checkpoint — but note it sits right on the edge of steepening ground. Carry map and compass and trust your bearings.
- Bannerdale Crags: The plateau ends suddenly at the curving line of crags. Keep back from the rim, especially in cloud or wind where the gentle top gives little warning of the drop.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 5 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 Souther Fell2 Scales Fell3 Doddick Fell4 Blencathra - Hallsfell Top5 Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)6 Mungrisdale Common7 Bannerdale Crags8 Bowscale Fell9 Tarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top)
escape route
Easy 72%Moderate 25%Hard 3%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 → Souther Fell (2.5 km, 311 m)
Starting from Mungrisdale village, follow the lane south for about 600 m, then take the path onto the fellside and tackle the steep, grassy eastern flank of Souther Fell, following the path as it works its way up to the summit ridge.
WaypointsMungrisdale village, River Glenderamackin bridge, Souther Fell summit.
Decision pointOnce you crest the initial climb, the path along the ridge line heading south-west is clear.
Easy to get wrongA solid 12% average climb to warm up the legs. The grassy slopes are steep but technically simple, offering a relatively quiet alternative to the busier Blencathra approaches. That said, for a low fell Souther Fell is extremely steep in places; the path steepens progressively and must be followed carefully to negotiate a small crag.
If you need to get offTurn around and descend the grassy slopes directly back to Mungrisdale.
- 2
Souther Fell → Scales Fell (3.3 km, 261 m)
Drop off the south-western nose of Souther Fell, losing about 90 m to the col above Mousthwaite Comb, and begin the long, steady haul up the sweeping grassy shoulder of Scales Fell.
WaypointsThe col above Mousthwaite Comb, Scales Fell lower ridge.
Decision pointThe massive, sweeping ridge of Scales Fell dominates the view ahead and serves as a distinctive visual target.
Easy to get wrongA long transition stage. The ground can be heavily waterlogged, but once you start the 14% climb up Scales Fell, the path becomes firmer and much more defined.
If you need to get offFrom the col above Mousthwaite Comb, a narrow trail drops west to a footbridge over the infant River Glenderamackin; the riverbank is steep, so take care at the crossing, particularly in spate or when slippery. From the footbridge the river path leads north and then east round Souther Fell back to Mungrisdale. The mapped bail point at 4.1 km drops through Mousthwaite Comb to the Scales layby, by the ridge rather than the beck.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 3
Scales Fell → Doddick Fell (0.4 km, 87 m)
Continue ascending the steepening ridge. The grassy path narrows and becomes rockier as you transition from Scales Fell onto the upper reaches of Doddick Fell.
WaypointsScales Fell ridge, Doddick Fell top.
Decision pointThe ridge line funnels you directly upward with no real chance of taking a wrong turn.
Easy to get wrongThe gradient ramps up significantly here to a lung-busting 22%. The views down into the steep coves between the ridges are magnificent, but the effort required is intense.
If you need to get offDescend the ridge line back to the valley. Do not attempt to drop into the steep, craggy ravines of Scales Beck or Doddick Gill on either side. The mapped bail point at 6.2 km goes down over Doddick Fell to Scales on the A66.
- 4
Doddick Fell → Blencathra - Hallsfell Top (0.6 km, 125 m)
The final, punishing push. Follow the heavily eroded, rocky path up the last steep incline to pop out onto the main summit of Blencathra at Hallsfell Top.
WaypointsDoddick Fell, Hallsfell Top (Blencathra summit).
Decision pointThe prominent concrete summit marker ring at Hallsfell Top is your ultimate target.
Easy to get wrongThis pull averages about 21%, just behind the 22% onto Doddick Fell before it; the steepest short stretch of the whole walk comes much later, a descent of about 37% around 17 km. The terrain is loose, rocky, and demands careful footwork, though it avoids the severe scrambling of Sharp Edge.
If you need to get offRetrace your steps carefully down the Doddick/Scales ridge.
© Lee McCoy - 5
Blencathra - Hallsfell Top → Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) (0.6 km, 21 m)
Turn north and enjoy the slightly undulating walk across the "Saddleback" plateau, taking in the edge above Tarn Crags before arriving at Atkinson Pike.
WaypointsHallsfell Top, Blencathra plateau, Atkinson Pike.
Decision pointStay well clear of the precipitous drops to the east.
Easy to get wrongAn easy stroll after the gruelling ascent. Keep an eye out for the white quartz cross laid into the stones on the ground along the way.
