Castle How & Lang How - Birketts
Photo: © Lee McCoy
Start Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid)
Getting here Parking: Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, paid), 0.0 km from the start (straight line). Bus: the 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, an 80 m walk from this start. Getting there ↓ · Route map ↓
Hardest part Hard steepness: Steepest sustained descent about 26% around the 6.1 km mark. Hard navigation: Care needed in cloud — ~23% featureless high ground. Hard – estimated from the map, not checked on the ground
Before you choose
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 Lang How2 Swinescar Pike3 Castle How (Raw Pike)
Easy 83%Moderate 16%Hard 1%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 → Lang How (3.0 km, 342 m)
Leave the valley bottom at Stock Lane, Grasmere, and take the climbing paths up the fellside. Break onto the main ridge near Silver How, then bear north-west across the knobbly, undulating moorland to reach the summit of Lang How.
WaypointsValley floor start, Silver How ridge path, Lang How summit (414 m).
Decision pointThe initial ascent follows obvious clefts or worn tracks up the fell. On the ridge, the general direction of travel is north-west; keep the main bulk of the watershed as your baseline and avoid dropping prematurely into the valleys on either side.
Easy to get wrongA steady 10% climb to gain the ridge and warm up the legs. The lower slopes are steep and can be heavily rutted or muddy. Once on the plateau, the terrain shifts to classic Central Fells "lumpy" ground—a confusing mix of grassy hummocks, small tarns, and exposed rock that becomes notoriously difficult to read in thick mist.
If you need to get offTurn around and retrace your ascent path directly back down the fellside to your starting village.
© Lee McCoy · 2 photographs - 2
Lang How → Swinescar Pike (0.6 km, 29 m)
Continue west from Lang How, dropping slightly into a shallow saddle before crossing the grassy and occasionally rocky ground to the summit cairn of Swinescar Pike.
WaypointsLang How summit, Swinescar Hause (the dip), Swinescar Pike summit (411 m).
Decision pointFollow the natural high ground of the undulating ridge. The summit cairn on Swinescar Pike is obvious in clear weather, though be aware that a natural rock outcrop 200 m to the north-west is technically a couple of meters higher.
Easy to get wrongA very short, mechanically easy transition. The primary obstacle here is the ground underfoot: the dips can harbor deep, wet peat hags and boggy patches, especially after heavy Lake District rain.
If you need to get offRetreat south-east back to Lang How and descend your original ascent path. Do not attempt to drop blindly east or west off the ridge here, as the terrain becomes steep and trackless.
- 3
Swinescar Pike → Castle How (Raw Pike) (1.5 km, 104 m)
Push further north-west along the high ground. The route weaves over and around several intermediate rocky bumps (such as Little Castle How and Great Castle How) before arriving at the prominent rocky top of Castle How (Raw Pike).
WaypointsSwinescar Pike, Little Castle How, Great Castle How, Castle How (Raw Pike) summit (498 m).
Decision pointUse the precipitous crags overlooking Easedale Tarn to your right (east) as a major boundary handrail, but maintain a safe distance from the edge. The cairn on Raw Pike serves as your ultimate target.
Easy to get wrongThis section features a gentle 6% average gradient but requires constant micro-navigation over endless rocky knolls. The eastern edge drops precipitously towards Easedale. In thick clag, the sheer number of similar-looking rocky summits makes it incredibly easy to lose your bearings and walk in circles.
If you need to get offIf visibility drops completely and navigation fails, retrace your outward line along the ridge toward Swinescar Pike. Avoid descending east toward the crags.
Castle How (Raw Pike) → Finish (5.7 km, 15 m)
Leave the summit of Castle How (Raw Pike) and begin the long descent off the ridge. The line recorded here drops north-west off the summit before curving round to head east towards Easedale Tarn, following the watercourse back into Grasmere.
WaypointsCastle How (Raw Pike), descent path (e.g., Blea Rigg / Easedale Tarn), valley floor tracks, Finish.
Decision pointEasedale Tarn is a massive, distinctive visual catch feature. From the tarn, the gill provides a clear, natural handrail all the way to the valley floor.
Easy to get wrongA massive, sustained descent to finish the day. The upper rocky steps off the ridge can be slick, requiring careful footwork. Lower down, pitched paths near gills (like Sour Milk Gill) often feature polished rock that is highly treacherous when wet. The 15 m of minor ascent is distributed over the rolling lower valley tracks.
