Castle Crag from Rosthwaite
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. Parking & buses ↓
Hardest part Moderate steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 21% around the 4.8 km mark. Moderate navigation: Care needed in cloud — 27 path junctions near the line. Moderate – our judgement from the map and the route’s record; that stretch not walked
Before you choose
- The line crosses the River Derwent on stepping stones at about 0.5 km, and again on the way back at about 5.5 km. OpenStreetMap maps a footbridge about 0.3 km downstream, reached by the public footpath along the east bank from the stones; it meets the line at about 0.8 km, and at about 5.2 km on the way back. If the stones are under water, cross by the bridge.
- The path up to the top climbs through old slate workings on loose slate, with a crag edge mapped beside the path at the top. Keep back from the quarry edges, and keep children close.
- About 1.6 km of the line follows paths that OpenStreetMap does not record as public rights of way: about 1.2 km beside the river between about 1.4 and 2.6 km, and about 0.4 km on the way down between about 4.15 and 4.6 km. The rest is public footpaths, a public bridleway and the lane in Rosthwaite. That is a map-data note, not a ruling on access: check the access land and rights of way maps before relying on this stretch.
Conditions on this route
We score every Lakeland Wainwright each morning on cloud, wind, rain and underfoot, and this route crosses 1 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 Castle Crag
Easy 87%Moderate 13%HardSevere
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
Rosthwaite → Castle Crag (3.9 km, 217 m)
From the National Trust car park in Rosthwaite, take the lane west-south-west past Yew Tree Farm. A track, a public footpath, then leads west-north-west to the River Derwent. Cross the river on the stepping stones at about 0.5 km; when they are under water, use the footbridge about 0.3 km downstream instead, by the public footpath along the east bank. Beyond the stones the path runs north-west, over a footbridge on Scaleclose Gill at about 0.8 km. It then goes north beside the river, through a gate at about 1.0 km, on paths that turn rocky in places between about 1.9 and 2.25 km. At about 2.6 km the line turns on to a public bridleway and climbs south-south-west beside Broadslack Gill, through a gate at about 2.9 km. At about 3.4 km a public footpath leaves the bridleway, over a step-over stile and through gates near 3.5 km. It climbs steeply east-north-east up old slate spoil to the top of Castle Crag at about 3.9 km, where a war memorial is mapped.
WaypointsRosthwaite car park, Yew Tree Farm, the stepping stones over the River Derwent, the footbridge on Scaleclose Gill, the riverside path, the bridleway beside Broadslack Gill, the step-over stile, the slate path, Castle Crag (290 m).
Easy to get wrongThe stepping stones are the line's river crossing, and the footbridge downstream is the way across when they are under water. Many paths are mapped on this ground: the desk count for the whole line is 27 path junctions near it, so check each turn against the map.
If you need to get offUntil the climb starts at about 3.4 km, the way off is back the way you came, on low riverside paths. Near the top, the line on down is the shorter way: about 2.2 km to the car park.
Castle Crag → Finish (2.2 km, 37 m)
From the top, go back down the slate path for about 0.2 km, then over a ladder stile at about 4.1 km and down the path south. The path goes on south-south-west and then south-south-east, past Lingly Bank. This is the steepest descent of the walk, about 21% sustained near 4.8 km. A public footpath then leads east-south-east to the riverside path at about 5.1 km, through gates at about 4.9 and 5.1 km. Turn along the riverside path the way you came, to the stepping stones at about 5.5 km, or the footbridge before them. Then follow the track and lane east to Rosthwaite.
WaypointsCastle Crag, the ladder stile, Lingly Bank, the riverside path, the stepping stones (or the footbridge), Yew Tree Farm, Rosthwaite car park (finish).
Easy to get wrongThe top is old slate workings with a crag edge beside the path; keep back from the quarry edges. The ladder stile at about 4.1 km is just below the top.
If you need to get offThe line itself is the way down: about 2.2 km from the top to the car park.
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked in part · km 1.5–2.6, km 4.3–5.0 from the map
Summits bagged (1)
- 1Castle Crag290 m
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.
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 a fallback here, but it is a weak one. Some of the 3 below tend to fill for the same reasons at the same time. Treat the list as one-and-a-bit options rather than 3.
- Quay Foot Quarry, Borrowdale (NT, paid) — joins the loop at about km 1.8 of 6: a 1.2 km walk to the line, climbing about 70 m, and you walk the round from there
- Rosthwaite, south-east field car park (paid) — a 310 m walk to the start
- Castle Crag (layby) — joins the loop at about km 1.8 of 6: a 400 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- 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 24 October to 1 November. Towards Keswick (78): 20:05, 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.
The 77 passes this route at 0.0 km (Rosthwaite General Store (near), 70 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 Bus stops by the General Store in Rosthwaite are about 80 m from the start. 79 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, via Overpass, 16 October 2026, checked 16 October 2026)
- Toilets Free toilets are mapped about 30 m from the start. 27 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, via Overpass, 16 October 2026, checked 16 October 2026)
- Refreshments The Flock-in, at Yew Tree Farm, is mapped about 90 m from the start, beside the line. Opening hours are not recorded here. 89 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap contributors, via Overpass, 16 October 2026, checked 16 October 2026)
- Limitation Stepping stones over the river, a ladder stile at about 4.1 km and steep slate paths at the top: not a pushchair route. (OpenStreetMap contributors, Cumbria extract of 24 July 2026, checked 16 October 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
Moderate overall — hardest: Steepness and navigation (our judgement from the map and the route’s record; that stretch not walked); terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: one of the five is our judgement from the map and the route’s record, and 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 | 3.9 km | 217 m | 1:08–1:30 |
| Finish | 6.0 km | 254 m | 1:38–2:10 |
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 4.6 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 descent of about 21% around the 4.8 km mark.
- Stiles and gates: A ladder stile at 4.1 km, mapped on OpenStreetMap, that a dog may not get through. Livestock, ground and water are not assessed. (OpenStreetMap, mapped as of 2026-10-16)
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Hard. 3 mapped crag feature(s) near the line — check the airy sections.
- 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: 9 gates · 1 ladder stile · 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 2026-10-16. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (local extract).
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.