If you need to get offThe usual retreat in poor weather is to retrace your steps to the Scales Fell ridge and descend south-east.
© Lee McCoy · 3 photographs - 6
Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) → Mungrisdale Common (1.8 km, 3 m)
Drop north off Atkinson Pike, descending the grassy slopes on an indistinct path onto the broad, boggy top of Mungrisdale Common to find the small pile of stones that marks its summit.
WaypointsAtkinson Pike descent, Mungrisdale Common cairn.
Decision pointYou must rely heavily on a compass bearing if visibility is low, as the "summit" is just a tiny cairn in a sea of marshy grass.
Easy to get wrongA steep descent onto what is widely considered the most featureless Wainwright of them all. It is incredibly boggy, completely exposed, and remarkably easy to get disoriented here in thick clag.
If you need to get offIf the bogs are too deep, abort the common and head east directly toward the River Glenderamackin to pick up the valley path.
© Lee McCoy - 7
Mungrisdale Common → Bannerdale Crags (2.8 km, 95 m)
Slog east across the wet expanse of the common, crossing the upper reaches of the River Glenderamackin before climbing the grassy western slopes of Bannerdale Crags to reach its eastern edge.
WaypointsGlenderamackin crossing, Bannerdale Crags summit.
Decision pointAim for the high ground to the east. Once you reach the top of Bannerdale Crags, the sheer drop to the east is a distinctive boundary.
Easy to get wrongThis crossing is wet, energy-sapping, and feels like a real trudge. However, arriving at the sheer eastern drop-off of Bannerdale Crags is a fantastic visual reward.
If you need to get offFrom the Glenderamackin crossing, you can follow the river path south and then east all the way back to Mungrisdale. The mapped bail point at 11.1 km follows the beck to the Scales Fell layby, hard going in the wet, with some climb still to come between Souther Fell and Mousthwaite Comb.
© Lee McCoy · 5 photographs - 8
Bannerdale Crags → Bowscale Fell (1.8 km, 81 m)
Follow the path north-west along the escarpment edge, dropping slightly into a shallow saddle before a gentle climb to the large wind shelter on Bowscale Fell.
WaypointsBannerdale Crags edge, Bowscale Fell summit shelter.
Decision pointThe large stone wind shelter at the summit of Bowscale Fell is an excellent visual marker.
Easy to get wrongVery straightforward, grassy walking. The exposure to the wind can be brutal here, but mechanically it is very easy on the legs. The plateau ends suddenly at the curving line of crags above Bannerdale.
If you need to get offPush forward; you are nearing the final descent ridges.
© Lee McCoy - 9
Bowscale Fell → Tarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top) (0.9 km, 15 m)
Turn north-east and walk across the grassy plateau toward the subsidiary top of Tarn Crags, which offers superb views down over Bowscale Tarn.
WaypointsBowscale Fell summit, Tarn Crags Top.
Decision pointAim north-east toward the obvious high ground overlooking the tarn.
Easy to get wrongA short, undulating transition. Keep a safe distance from the steep craggy edges above the tarn.
If you need to get offRetrace steps to Bowscale Fell and descend via the main paths.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs Tarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top) → Finish (3.0 km, 13 m)
Descend the long, sweeping grassy ridge heading east/south-east. The path eventually drops you off the high fells, connecting with the lower valley tracks that lead back into Mungrisdale village.
WaypointsEast ridge descent, valley farm tracks, Mungrisdale finish.
Decision pointThe ridge line naturally funnels you downward toward the farmlands of the Glenderamackin valley.
Easy to get wrongA long, sustained grassy descent that will test your knees at the end of a long day. The grass can be exceptionally slick and treacherous after rain. Near the end the ridge steepens over Raven Crags, where the path is steep and slippery even in fine weather. The final 13 m of ascent is distributed over the undulating valley track back to the car.
If you need to get offYou are on the final exit route; simply continue the descent off the fell.
© Lee McCoy
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, May 2026
Escape routes
- At about 4.1 km: descend to Scales Fell (layby) (0.7 km S, 201 m down) — multiple paths down through Mousthwaite Combe and then the road towards Scales Farm or Lowside. The preference would be the ridge route and not down the beck.
- At about 6.2 km: descend to Scales, A66 (layby) (1.5 km SE, 534 m down) — Route towards Doddick Fell and then Scales. The following bail point is Hallsfell Top, which would be risky in bad weather.
