Castle Crag, Brund Fell & Great Crag
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Rosthwaite
Getting here Parking: Rosthwaite (NT, paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 77 and 78 stop at Rosthwaite General Store (near), a 180 m walk from this start. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard distance: 14.11 km — a long day out. Hard steepness: Steepest sustained climb about 31% around the 1.7 km mark. Hands for a few steps: the top of King's How (about km 7.2).
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 Borrowdale Bus (78) (opens in new tab) reaches Rosthwaite at 08:33 and the last one back leaves from Rosthwaite General Store (near) at 20:05, Tuesday to Sunday only. At a steady pace this walk finishes about 14:04. Be off Great Crag (Stonethwaite) by 14:30, to be down at least an hour before dusk on 1 November; that is earlier than the last bus needs. 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 Castle Crag2 King's How - Grange Fell3 Grange Fell (Brund Fell)4 Great Crag (Stonethwaite)
Easy 77%Moderate 19%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 → Castle Crag (2.1 km, 224 m)
From the starting point in the valley, cross the River Derwent and head into the ancient native woodland. The path climbs steadily through the trees before emerging at the base of Castle Crag, ending in a famously steep, zigzagging climb directly through a massive slate quarry heap to reach the summit.
WaypointsRiver Derwent crossing, woodland path, slate quarry heap, Castle Crag summit.
Decision pointThe massive pile of slate and the distinct zigzag path cut into it make the final ascent distinctive.
Easy to get wrongAt just under 1,000 feet, this is the lowest of all the Wainwrights, but the final ascent is no joke. The loose slate on the zigzag path shifts underfoot and requires careful, deliberate footing.
If you need to get offCarefully descend the slate path back into the woods and return to the valley floor along the river.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 2
Castle Crag → King's How - Grange Fell (5.1 km, 377 m)
Descend Castle Crag back to the valley floor. From here, begin the long, often wooded ascent up the flanks of Grange Fell. After breaking out of the tree line, follow the steepening, craggy path to tackle the rugged, knobbly top of King's How.
WaypointsValley floor crossing, Grange Fell woodland ascent, King's How summit.
Decision pointThe paths through the woodland are generally clear and often stepped. Once on the open fell, follow the faint trods winding between the rocky outcrops.
Easy to get wrongA long transition stage that forces you to drop almost entirely back to valley level before re-ascending. The climb up through the woods is beautiful but feels like starting a completely new hike. The top of King's How is rugged, requiring a bit of minor scrambling over tree roots and rock.
If you need to get offTurn around and descend the wooded paths directly back to the Borrowdale valley road.
© Lee McCoy - 3
King's How - Grange Fell → Grange Fell (Brund Fell) (1.2 km, 85 m)
Leave King's How and navigate the confusing, undulating, and often boggy plateau of Grange Fell, weaving between heather and rocky outcrops to reach the true highest point at Brund Fell.
WaypointsKing's How, Grange Fell plateau, Brund Fell summit.
Decision pointKeep heading for the highest rocky outcrop to the south-east. There are a few different rocks that look like the top, but Brund Fell is marked by the most prominent high point.
Easy to get wrongGrange Fell is a sprawling series of "splatty rocks" and minor peaks rather than a single distinct mountain. It is notoriously confusing to identify the true summit here, and the depressions between the crags hold deep water and mud.
If you need to get offDecide at King's How, before you go onto the plateau: in cloud, the ground between here and Brund Fell is confusing in either direction, and the way back is the way you came. If you cannot move safely, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue.
© Lee McCoy - 4
Grange Fell (Brund Fell) → Great Crag (Stonethwaite) (2.2 km, 127 m)
Descend slightly from Brund Fell, crossing the notoriously wet moorland heading south. The path weaves through dense heather and bracken, crossing small streams before a short, rocky ascent onto Great Crag.
WaypointsBrund Fell descent, boggy moorland, Great Crag summit.
Decision pointThe paths here are faint and easily lost in the heather. Maintain a general southerly bearing toward the craggy high ground ahead.
Easy to get wrongThis entire section between the two fells is remarkably boggy and complex. The paths are heavily braided as walkers try to avoid the worst of the deep mud. Great Crag itself is a rugged, knobbly summit very similar in character to Grange Fell.
If you need to get offYou can head west off the moorland to drop down toward the Borrowdale valley, though the paths are steep and rough.