If you need to get offYou are on the final exit route. Simply continue the descent into Grasmere.
© Lee McCoy · 3 photographs
GPX track for your GPS or phone. Walked in part · km 1.9–3.1, km 5.9–7.0 from the map
Make it easier or harder
Short version: turn back at about 4.1 km and retrace your outward leg: about 8.2 km in all, against 10.9 km for the whole walk. It is the same ground back, not a separate descent.
Summits bagged (3)
- 1Lang How414 m
- 2Swinescar Pike411 m
- 3Castle How (Raw Pike)498 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.
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 by car 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. The bus below is the exception: it is not limited by car-park space, though it runs to a timetable and can be full.
- Red Bank Road, Grasmere (W&F, paid) — a 220 m walk to the start
- Nab Scar (layby) — a 550 m walk to the start
- Silver How (layby) — joins the loop at about km 10.5 of 10.9: a 30 m walk to the line, and you walk the round from there
- By bus: buses stop at Grasmere, at School, an 80 m walk from the start. This walk starts and ends in Grasmere, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Grasmere on a weekday: 20:46 towards Keswick (555). A bus is not affected by a full car park, but check the timetable before you rely on it.
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 555 stops at Grasmere, at School, an 80 m walk from this start. This walk starts and ends in Grasmere, so there is no bus to catch back to the start. For anyone staying elsewhere, the last bus out of Grasmere: the 555 towards Keswick at 20:46 Monday to Saturday, 18:36 on Sunday. From Grasmere, at School; checked against the operator's timetable, 12 September 2026; that timetable runs to 1 November. Times here are a guide, not a promise — leave yourself more than the minute.
The 555 passes this route at 0.1 km (Grasmere School (near), 0 m off the line). Other services cross it too — 516 at 4.1 km.
Rural routes change seasonally — confirm on stagecoachbus.com (opens in new tab) or Traveline before travelling.
Toilets and refreshments
The essentials
- Arrival Stock Lane Car & Coach Park in the village, beside the start: pay and display. 11 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (our parking audit, from OpenStreetMap, checked 12 August 2026)
- Toilets Toilets are mapped about 45 m from the start. 47 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Refreshments Goody Blakes (about 100 m) and The Distiller’s Arms (about 135 m) are the nearest mapped, with more cafés in the village. Opening hours are not recorded here. 101 m in a straight line, not a walking distance. (OpenStreetMap, as mapped on 13 September 2026, checked 13 September 2026)
- Limitation Hard to navigate among the hummocks, with a 33% descent over 250 m. (our route notes (this route's own warnings), checked 28 September 2026)
Everything mapped near the start
At Stock Lane Car & Coach Park (LDNPA, 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.
Mapped as nearby on OpenStreetMap too, as of 13 September 2026, within 250 m of the start and not already listed above:
Also mapped within reach: an information board.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), ODbL.
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: Steepness and navigation (estimated from the map, not checked on the ground); terrain not assessed; exposure not assessed on the ground
Five independent axes, not one score. None of them was set on the ground: they 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lang How | 3.0 km | 342 m | 1:10–1:34 |
| 2Swinescar Pike | 3.7 km | 371 m | 1:21–1:48 |
| 3Castle How (Raw Pike) | 5.2 km | 475 m | 1:49–2:26 |
| Finish | 10.9 km | 490 m | 3:00–3:59 |
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, but the ground underfoot has not been assessed; not a buggy line on what we know.
- Knees: A long, steep ~33% drop over 250 m around the 5.9 km mark — hard on the knees.
With a dog
Hardest for a dog here: drops and exposed ground (estimated from the map). The steepest stretch is a sustained descent of about 26% around the 6.1 km mark.
- Drops and exposed ground: Not assessed on the ground; the map suggests Moderate. Graded from slope only (~33% max); treat exposure as unverified.
- 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 26 July 2026)
- 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: 12 gates · 3 kissing gates
Barriers as mapped on OpenStreetMap, which can miss some. Spotted one? Tell us (opens in new tab). Barrier data as of 26 July 2026. Access data © OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass).
Places to stay near this start
From Grasmere: 11 places
Walks from places nearby
- Walks from Grasmere — 0.4 km from this start
- Walks from Elterwater — 2.7 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.