- At about 11.1 km: descend to Scales Fell, south-east (layby) (2.7 km SE, 397 m down) — Along the beck, which may be difficult in wet conditions, and still some climb needed between Souther Fell and Mousthwaite Comb.
Escape lines chosen from the map by someone who has walked this route; not every descent has been walked. In poor visibility a marked descent can be safer than retracing a ridge.
Summits bagged (9)
- 1Souther Fell522 m
- 2Scales Fell682 m
- 3Doddick Fell742 m
- 4Blencathra - Hallsfell Top868 m
- 5Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag)845 m
- 6Mungrisdale Common632 m
- 7Bannerdale Crags684 m
- 8Bowscale Fell702 m
- 9Tarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top)665 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.
- Souther Fell — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Blencathra - Hallsfell Top — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Mungrisdale Common — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00. It waits longest in late December — well over an hour after sunrise.
- Bannerdale Crags — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:15, with the sunrise. In late September, about 07:00.
- Bowscale Fell — 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 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.
- Mungrisdale (verge, by the village hall) — at the start
- Souther Fell, north-east (layby) — joins the loop at about km 0.4 of 17.6: a 420 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- Mungrisdale (layby, north) — at 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
The 509, X4 and X5 stop at Mungrisdale, adjacent to Road End. From there it is 3.2 km and 76 m of ascent to this start — a walk in before the walk. And the same back: about 23.9 km in all, with the walk. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Hartsop road end (509): Tuesday to Sunday 17:07 to Patterdale Hotel, 14:42 to Hartsop road end. Towards Penrith (X5): Tuesday to Saturday 22:11; Sunday 18:38. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 7 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.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Mungrisdale village hall, beside the start: a sign asks £4 a day, paid into a slot in the hall’s gable wall, and says cars are parked at the owner’s risk. 3 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (Lee's photo of the sign, 29 September 2026, checked 29 September 2026)
- Toilets No toilets are mapped within 250 m of the start. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments The Mill Inn (about 55 m) and Lorraine’s Tea Garden (about 55 m) are mapped by the start. Opening hours are not recorded here. 53 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Mungrisdale Common’s flat, near-featureless top has an indistinct path over rocky, boggy ground: in cloud you must concentrate on navigation. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of where this route starts (information boards within 150 m; benches and shelter within 50 m):
Also mapped within reach: 2 information boards.
Distances are straight lines from where this route starts, not walking routes. Opening hours are as mapped and change; none of this is checked daily.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
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: Length and steepness
Five independent axes, not one score. Three of the five were set on the ground; the rest 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Souther Fell | 2.5 km | 311 m | 1:01–1:21 |
| 2Scales Fell | 5.8 km | 571 m | 2:06–2:48 |
| 3Doddick Fell | 6.2 km | 658 m | 2:20–3:06 |
| 4Blencathra - Hallsfell Top | 6.8 km | 784 m | 2:40–3:33 |
| 5Atkinson Pike (Foule Crag) | 7.4 km | 804 m | 2:49–3:45 |
| 6Mungrisdale Common | 9.2 km | 808 m | 3:11–4:14 |
| 7Bannerdale Crags | 11.9 km | 903 m | 3:53–5:10 |
| 8Bowscale Fell | 13.7 km | 984 m | 4:23–5:50 |
| 9Tarn Crags Top (Bowscale Fell East Top) | 14.6 km | 999 m | 4:35–6:06 |
| Finish | 17.6 km | 1011 m | 5:12–6:55 |
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: No mapped stiles; terrain Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground, but the going for wheels is not recorded; not a buggy line on what we know.
- Knees: A long, steep ~37% drop over 250 m around the 16.9 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground. The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 30% around the 16.9 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Stiles and gates: Only gates and kissing gates are mapped: no stile a dog can’t get through. That is the barriers alone; check the route’s steep or rocky ground before you bring a dog. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 18 July 2026)
- Rock and scrambling: Ground underfoot: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Ways off early: Marked on this route at about 4.1 km: Scales Fell (layby) (0.7 km S, 201 m down); at about 6.2 km: Scales, A66 (layby) (1.5 km SE, 534 m down); at about 11.1 km: Scales Fell, south-east (layby) (2.7 km SE, 397 m down). The escape routes section below has the detail.
- 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: 3 gates
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 18 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Mosedale End Farm B&B (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 2.3 km
- Scales Farm Country Guest House (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 3.9 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).