© Lee McCoy Great Crag (Stonethwaite) → Finish (3.6 km, 25 m)
Leave the summit of Great Crag, dropping past the picturesque Dock Tarn, before beginning the steep, wooded descent down into the Stonethwaite valley. Rejoin the valley tracks and follow the river back to your starting point.
WaypointsDock Tarn, Stonethwaite valley descent, valley tracks, Finish.
Decision pointDock Tarn acts as a beautiful water handrail on the descent. Once in Stonethwaite, the wide track by the river is a clear highway back.
Easy to get wrongThe descent from Great Crag and Dock Tarn into Stonethwaite is notoriously steep, rocky, and can be treacherous when wet. It puts a lot of pressure on the knees. Once you hit the valley floor, the final stretch is a very easy, flat walk out.
If you need to get offYou are on the final exit route; simply continue the descent off the fell.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked by Lee, August 2025
Summits bagged (4)
- 1Castle Crag290 m
- 2King's How - Grange Fell392 m
- 3Grange Fell (Brund Fell)417 m
- 4Great Crag (Stonethwaite)449 m
In the order you walk them — the same numbers the elevation profile, the stage notes and the pacing table use.
More about this walk
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.
- Castle Crag — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in midsummer — about half an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 09:15.
- Grange Fell (Brund Fell) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in midsummer — about half an hour after sunrise. In late December, not until about 09:00.
- Great Crag (Stonethwaite) — in late March the sun reaches it around 06:45, about half an hour later. In late September, about 07:30. It waits longest in late December — about an hour after sunrise.
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
If the first one is full, these overlap least in our model. The 3 below sit in different places or are different kinds of parking, so a busy morning at one does not mean a busy morning at all of them.
- Quay Foot Quarry, Borrowdale (NT, paid) — joins the loop at about km 5.5 of 14.1: a 570 m walk to the line, climbing about 40 m, and you walk the round from there
- Grange village car park (by the chapel) — joins the loop at about km 4.9 of 14.1: a 30 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- Rosthwaite, south-east field car park (paid) — a 250 m walk to the start
- By bus: buses stop at Rosthwaite General Store (near), a 180 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 and 78 stop at Rosthwaite General Store (near), a 180 m walk from this start. The 77 runs until 1 November 2026, the last day of its season. As timetabled from 27 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): Tuesday to Sunday 20:05. Checked against the operator’s timetable, 12 September 2026. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 77 passes this route at 0.1 km (Rosthwaite, at Howe Lane end, 300 m off the line). It passes again at 5.0 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival A car park in Rosthwaite, beside the start: paid, as mapped. The National Trust’s village car park, where it allows no overnight parking, is about 375 m away. 10 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking audit, from OpenStreetMap; Lake District National Park car-parks directory and National Trust (the village car park), checked 10 August 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 25 m from the start. 24 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments The Flock-in is mapped about 100 m from the start. Opening hours are not recorded here. 99 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation One pull reaches about 36% over 250 m early on, the ground between the tops is rough, and with 58 path junctions near the line it is easy to wander off in cloud. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
At Rosthwaite (NT, paid), 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.
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: 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Castle Crag | 2.1 km | 224 m | 0:48–1:04 |
| 2King's How - Grange Fell | 7.2 km | 601 m | 2:27–3:15 |
| 3Grange Fell (Brund Fell) | 8.4 km | 686 m | 2:49–3:45 |
| 4Great Crag (Stonethwaite) | 10.5 km | 814 m | 3:28–4:37 |
| Finish | 14.1 km | 838 m | 4:13–5:37 |
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 ~29% descent over 250 m around the 10.7 km mark — a little jarring on tired knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: stiles and gates. The steepest stretch is a sustained climb of about 31% around the 1.7 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: Stiles of unmapped type at 7.5, 7.8 and 8.8 km — a dog may need lifting over. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 19 July 2026)
- Drops and exposed ground: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Rock and scrambling: Hands for a few steps: the top of King's How (about km 7.2). Ground underfoot: Moderate – graded by Lee on the ground. Graded on the ground.
- Ways off early: No path off the line is recorded, but it passes a bus stop where you could end the walk: the 77 at Grange, by Bridge, about 5.0 km. The buses section says which bus and when.
- 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: 11 gates · 4 kissing gates · 1 step-over stile · 3 stiles (type unmapped)
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 19 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
- Seatoller House B&B (opens in new tab) guest houseabout 1.6 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).
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Rosthwaite — 0.1 km from this start
- Walks from Borrowdale — 0.9 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.